Why is 70% alcohol solution a much better disinfectant than a 90% alcohol concentration? Wouldn’t a higher concentration mean better?
In: 5202
All disinfectants (bleach, alcohol, ect.) have a “soak time” to be effective at killing viruses and bacteria. This is the amount of time the surface being disinfected has to remain moist and undisturbed to penetrate the cell walls and actually break down the virus or bacteria.
90% alcohol evaporates quickly and does not have the time to fully “soak” into the cells it’s trying to destroy. That’s also why using a single wipe of a bleach wipe doesn’t actually do anything. (Most I’ve seen require enough wipes to keep the surface wet for at least 30 seconds.)
If you’re just removing grime you can see, the concentration doesn’t matter. It’s the microscopic grime that takes time to kill.
The pancake example currently at the top of this thread is perfect!
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