# When will we be able to buy Isopropyl Alcohol again? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 29, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829 "2020-04-29T18:18:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/21 "2020-04-30T00:01:19Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > **~VOW** , it’s the 70%. > > I learned something. My rapidograph pens are nasty. One bottle goes in the art room. Yay! > > Thx! Kimoto Pake! ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/22 "2020-04-30T00:10:29Z")
Everclear is available at most liquor stores. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/23 "2020-04-30T00:20:57Z")
Just bought some. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/24 "2020-04-30T00:39:32Z")
Liquor alcohol is usable to clean but is hard on skin and some surfaces. It sounds worth a try for cleaning pitch and other stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/25 "2020-04-30T00:46:53Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > **~VOW** , it’s the 70%. > > I learned something. My rapidograph pens are nasty. One bottle goes in the art room. Yay! > > Thx! How do you store the Rapidograph pens? Do you have a humidor which holds them tips up, with a cover to keep the moisture level up? Pens stored horizontally will clog and dry out faster. If you clean the pens once a week, you’ll suffer a lot less aggravation. If you only use them occasionally, break the pen down and clean it, and store it empty. ~VOW (who even owns her own Leroy set) ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/26 "2020-04-30T01:06:44Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > Rumor in my town is that the Targets sometime have it but keep it at the counter to prevent anyone from hoarding it all or stealing it. So maybe calling stores before one goes to see if they do the same might be a good idea. Found that out the other day at CVS. I kvetched about no alcohol, H2O2 & TP & they got 1 of each out from behind the counter for me. My doc gave me a box of alcohol swabs for my injections. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/27 "2020-04-30T01:27:16Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’d agree with both of these posts. Isopropyl was indeed very much a once-a-decade purchase for me. When you need it, it’s handy to have on hand. But I suspect the primary steady users are people using alcohol wipes to inject daily. Production was probably never that heavy, because I doubt it tended to fly off the shelves. Ramping up is likely to be slow. The alcohol wipes already have alcohol in them, so the demand for them is separate from the demand for bottled isopropyl alcohol. And as was said, the little bottles of alcohol and the little boxes of 100 or 200 wipes were a once-a-decade purchase for me. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829/28 "2020-04-30T01:42:46Z")
Common household bleach is tempermental. I learned the hard way! Many plastics cannot stand up to bleach. I like using it in the kitchen, but I don’t want to keep a gallon jug of it next to the sink. I tried putting it in a spray bottle, and the bleach ate through the spray mechanism. I tried keeping it in various plastic bottles, and the bleach disintegrated the bottles. Through much trial and error, I finally discovered that a small dishwashing liquid bottle can stand up to bleach. I even like the flip-cap dispenser! I had a problem with the bleach drying and crystallizing in the dispenser, making it difficult to open and close. Easy fix! Wash out the cap, allow to dry. Then give a squirt of PAM or some other no-stick spray, and use a napkin or paper towl to rub the spray into all the crevices and threads of the cap. The cap will stay clean forever more! MAKE SURE THE BOTTLE IS WELL LABELED AND KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN! ~VOW [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829.md?page=1)