Posted: 4/30/2026 12:41:19 AM EDT
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Why do we call 70% Isopropyl " Rubbing Alcohol " ? Anyone actually rub one out with Isopropyl? " Any liquid's a lubricant, if you're brave enough.." - Abe Lincoln, probably. |
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Quoted: It was used for massages 100 years ago that was actually its orginal purpose Thought this was common knowledge It was also used to... rub... onto the site of muscle injuries and sprains. I used to use a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and witch hazel to massage my quadriceps after sprint training back around 40 years ago. |
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Quoted: I always assumed it was called that because of all the old timers that would rub it on their hands to kill germs. Old timers didn’t give a shit about germs. I knew an old plumber that would eat lunch without washing his hands and use the same pocket knife he had used to scrape the remnants of an old wax ring from a toilet drain to cut-up the apple and cheese his wife had packed for his lunch. |
| I don't know about rubbing, but 91% isopropyl alcohol is one of the most useful things to have around the shop. It degreases, it cleans, it cuts goo, it's great for raising the grain on wood between sanding passes (evaporates faster than water). Super useful stuff and cheap. The lower percentage rubbing alcohol works too, just not as well. |
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Quoted: I don't know about rubbing, but 91% isopropyl alcohol is one of the most useful things to have around the shop. It degreases, it cleans, it cuts goo, it's great for raising the grain on wood between sanding passes (evaporates faster than water). Super useful stuff and cheap. The lower percentage rubbing alcohol works too, just not as well. It's a great degreaser for aircraft parts and firearms. |
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Rubbing alcohol and isopropyl alcohol are not the same; rubbing alcohol is typically a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water, while isopropyl alcohol is pure alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is generally used for home disinfection, whereas isopropyl alcohol is more concentrated and used in industrial applications. |