DIYbanter - View Single Post - Difference between Rubbing Alcohol and Bleach for cleaning?

wrote:
This is going to sound weird, but what is the difference between
Alcohol and Bleach? In terms of cleaning things. and Im not talking
about drinking Alcohol, but the rubbing kind.

I heard that if you have mold, etc, the best thing to do is mix bleach
and water and use that to clean.

But someone at my boxing gym sprays a mixture of alcohol and water on
his equipment.
He does it to prevent mold and to keep it from smelling.

Does it work similiar to bleach?

Thanks

Alcohol is a solvent and not as reactive with materials as bleach,
which is a strong oxidizer. Both have the capability to kill many
bacteria, though I think concentrated bleach is more effective. It's
certainly more cost effective too for cleaning large area, like
basement mold, as it can be diluted a lot and still be effective.

As an example of the difference, you can put alcohol on a black shirt
and it's not going to affect the color. Do that with bleach, and in a
few seconds, it's oxidized and no longer black.