How to Use Rubbing Alcohol
Clean your hands with rubbing alcohol., Treat wounds with rubbing alcohol., Disinfect skin before an injection., Disinfect medical tools.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Clean your hands with rubbing alcohol.
Rubbing alcohol is a common ingredient in most commercial hand sanitizers.
Hand sanitizer is used to disinfect the hands, and does not require soap or water.
Simply rubbing hand sanitizer on the hands for approximately 30 seconds, or until the liquid has evaporated, kills the majority of bacteria present.
Hand sanitizer often includes additional components, such as a moisturizing element to prevent the hands from drying out, but these components are not necessary.
If you are unable to wash your hands with soap and water, or if you want to ensure that your hands are completely clean, rubbing alcohol may be used to disinfect the hands.Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol into the palm of one hand.
Rub the hands together vigorously for approximately 30 seconds, or until the hands are completely covered and the alcohol begins to evaporate.Note that rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer do not remove dirt from the hands.
If your hands are visibly soiled, you may need to wash your hands with soap and water to remove the dirt from your skin. -
Step 2: Treat wounds with rubbing alcohol.
One of the most common uses of rubbing alcohol is treating wounds.
This is because rubbing alcohol makes an excellent antiseptic.
It kills germs by coagulating each germ's protein.
Once a germ's protein is solidified, the germ dies rather quickly.Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol on the skin surrounding a wound.
This may be particularly helpful for puncture wounds, which can introduce foreign germs into the wound.Once the wound is clean, you can bandage the wound, and seek medical attention as needed. , Certain medications, like insulin, need to be injected into the body.
Prior to administering an injection, it's important to disinfect the skin to prevent bacteria from being introduced into the body.Pour 60% to 70% rubbing alcohol onto a clean cotton swab.Thoroughly wipe the skin where the injection will be administered.
Do not go over the same area twice.Wait for the alcohol to completely dry before administering the injection., Some household medical tools, like tweezers, can harbor bacteria that could be introduced to a wound.
For this reason, it's important to disinfect medical tools before use.
You can do this with rubbing alcohol.Thoroughly douse the tips of tweezers in rubbing alcohol.
Allow the alcohol to dry before use, to ensure that any bacteria on the tweezers have been killed. -
Step 3: Disinfect skin before an injection.
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Step 4: Disinfect medical tools.
Detailed Guide
Rubbing alcohol is a common ingredient in most commercial hand sanitizers.
Hand sanitizer is used to disinfect the hands, and does not require soap or water.
Simply rubbing hand sanitizer on the hands for approximately 30 seconds, or until the liquid has evaporated, kills the majority of bacteria present.
Hand sanitizer often includes additional components, such as a moisturizing element to prevent the hands from drying out, but these components are not necessary.
If you are unable to wash your hands with soap and water, or if you want to ensure that your hands are completely clean, rubbing alcohol may be used to disinfect the hands.Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol into the palm of one hand.
Rub the hands together vigorously for approximately 30 seconds, or until the hands are completely covered and the alcohol begins to evaporate.Note that rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer do not remove dirt from the hands.
If your hands are visibly soiled, you may need to wash your hands with soap and water to remove the dirt from your skin.
One of the most common uses of rubbing alcohol is treating wounds.
This is because rubbing alcohol makes an excellent antiseptic.
It kills germs by coagulating each germ's protein.
Once a germ's protein is solidified, the germ dies rather quickly.Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol on the skin surrounding a wound.
This may be particularly helpful for puncture wounds, which can introduce foreign germs into the wound.Once the wound is clean, you can bandage the wound, and seek medical attention as needed. , Certain medications, like insulin, need to be injected into the body.
Prior to administering an injection, it's important to disinfect the skin to prevent bacteria from being introduced into the body.Pour 60% to 70% rubbing alcohol onto a clean cotton swab.Thoroughly wipe the skin where the injection will be administered.
Do not go over the same area twice.Wait for the alcohol to completely dry before administering the injection., Some household medical tools, like tweezers, can harbor bacteria that could be introduced to a wound.
For this reason, it's important to disinfect medical tools before use.
You can do this with rubbing alcohol.Thoroughly douse the tips of tweezers in rubbing alcohol.
Allow the alcohol to dry before use, to ensure that any bacteria on the tweezers have been killed.
About the Author
Kathryn Fisher
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in home improvement and beyond.
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