We all have a bottle of rubbing alcohol sitting in the bathroom just in case something needs to be sterilized.
But most people don’t usually use rubbing alcohol for anything else—even though they totally could.
Its powerful scent may put you off from ever opening a new bottle, but there are plenty of uses for rubbing alcohol that you’ve probably never considered before.
Here are just a few of the amazing things rubbing alcohol can do around the house:
- Nail Polish Remover: There’s nothing worse than setting up your manicure station, only to realize that you’re totally out of nail polish remover. But don’t give up just yet! It may take a little extra elbow grease, but rubbing alcohol can be just as effective as nail polish remover.
- Get Rid of Garlic Smell: Something about garlic just makes it impossible to wash off your hands with soap and water alone. Instead of waiting for the garlic odor to go away on its own, dab a little rubbing alcohol on your hands before washing with soap and water.
- Stain Remover: Rubbing alcohol is an extremely powerful stain remover when used correctly. The key is to mix one part rubbing alcohol with two parts water before spraying the solution onto the stained spot. After massaging the liquid in for a few minutes, throw the item in the wash just as you normally would.
- Bathroom Cleaner: Out of all-purpose cleaner? All you really need to get the job done is a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a few paper towels. You can generously wet a paper towel with rubbing alcohol to clean just about any fixture in your bathroom.
- Tick Remover: Linda Cobb, author of the best-selling book Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean, claims that “stunning” a tick with rubbing alcohol actually works. Simply soak a cotton swap in rubbing alcohol and apply it directly to the tick-infected area. Then use a pair of tweezers to safely remove the tick. While this trick doesn’t always work, it’s usually very effective.
