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Kryptik
Enjoy the Magic

Registered: 04/05/06
Posts: 136
Last seen: 9 years, 3 months
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Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......?
#5714336 - 06/05/06 10:00 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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While chatting with a friend thats in the medical field, a discussion about Alcohol came up. I was told that Alcohol needs at least 30min before it can even start to kill any signs of bacteria. I asked, "then why do they clean your skin with alcohol before giving you a shot?". I was told that it is either used to help lift a vein or wipe away dirt and oil in the skin.
Upon further research, I've come across information that says almost the exact same thing. This was taken from Wikipedia.org "Alcohol – Usually ethanol or isopropanol – Wiped over benches and skin and allowed to evaporate for quick disinfection. Alcohols are more effective combined with water, 70% alcohol is more active than 95% alcohol. Alcohol is not effective against bacterial spores." This along with that, a couple other sources agreed that most Bacteria Endospores can not be killed by Alcohol. One site did mention that Alcohol can "denature" the shell of bacteria and break it down over time (30+ min.)
Would it be wiser to use Iodine or similar true disinfectant?
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Prisoner#1
Even Dumber ThanAdvertized!


Registered: 01/22/03
Posts: 193,665
Loc: Pvt. Pubfag NutSuck
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: Kryptik]
#5714360 - 06/05/06 10:22 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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alcohol can be useful, if you read the text you posted a second time regarding weakening the shell of bacteria, you adopt new methods of handling things, in my labwork I have always a fanatic about cleanliness, I do a wipe of every surface with bleach, wait 15 minutes and do an alcohol wipe, a second bleach and alcohol wipe, the total process takes about an hour but I'll guarantee that nothing survives the treatment... adaptation is key
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Atheist
Stranger


Registered: 01/24/06
Posts: 13,705
Loc: USA
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: Prisoner#1]
#5714619 - 06/05/06 11:47 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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^ I'm sure it kills everything
but don't u think a good hose down of Lysol would do the same thing?
Kills 99.99999% germs, whats gonna survive? Not a lot if anything right?
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Cepheus
Balance



Registered: 04/19/06
Posts: 8,266
Loc: the space between reality...
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: Atheist]
#5714654 - 06/05/06 11:55 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Yeah man.. I literally soak the place in oust and surgical spirits. works good for me.
-------------------- "I only ever hope to reach equilibrium, in Nature's matrix, in line with the meridian" ~ Jehst
"...and I know that I have to keep breathing, as tomorrow the sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring?" Free Spore Ring Europe Send any spare spore prints you might have and help the distribution
Open Source. Freedom. GNU/Linux Addicting is not a word.
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swingline
Stranger


Registered: 08/25/05
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: Cepheus]
#5715347 - 06/05/06 02:47 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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a friend of mine has a B.A.S. in microbiology with an emphasis on bacteria and he says that's all they use to clean their lab surfaces is rubbing alcohol or Everclear, yes he said Everclear.
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fastfred
Old Hand



Registered: 05/17/04
Posts: 6,899
Loc: Dark side of the moon
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: swingline]
#5715472 - 06/05/06 03:16 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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I've been told that it's the rubbing action as much as the alcohol that sterilizes the surface. That's not to say you could just take a dry towel and rub the surface. Alcohol is a good solvent and when you rub something down with it you're stripping away many layers of bacteria and grime. The alcohol then kills the much reduced amount of bacteria that remains.
It's all they use in the local microbiology lab class. The proper way is to squirt a stream onto the surface using a back and forth motion then wipe with a paper towel until the alcohol evaporates.
Lysol may be better because it leaves a residue that will kill anything landing on the surface for some time.
-FF
-------------------- It drinks the alcohol and abstains from the weed or else it gets the hose again. -Chemy The difference between the substances doesn't matter. This is a war on consciousness, on our right to the very essence of what we are. With no control over that, we have no need to speak of freedom or a free society. -fireseed "If we are going to have a war on marijuana, the least we can do is pull the sick and the dying off the battlefield." -Neal Levine (MPP) I find the whole "my drug should be legal but yours should be illegal" mindset disgusting and hypocritical. It's what George Bush and company do when they drink a cocktail and debate the best way to imprison marijuana users. -Diploid
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 2 days
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: fastfred]
#5716223 - 06/05/06 07:07 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Bacterial endospores will not be present on your work table, tools or skin, but live bacteria will, and 70% alcohol kicks their butt. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Kryptik
Enjoy the Magic

Registered: 04/05/06
Posts: 136
Last seen: 9 years, 3 months
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5717805 - 06/06/06 02:03 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Thanks for the replies. I wanted to simply double check after hearing and coming across the info I did. I do use alcohol, lysol and oust. In researching, I did find that I accidently picked up some 91% iso alcohol that will get switched to 70%.
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 months, 2 days
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: Kryptik]
#5718096 - 06/06/06 06:57 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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Personally, I use 80% because it has enough water to penetrate cell walls of organisms, but not so much water it doesn't evaporate completely. The 70% takes too long to dry off my gloves or table when I wash them with it. I mix equal amounts of 91% and 70%. Works like a charm. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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tonyperez420
Shaman Rasta

Registered: 11/03/04
Posts: 1,234
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Re: Alcohol - Is it a good disinfectant? Are you sure......? [Re: RogerRabbit]
#5720007 - 06/06/06 06:05 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
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rubbing alcohol/lysol/oust are my best friends
along with a FH
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