Rubbing alcohol for stains: what it dissolves and what it damages

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the fiber content

   Look at the label for acetate, triacetate, modacrylic or acrylic. On those, mix 1 part alcohol with 2 parts water before using it, and test first.

   Why: Full-strength alcohol can damage these fibers.

2. 2

   Test the dye on a hidden spot

   Dab a little alcohol on an inside seam and blot it with a white cloth. If color comes off, don't use alcohol on the garment.

   Why: Alcohol dissolves dyes as readily as it dissolves stains, so some fabrics bleed or fade.

3. 3

   Set the stain face down on towels

   Put a thick pad of paper towels under the stain, with the stained side facing down into them.

   Why: You want dissolved ink to move out of the fabric and into the towels, not sideways into clean fabric.

4. 4

   Sponge alcohol on and around the stain from the back

   Dampen a cotton ball or pad with alcohol and dab the back of the stain and the area around it. Move the fabric to a clean part of the towel pad often, and keep going while color still transfers.

   Why: Working around the edges first keeps the dissolved dye from spreading into a ring. Fresh towels keep pulling it out.

5. 5

   Work in a ventilated spot, away from flames

   Open a window, and keep the alcohol away from pilot lights, candles, sparks and stovetops.

   Why: Rubbing alcohol is a flammable liquid, and fresh air keeps the vapor from building up.

6. 6

   Pretreat and wash

   Once no more color lifts, let the area dry, rub in liquid detergent or a prewash remover, and launder. Check the spot before drying.

   Why: The detergent removes what's left of the carrier, and checking first avoids setting any remaining ink with dryer heat.

How rubbing alcohol dissolves stains

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) diluted with water. US drugstores sell it mainly as 70% and 91%, with 99% also available. Extension guides call for 70% or 90% with no added color or fragrance; denatured alcohol, which is ethanol-based, is also used.

It's a solvent. Many dyes, inks and resins don't dissolve in water but do dissolve in alcohol, so a stain that a wash won't shift can lift out in minutes. Alcohol also evaporates quickly and leaves no residue, which is why it's useful on fabric you'll wash right afterward.

That dye-dissolving power cuts both ways. Alcohol doesn't know the difference between a stain's dye and the fabric's dye, which is why every guide insists on a test first.

What rubbing alcohol is good for, and what it damages

Good for:

• Ballpoint and some felt-tip ink. The American Cleaning Institute and Kentucky extension sponge around and on the stain from the back over paper towels, or drip alcohol through the stain into a jar. Kentucky warns some inks may never come out, and that laundering first may set some inks. Alternating alcohol with glycerin is the Georgia method for ballpoint.
• Lipstick. ACI dabs it with 70% to 90% alcohol over paper towels.
• Dye-based markers. Permanent marker and some dry-erase marker use alcohol-soluble dyes, the same mechanism as felt-tip ink, which Georgia lists for alcohol.

Damages:

• Acetate, triacetate, modacrylic and acrylic. Alcohol can damage these fibers. If you must use it, dilute with two parts water and test.
• Some fabric dyes. It fades some dyes, and the older Michigan State bulletin warns that high-alcohol liquids can make dyes bleed permanently.

Strength, dilution and what never to mix

• General use: 70% or 90%, undiluted, applied with a pad while you change the absorbent towels often.
• Acetate and other sensitive fibers: 1 part alcohol to 2 parts water.

A higher percentage isn't automatically better. The extension guides accept either 70% or 90%, and on sensitive fibers they dilute it.

Never mix rubbing alcohol with chlorine bleach. The New Jersey Department of Health warns the combination forms chloroform and other chlorinated compounds, which can cause dizziness, nausea and loss of consciousness. Rinse fabric thoroughly before switching between any two stain removers, and see never mix these cleaners.

By situation

Ballpoint ink on a shirt

Treat it before it goes in the wash, since washing can set some inks. Blot alcohol through from the back onto paper towels, changing them as they take up color, then pretreat and launder.

Lipstick on a collar

Lay the collar face down on paper towels and dab the back with 70% to 90% alcohol until the color stops transferring. Follow with detergent and a wash.

Acetate or acrylic fabric

Dilute the alcohol with two parts water and test on a seam first. If the fabric is dry-clean-only, take it to a cleaner and point out the stain.

Brightly dyed or dark clothes

Test before you start. If the dye comes off on the test cloth, alcohol will lift it from the garment as well.

What not to do

• Don't mix rubbing alcohol with chlorine bleach. Together they form chloroform and other toxic chlorinated compounds.
• Don't use full-strength alcohol on acetate, triacetate, modacrylic or acrylic. It can damage these fibers. Dilute with two parts water and test.
• Don't rub the stain back and forth. Rubbing spreads dissolved ink into clean fabric. Dab, and let the towels underneath absorb it.
• Don't use it near a flame or pilot light. Rubbing alcohol is a flammable liquid.
• Don't wash an ink stain before treating it. Laundering can set some inks so they won't come out later.

Other methods that work

Glycerin

Softens the oily paste of ballpoint ink and dried stains so alcohol and detergent can reach them. Often alternated with alcohol on ink.

Prewash stain remover or liquid detergent

For many inks, a solvent-based prewash spray or heavy-duty liquid detergent rubbed in before washing is a gentler first try on fabric that may not take alcohol.

Caution: Check the spot before drying; dryer heat can set any ink that's left.

Stain still there?

The ink spread into a bigger blot

The dissolved ink moved sideways instead of down. Use a thicker towel pad, move to a fresh section often, and work from the outside of the stain inward.

Some ink won't budge

Some ballpoint, felt-tip and liquid inks can't be removed completely. Try glycerin followed by detergent, and if it still won't shift, the dye may be permanent.

A faded patch appeared

The alcohol dissolved the fabric's dye. That can't be reversed. Test on a hidden seam before treating similar items.

Safety

• Rubbing alcohol is flammable. Use it in a ventilated room, away from flames, pilot lights and sparks.
• It's poisonous if swallowed. Keep it away from children.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

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• Enzyme cleaners: what they break down and how to use them
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