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What % alcohol is needed to "preserve" a product?

For instance, a homemade hand sanitizer or an all-purpose cleaner? What percent alcohol would be sufficient to sanitize?

Or any liquid product containing water.

I've been searching for hours, from google to a college database of journals, and I'm not having any luck.

Does anyone know the amount, or can anyone lead me in the right direction of a good source for this information?

2 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Well, optimally, 70-75% alcohol is the best to sanitize with. 95% ethanol does not perform as well as 70-75% (I don't know why that is), but through my own experiences in the lab with bacteria cultures and also online, 70-75% is your best bet!

  • AosM
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    In our lab, we use 95% ethanol to preserve animal tissue

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