migraineur Posted April 2, 2014 Hi, guys. In the past I was using isocol rubbing alcohol which can be bought from the supermarket. However, it's a bit on the expensive side. I bought some isopropyl alcohol in bulk so I can make my own rubbing alcohol a lot cheaper. However, I'm trying to find a container that will dispense it nicely for use in mycology. I thought about using a trigger mister but the handles have lots of grooves and curves where contaminates could accumulate. Furthermore, a small stream like the one the bottle of isocol provides when pressed is probably preferable. What are you guys doing in this regard? Should I purchase a lab wash bottle? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted April 2, 2014 Id say wash bottle is best, theyre pretty cheap too really 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
migraineur Posted April 3, 2014 I'll try a wash bottle and a trigger mister and see how both go. I'm told that some people use methylated spirits instead of isopropyl alcohol but I imagine that it'd stink up the place pretty badly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted April 3, 2014 I use 30% metho with fairly good success. its heaps cheaper than iso. Pure isocol also evaps a little bit too fast to be really very effective. Both Metho and Isocol are better watered down a bit to slow the evaporation and increase contact time. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
migraineur Posted April 3, 2014 Using only 30% is waaaay too low. It should be at least 60% alcohol by volume to be an effective sanitiser. I'd go with 70%. Yeah, I noticed methylated spirits is a lot cheaper. You can get isopropyl alcohol in bulk from Altronics but methylated spirits is still somewhat cheaper. I'm not sure if I could handle the smell of methylated spirits stinking up the place though. I might have to go to the shed and see if I have any methylated spirits so I can give it a sniff (insert ghetto huffing joke here) and decide whether I can handle being around it for long periods. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
migraineur Posted April 4, 2014 So, I had a whiff of the methylated spirits and it's not too bad. I think I too might make the change since it's so cheap compared to isopropyl alcohol. Thanks for the hot tip! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites