Will Isopropyl Alcohol Kill Germs? Is 70% or 100% isopropyl alcohol better for killing germs?
Author: Briony Maitland Date Posted:27 February 2019
Isopropyl alcohol is a commonly used disinfectant to kill germs in a variety of industries such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, laboratories, food-related areas and more.
The properties within isopropyl alcohol act are known as antimicrobial which means isopropyl alcohol kills microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, germs) or stops their growth – such as the spread of germs. It kills 99.99% of germs within about 10-30 seconds, making it the perfect sterilisation tool.
How does it kill bacteria? Isopropyl alcohol damages the cell walls of organisms. It works into the organisms causing the walls to burst and dissolve quickly. When you spray rubbing alcohol on a hard surface it will kill the bacteria on the surface.
Common bacteria prone surfaces like keyboards, cell phones, phones, bench tops, and more, it is great to spray the isopropyl alcohol on to kill bacteria and stop the spread of germs.
Is 70% or 100% isopropyl alcohol better for killing germs?
70% alcohol is recommended to kill bacteria and to use as a disinfectant. This is because the added water content slows down the evaporation rate which means the isopropyl alcohol has longer contact with the surface, increasing the effectiveness of killing the germs. Because the isopropyl alcohol has more content time it has a better response in killing bacteria. This is also why 70% is recommended when killing mealy bugs.
Sources: Quora, NCBI
These Are Short Answers, if you would like a more in-depth answer please contact us or you may need to do more research. This is just to help you and is merely a recommendation.
