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Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Grain alcohol, disinfect and fuel

Ethanol

High-proof grain alcohol. A disinfectant, solvent, and tincture base, and a clean-burning emergency fuel.

INDEFINITEHazardousWorks without power

Quick facts

Best at
60 to 90% for germs
Form
Clear liquid
Hazard class
Flammable
Shelf life
Indefinite
Storage
Sealed glass or metal
What to avoid
  • Flame
  • sparks
  • heat

See everything ethanol must never touch

What it's good for

Disinfectant

Skin and surface germs

Tinctures

Herbal extracts

Solvent

Cleans and dissolves

Fuel

Clean-burning heat

It kills microbes by dissolving their cell membranes and unraveling the proteins inside, working best as a 60 to 90 percent mix.

Good to know

Why 70 percent beats 100, and what to buy. Disinfecting works because alcohol unravels microbe proteins, a reaction that needs some water, so a 60 to 90 percent mix kills better than the pure stuff. So buy the strongest food-grade grain alcohol you can: any 190 proof (95%) grain spirit works, with Everclear, Golden Grain, and Graves common at liquor stores. Dilute it with water to suit the job: about 70 percent to disinfect, 40 to 65 percent for dried-herb tinctures, or neat (95%) for fresh tinctures and fuel. You can always weaken it but never strengthen it, so high proof is the versatile buy; where 190 proof is restricted, 151 proof grain alcohol or 100-proof vodka works. Never use 'denatured' alcohol internally, since it is poisoned, for cleaning and fuel only.

Handling and safety

60 to 90% kills germs

Too dilute or too pure works less well; the middle range disinfects best.

Highly flammable

Keep it away from flame and sparks, and store it sealed and cool.

Great solvent and base

It extracts herbs and dissolves residues that water cannot.

Food-grade for internal use

Use food-grade ethanol for tinctures; never denatured alcohol.

Recipes for ethanol

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is ethanol used for?

High-proof grain alcohol works as a disinfectant for skin and surfaces, a base for herbal tinctures, a solvent, and a clean-burning fuel. Dilute it to about 70 percent to disinfect, 40 to 65 percent for dried-herb tinctures, or use it neat at 95% for fresh tinctures and fuel.

How long does ethanol last in storage?

Ethanol has an indefinite shelf life when it is kept sealed in glass or metal, stored cool, and kept away from flame, sparks, and heat.

How do I store ethanol?

Store ethanol sealed in glass or metal, and keep it cool. It is highly flammable, so keep it away from flame, sparks, and heat. Stored that way its shelf life is indefinite.

Keep going

Read nextIsopropyl AlcoholA fast-drying disinfectant and solvent for skin, surfaces, and equipment. It is flammable and weakens over time.Compounds and Cleaning · Compound

Related to this

Medical · Reference Tincture herbs: a grouped quick reference for 23 useful herbs 23 herbs grouped by use, each with the part to use, alcohol strength, how well it works as a glycerite, a starting dose, and the cautions. Compounds and Cleaning · Formula Surface and Equipment Disinfectant Spray At about 70 percent, ethanol kills most bacteria, viruses, and fungi within seconds by unraveling their proteins and dissolving the membranes around their cells. Hazardous Cooking, Fuel and Fire · Formula Alcohol Stove and Fuel An alcohol stove is the simplest cooker there is: a small metal cup that holds alcohol and burns it as a ring of jet flames under your pot, with no valves or moving parts to fail. You can buy one or make one from a small can in a couple of minutes. Hazardous Medical · Formula Make an herbal tincture with alcohol Alcohol dissolves plant compounds that water alone can't extract, then preserves them indefinitely as the same alcohol prevents microbial growth. Hazardous
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Compounds and Cleaning · CompoundSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Chapter 20, p. 112 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

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