Use isopropyl alcohol for cleaning but not rubbing alcohol??

[dBeatsb]

So i got this from Cisco IT academy:

Use a lint-free cloth that is slightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts on components. Do not use rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol contains impurities that can damage contacts.

Google says that they are the same tho. What's up with this?
I answered a multiple choice question with rubbing alcohol and i got it wrong.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Isopropyl alcohol would be correct. Rubbing alcohol is a BS generic term.
And best bet is also use 91% or 99%, which ever you can find at local stores.
I avoid 70% because it simply contains a higher water ratio, which is needless.

[Kaihekoa]

Rubbing alcohol is diluted isopropyl and may have some other additives, it's usually 70%. The question was probably getting at using a pure isopropyl alcohol solution.

[dBeatsb]

Kai の投稿を引用：

Rubbing alcohol is diluted isopropyl and may have some other additives, it's usually 70%. The question was probably getting at using a pure isopropyl alcohol solution.

i notice at home, our isopropyl alcohol is only 70%, does that mean i shouldn't use it on computers and other electrical stuff?

[Bad 💀 Motha]

It's perfectly fine, that is just a rule I tend to use to be honest.
In reality, 70% is probably a better idea for things like cleaning up cuts on skin, things of that sort. As far as electronics, it shouldn't matter. 70% is also probably more useful if you live in a hot and/or very dry climate, as 91% would evaporate at much faster pace compared to 70%

As long as you use them properly and thus not allow outside contaminates to go from your cloth, towel, etc. back into the bottle while using; as a means of avoiding outside impurities from contaminating the contents of alcohol within your bottle.


Just be careful what you use them on, period.

For example if something has a sticker on it, avoid getting that sticker area wet with the alcohol, as it could dissolve/remove the print, or the sticky glue that's on the sticker. For example, if needed to clean up a motherboard or graphics card, avoid direct contact with areas that have markings, print, stickers on there to avoid damaging them; as that info might be needed for whatever reasons.

Avoid using on any TV/Monitor screens. For that you can easily just use a lint-free cloth, made damp with warm water. As anything else and you could damage the tint that is laced over the actual screen itself, and thus damage it. Also avoid house-hold cleaners on such surfaces, such as Windex for example.

In either case, ensure everything gets dried. Especially things like Motherboards, Graphics Card, things of this nature; prior to powering the device back on again.

[_I_]

rubbind alcahol is about 60-70% isopropol
good enough for general cleaning, but for thermal solutions you do not want any residue left over from the cleaner

the prices are about the same, and 90+ iso can work for any other use of rubbing alcahol

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea at your typical store, pharmacy, walmart; all of those isopropyl % you should see no differences in costs between them. Usually found in a pack of 2 bottles (16 fluid ounces each) for around $3 - 5 USD or so.

I see 99% online, but in all my years I don't think I've ever see that in a store.
Usually at walmart for example I see 70% and 91% right next to each other on the same shelf.
But yea for things like cleaning thermal paste off of CPUs, Heatsink coolers, I just use 91%
It definitely evaporates much quicker, which is what you want in the end when using it.

I also like to make use of gloves when working on PCs depending what all is involved with handling it overall. Such as Black or Purple; disposable nitrile gloves, powder free, latex free...
As dealing with some peoples stuff, I don't really like bare-hands touching other people stuff regarding their Laptops, Keyboard, Mice, Phones, Tablets; etc. so it helps me, as well as even with dealing with a fresh PC build, it helps keep Cases and hardware in general free of your hands oils, finger-prints, things of that sort. Plus helps with things like thermal paste; in the past I've gotten it on my hands, wiped my hands "clean" as much as I could tell on another paper towel or alcohol wipe; and sure enough sometimes miss a spot somehow and maybe end up transferring that by skin over to a piece of hardware; with the gloves it's much much easier to spot if you were to get that on your fingers as it tends to show up much easier on such gloves as I mentioned already.

[tacoshy]

as a nurse and parameid as primary profession I have high access to cheap/free desinfection. I use pure desinfection alcohol (not some with addetives like hand desinfections).

Intresting idea on the glove BM but I totally get you. actually I have access to tons of those as well. Kinda pays off to have a nurse/paramedic profession when I not working in the pc store :D

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea my mother was a nurse for over 30 years; all the alcohol and gloves I ever needed right there

Anyways, here's an example of using the gloves and common sense should tell you why it is a good idea overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=368n1IfaqiU

[tacoshy]

Bad_Motha の投稿を引用：

Yea my mother was a nurse for over 30 years; all the alcohol and gloves I ever needed right there

Anyways, here's an example of using the gloves and common sense should tell you why it is a good idea overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=368n1IfaqiU

well yeah i know the dirty PC's but since I'm the guy that can pick the assignments or the builds in my store I just let the dirty PC's get cleaned or done by someone else :D

dont know how ppl can get stick stuff liek juice into a PC and stuff ...

[TehSpoopyKitteh]

tacoshy の投稿を引用：

Bad_Motha の投稿を引用：

Yea my mother was a nurse for over 30 years; all the alcohol and gloves I ever needed right there

Anyways, here's an example of using the gloves and common sense should tell you why it is a good idea overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=368n1IfaqiU

well yeah i know the dirty PC's but since I'm the guy that can pick the assignments or the builds in my store I just let the dirty PC's get cleaned or done by someone else :D

dont know how ppl can get stick stuff liek juice into a PC and stuff ...

Oh dear lord. OK, so it is not big secret that I live in Cleveland. I grew up ina rural town in the central part of Ohio. I would often volunteer my free time to helping family friends fix their PC's....99.9% of the time all that was needed was a thurough dusting.

I had one or two cases where cow manure had somehow built up inside the case.
Had another one where they lost their hamster the day their PC "blew up"...three guesses where that hamster showed up

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

i use 70% isopropyl alchol (and tissue paper) in cleaning cpu thermal pastes for the past 18 years or so..
(ok for nose and eyes)

[Bad 💀 Motha]

I always make use of a room fan or portable fan when using the rubbing alcohol, it helps.

Not sure what you mean by tissue paper, I would hope you don't mean something like "Klenex" as that breaks apart easily like toilet paper and would easily leave behind all sorts of loose fibers. Course I suppose even with a general use kitchen paper towel, that could happen. Overall once I clean off say; CPU + Cooler, I make use of a clean (un-used so to speak) paint brush to ensure any loose fibers, dust, are removed/gone from such areas, plus helps as a means of more-quickly drying any areas where the alcohol was used.

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

double or triple ply tissue paper.

wipe thermal paste with dry tissue paper
wet with alcohol enough to soak 1/3 to 1/2 of tissue paper and wipe remaining paste
follow with dry tissue paper.