BUCKHORN CLIFFS

Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Fast-drying disinfectant

Isopropyl Alcohol

A fast-drying disinfectant and solvent for skin, surfaces, and equipment. It is flammable and weakens over time.

YEARS SEALED; WEAKENS OPENEDMULTI-USEHazardousWorks without power

Quick facts

Best at
70% for germs
Form
Clear liquid
Hazard class
Flammable
Shelf life
Years sealed; weakens opened
Storage
Sealed, away from flame
What to avoid
  • Flame
  • sparks
  • heat

See everything isopropyl alcohol must never touch

What it's good for

Disinfectant

Skin and surface germs

Equipment

Disinfects gear

Solvent

Cleans and degreases

Fast-dry

Evaporates clean

It unravels the proteins microbes are built from, and it needs water present to do that, which is why 70 percent beats 99.

Good to know

Rubbing alcohol, not drinking. Isopropyl kills the same way ethanol does, by unravelling the proteins a microbe is built from, and that reaction needs water: pure alcohol dries the outside of a cell into a shell that keeps the rest of the alcohol out. That is why 70 percent outperforms 99, and why anything from about 60 to 90 percent works. It kills germs but not spores, so it disinfects rather than sterilizes. Do not confuse it with drinking alcohol: isopropyl is toxic to swallow, which is why it is sold as a rub.

Handling and safety

70% is the sweet spot

Alcohol works from about 60 to 90 percent. It needs some water to do the job.

Flammable

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

Fast on gear

It dries quickly and cleans equipment without residue.

It disinfects, not sterilizes

It kills germs but not spores, so it cannot make anything sterile.

Seven jobs it does

  • Disinfect hands, blades, and tools
  • Strip ink, adhesive, and grease
  • Defrost locks and windshields
  • Fuel for alcohol stoves
  • Tick removal soak
  • Clean electronics and contacts
  • Streak-free glass cleaner

If it goes bad Evaporates if uncapped and weakens over time. Still safe to use.

Recipes for isopropyl alcohol

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is isopropyl alcohol used for?

It disinfects skin, surfaces, blades and tools, and works as a fast-drying solvent that strips ink, adhesive and grease. Other jobs include defrosting locks and windshields, fueling alcohol stoves, soaking a removed tick, and cleaning electronics and glass. 70 percent is best for germs.

How long does isopropyl alcohol last in storage?

Sealed, it keeps for years. Once opened it weakens over time and evaporates if left uncapped, though it is still safe to put to work.

How do I store isopropyl alcohol?

Keep it sealed and cool, away from flame, sparks and heat, because it is flammable. A tight cap also stops it from evaporating.

Keep going

Read nextDegrease, descale, disinfect: match the cleaner to the jobCleaning comes down to three jobs: cut grease, dissolve mineral scale, or kill germs. The compounds for each are not interchangeable.Compounds and Cleaning · Reference

Related to this

Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Ethanol Shelf life: Indefinite. Storage: Sealed glass or metal. INDEFINITEHazardous Medical · Formula Skin Prep and Wound Border Disinfection Alcohol needs water to work. It kills by unravelling the proteins a microbe is built from, and that reaction needs water present, which is why 70 percent outperforms the 99 percent bottle sitting next to it on the shelf. Hazardous 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 Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Hydrogen Peroxide Shelf life: 1 to 3 years; test it. Storage: Original dark bottle. 1 TO 3 YEARS; TEST ITHandle with care
Everything in Compounds and CleaningNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

Membership · $49.95 per year

There is a lot more behind the lock

158member pages in full
125recipes with exact amounts
6field guide PDFs, 206 pages
1manual of your own, built from any page

Every recipe and resource from the Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, all six field guides to read here and download, the full audit and logbook, all twelve reference charts, and no ads.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included. Put them in your order, name it, and print one manual with a cover and contents, or keep it as a PDF that opens with no signal.

  • It works when this site does not
  • Only your pages
  • Anyone in the house can use it
  • One current copy, not a pile of printouts
  • The house binder
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truck
  • A copy for family
  • An offline PDF

Join for $49.95 per year

Compounds and Cleaning · CompoundSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Chapter 36, p. 184 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

Membership

Save to My Manual is a member tool

Members build their own manual from the pages that fit their household, then print it or keep it as a PDF.

Why it matters

When the grid goes down, this site goes with it. Paper does not. Membership is how you get the whole manual off the screen and onto the shelf: every page in full, every field guide, and a binder built for your own household.

The field guide library

All six field guides. 206 pages. Included.

The complete Buckhorn Cliffs PDF set, yours to download, print, and keep from the day you join.

$60if bought one at a time

  • Cover of Stockpile Essentials Field GuideStockpile Essentials39 pagesEverything to keep on hand, category by category, plus the 20 multi-use items.
  • Cover of Survival Foods Field GuideSurvival Foods35 pagesStoring, extending, and using the food supply. Real shelf life by the numbers.
  • Cover of Chemical Compounds Field GuideChemical Compounds29 pagesThe 33 compounds: storage, top uses, hazards, and the never-mix chart.
  • Cover of Spare Parts and Repair Stock Field GuideSpare Parts and Repair Stock40 pagesWhat to keep on hand to fix the home and land when the supply chain breaks.
  • Cover of Walk-Around Preparedness AuditWalk-Around Preparedness Audit33 pagesFifteen systems scored 1 to 5, with the printable scorecard.
  • Cover of The Preparedness LogbookPreparedness Logbook30 pagesThe household information that needs to be on paper.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. No book fits your household exactly. My Manual does. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included, put them in your order, and print one manual with your name on the cover. It holds only what is relevant to you, and nothing you would skip.

Why it matters

  • It works when this site does notNo power and no signal means no website. A printed manual and an offline PDF still open, which is the whole point of writing any of this down.
  • Only your pagesThis site covers every household. Yours needs a fraction of it. Your manual holds the pages that match your water source, your climate, and your gear, so nobody digs through the rest under stress.
  • Anyone in the house can use itThe person who reads this site may not be the one home when it counts. A binder on the shelf, in your order, with a contents page, is something a spouse or a teenager can follow.
  • One current copy, not a pile of printoutsEvery page prints in the same field guide layout with a cover, a contents page, and the print date. Change a page, print again, and the old copy is easy to spot.

What to build with it

  • The house binderYour water source, your climate, your gear. Only the pages you would reach for.
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truckA short version that travels: water, first aid, comms, and the recipes you rely on.
  • A copy for familyHand a parent or a grown kid a manual built for their house and their supplies.
  • The shop and the barnParts lists, repair skills, and the never-mix chart, kept where the work happens.
  • A recipe book of your ownThe cleaners, fuels, and remedies you make, with exact amounts, in one place.
  • An offline PDFSaved to a phone, a tablet, or a drive in the Faraday bag. It opens with no signal.

How it works

  1. 1Save what fitsPress "Save to My Manual" on any page: a recipe, a chart, a guide, a parts list, or a whole field guide.
  2. 2Put it in your orderOn My Account, drag the pages into the order you want. Name the manual and add your household name.
  3. 3Print it or save a PDFOpen the preview, then print it or save a PDF. It is sized for 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with a cover and a contents page. Field guides go in exactly as the PDFs are laid out. No ads, no photos.
  4. 4Keep it currentAdd a page, pull one out, print again. The cover carries the date, so you always know which copy is the latest.

Also included

  • The entire site, unlockedAll 158 member pages open in full: exact amounts, every step, every warning, every parts list. Nothing held back.
  • Every recipe and resource in the bookAll 138 recipes and 33 compounds from Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, with exact amounts, every step, every warning, and the reference charts.
  • A clean PDF of any entryOne press turns any page into a field guide sheet for the binder, the truck, or the shop wall.
  • Checklists and audit scores that follow youSaved to the account, so the phone, the laptop, and the shop computer always match.
  • No adsMembers read the whole site without a single ad.
$49.95per year. About 14 cents a day. Cancel any time and keep the year you paid for.
Join now