It’s probably not something you ordinarily have in your supplies at home, but when you learn of the uses of rubbing alcohol, you might just pick up some on your next shop. Rubbing alcohol is a bit of a wallflower when it comes to first aid. People who buy it generally do so because it’s good for relieving sore muscles, fever and cleaning germs from minor scrapes and scratches. With these uses of rubbing alcohol, don’t leave it on the shelf the next time you pass it by.
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Scrub Your White Board
My kitchen white board is always getting accidentally marked with Sharpies which simply refuse to budge, so one of my most frequent uses of rubbing alcohol is to get those marks off. Just use a cloth and a small amount of rubbing alcohol to get your stained or marked white board back to squeaky clean.
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In Your Ice Pack
If you don’t want your ice pack to freeze completely, add one part of rubbing alcohol to two parts water and freeze. The alcohol will prevent a solid ice block from forming, making it useful for cold compresses or just to keep your lunch cold in the hot summer weather.
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A Fire Starter
Rubbing alcohol is extremely flammable, so you can use it to easily start fires when camping. Of course this is one of the more dangerous ways to use rubbing alcohol, so make sure that you take the necessary safety precautions before you start any fires!
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Sanitize Your Garden Tools
You might be thinking I have gone crazy, but those readers with green thumbs might have heard this tip before. You should regularly clean your garden tools with rubbing alcohol to prevent bad bacteria from building up. Having a build-up of bacteria can damage your healthy flowers or grass, so a strong rubbing alcohol solution is a great asset to any budding gardener.
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Instead of Nail Polish Remover
If you are planning a night out with the girls and find that you are out of nail polish remover, you can use rubbing alcohol instead!
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Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.
Stop Bites from Itching
The summer heat is a welcome relief after the cold winter months, but the bites which come with having windows open are not as welcome. To stop yourself from itching in the summer, dab a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto the bites and they will dry out, preventing any irritation. Be sure to only use a small amount, as lots of exposure can damage skin in concentrated amounts.
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De-frost Your Car Window
Mix up a solution of one quart of water alongside half of a cup of rubbing alcohol to pour over your car window in the harsh winter months. The frost should disappear almost instantly, and it’s a much cheaper alternative than many of the expensive de-ice sprays on the market.
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Kill Fruit Flies
A good use for rubbing alcohol to fill a spray bottle with some rubbing alcohol and use it to spray pesky fruit flies. Be careful where you are spraying – especially in the kitchen – but the flies will be gone.
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Clean Mirrors
My final way to use rubbing alcohol is simply to rub it on a mirror for a smear-free shine. Never again will you need to spend lots of money on mirror and glass cleaners; just spray a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto your windows or mirrors and wipe away with a lint-free cloth.
I’m now wondering what other uses for rubbing alcohol there are. How do you use it?
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