Have you ever tried removing a soiled spot from your car using alcohol even though you are worried it would damage the car paint? Now, this article will answer the question “Will rubbing alcohol damage the car paint?”.
Rubbing alcohol serves as an excellent cleaning agent. Aside from cleaning your hands, it can be used on your car without damaging its paint. It helps eradicate dirt, grease, etc. from the car. After cleaning, the primer job is also a very important job in cleaning and then painting the car to your liking.
Continue to read and learn more about utilizing rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent on car paint.
Is it allowed to use rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent on a car?
Yes is a direct answer to that. Rubbing alcohol has a countless range of applications. There are a lot of car cleaners, but in emergencies or if you have an inefficient budget in buying cleaning solvents, rubbing alcohol is commonly used as an alternative.
In the category of cars, rubbing alcohol is frequently used to remove spots of dirt from rims, grease, residues, old waxes or oils, and could also be a prepping agent.
When to utilize rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent on a car?
These are the suggested list of ways you can use rubbing alcohol as your car’s cleaning agent.
Remove Grease
Aside from acting as a disinfectant, isopropyl alcohol is also a great degreaser. It instantly dries without bothering about wasting water and soap. Plus, it’s gentle on your skin compared to other cleaning solvents.
Remove dirt from Rims or Edges of the Car
Since the rim or edges of the car is regularly exposed to attachment of muds, dust, and other dirt, it should be one of the top priority to be checked for damage and cleansed all the time. Making rubbing alcohol as a cleanser will result in a shiny rim.
Remove residue of Stickers and other adhesives
If you’re fond of putting stickers or recently removed a sticker from your car, it is normal to leave some residue of adhesive behind. As an OC person, it is satisfying to watch a clear and clean car surface. Apply or soak rubbing alcohol to solve that problem.
Remove old layers of wax
Wax is meant to protect the paint, however, it can wear out as time goes by. In applying a new layer of polish or performing a car repair, the wax must be cleansed first.
Hence, if wax remover is unavailable, use rubbing alcohol to get rid of old layers of wax or sealant instead.
Act as prepping agent
Other than those purposes, rubbing alcohol may be used as a prepping agent especially in putting a new set of tints on the car’s windows or any of the stickers.
Never forget to spray an ample amount of alcohol on the target area, then wipe it off. Ensure it’s 100% spotless before sticking the tint film and wraps.
Failure to do this preparation procedure, the tint film might not be fully attached to the windows, or the remaining dirt will result in bulging and ruining the whole look.
Will rubbing alcohol damage the car paint?
A lot of people are concerned about the harmful effect of rubbing alcohol on car paints. Generally, rubbing alcohols are antiseptics that destroy germs and remove dirt. The good news is it does not damage the car paint.
Although alcohol evaporates quickly, the solution must be properly diluted with water to decrease the concentration of alcohol content that could damage the paint.
It’s known that vehicles have multiple coatings of paints and other protective covering which does not easily fade. Consequently, direct application or rubbing too much can damage the protective coating of the car in the future.
How to dilute the rubbing alcohol?
The abovementioned, direct application of rubbing alcohol is not recommended. So, we’ll show simple steps that you may follow. Keep in mind that this should be manually done, and there are no diluted alcohols in the market.
Step 1: Prepare the materials
Grab your container. It could be bottled water, a sprayer bottle, or whatever is available. Then get some water and set it aside. And prepare the rubbing alcohol that you have.
Additionally, you can use a funnel to avoid spillage and a measuring cup to have a correct measurement.
Step 2: Measure the liquid
The amount of diluted alcohol and water will depend on the desired concentration. Use a calculator for accurate results. The higher concentration you want, the more alcohol you should pour than water.
Let’s make a 12.5% concentration of alcohol our goal example.
To achieve that, use a 32 ounces container. Pour the container with 8 ounces of rubbing alcohol. Then fill the remaining container with water.
Step 3: Mix the solution
After pouring both alcohol and water, cover the bottled container. You can turn it upside down to make sure that the solution is mixed.
Now, you can use this low-concentrated solution on your car paint safely!
Conclusion
To summarize your understanding of the question “Will rubbing alcohol damage the car paint?” Car paints will not be damaged easily when touched with alcohol. However, diluting with water is advisable to decrease its chemical concentration and to preserve the car coating.
