eli5 Because alcohol kills bacteria, could someone reuse something like a shot glass over and over without cleaning and have no ill effect?

Question

eli5 Because alcohol kills bacteria, could someone reuse something like a shot glass over and over without cleaning and have no ill effect?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Alcohol’s ability to kill bacteria is dependent on the concentration, water content, time, and temperature. Drinking alcohol is usually 15%-40%, alcohol used for sanitizing is usually 80% or above. It wouldn’t predictably sanitize itself well enough to be safe.