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Isopropyl Alcohol As a Homemade Floor Cleaner

Tanya Lee
Table of Contents

You probably have isopropyl alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, in your medicine cabinet to disinfect scrapes and cuts and to sterilize tweezers for taking out splinters. In addition to being a good, inexpensive disinfectant, isopropyl alcohol is also useful for removing marks and stains on floors.

Use isopropyl alcohol sparingly to clean black heel marks from wood floors.

Vinyl Flooring

On vinyl flooring, dampen a clean white cloth with isopropyl alcohol and rub out the stain. Isopropyl alcohol works on lipstick, hair dye and black heel marks.

Tough Stains

Isopropryl alcohol may also remove tougher stains like ink, shoe polish and driveway sealer. Dampen a clean white cloth and rub. To remove dried paint from vinyl flooring, scrape off the excess paint first.

Wood Floors

On wood floors, use isopropyl alcohol to remove black heel marks. Use sparingly and make sure to dry the area. Isopropyl alcohol left standing on a wood floor will dull the finish.

Other Household Cleaning Uses

You can also use isopropyl alcohol to remove grease and grime from household fixtures, telephone handsets and other high-use items in the home. Mixed 50 percent with water, it makes a great window cleaner, leaving a streak-free shine.

Dangers

Isopropyl alcohol is extremely flammable and highly toxic. Take care when using it and keep it away from children.