Use vodka instead of isopropyl alcohol

chemicalscleaning

I have to remove some hot glue and apparently the trick is isopropyl alcohol.

Of course, I don't have isopropyl alcohol in my house but I do have lots of vodka (don't judge).

Can vodka generally be used in places where isopropyl alcohol is required as a solvent? (So this question is more than just the case of hot glue).

Best Answer

I am not sure this is a comprehensive answer to your question but this past holiday season I was doing some repair work in my daughter's house bathroom. I needed some isopropyl alcohol to clean soap scum off the bathroom wall painted surface. They did not have the isopropyl alcohol available so instead brought me some ethanol alcohol from a supply that they had distilled themselves.

This ethanol was a very high proof and it did indeed clean the painted area but it also almost immediately softened the paint to the point that it became a gooey coating on the wall. Letting it dry again the paint seemed to restore itself to a non gooey state.