10 Little-known Ways to Use Rubbing Alcohol in Your Home
From cleaning to creating, rubbing alcohol is an essential ingredient.
Make your home smell good
If you love having your home smell like your favorite scents but don’t like all the harmful chemicals in the store-bought diffusers, then this hack is for you. With just a few simple ingredients, you could make a safe reed diffuser for your home that doesn’t require electricity and could be left unattended. Simply pour water, rubbing alcohol, and essential oil in a pretty glass bottle. Insert five bamboo skewers into the bottle, and then place the diffuser anywhere in your home, letting the reeds soak up the liquid to give off your desired scent. Every few days, flip the sticks to keep the scent strong, and every six months, replace the skewers to keep them fresh. That’s all it takes! Get tutorial here
Create a mini firepit
There’s nothing better than curling up next to a warm fire when it’s cold out. Make your own mini concrete firepit. Decorate it as you’d like, and then pour some rubbing alcohol into the cement pit. The higher the alcohol percentage, the cleaner it will burn. You don’t need to use a ton of alcohol, but the more you use the longer the fire will last. Light the alcohol on fire, and - ta-da! - you’ve got a beautiful little firepit that makes the perfect centerpiece for indoors or outdoors. Be careful with the fire, and when you want to extinguish it, simply cover the pit to stifle the flame. Get tutorial here
Clean your mirrors and windows
Have you struggled to find the best method to clean your mirrors and windows without streaking? Here’s a solution to quickly bring all of your glass and mirrors back to perfection. Mix together water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and cornstarch in a spray bottle. Liberally spray the concoction on your mirrors and windows, and then wipe them down with a clean microfiber cloth. When you’ve finished, instead of seeing dirt and streaks, you will see your satisfied smile looking back at you. Get tutorial here
Stain a glass panel
Traditional stained glass panels are gorgeous, but making them often requires a lot of work and special tools. Fake the look with some quilting tape and rubbing alcohol. First, soak Sharpie ink in rubbing alcohol for a day. Then, create your desired pattern on the glass with quilter’s tape. Drip your inky rubbing alcohol over the surface of the glass in random patterns, and then light the whole thing on fire. (Be sure to take the necessary safety precautions before you do this!) Once the alcohol is burned off, carefully peel off the tape, leaving behind a super cool, light-catching design. Get tutorial here
Deal with a bedbug infestation
Bedbugs are gross, and you never think that you’re going to have to deal with them… until you do. Keep this recipe handy in case it ever happens to you. Combine water, rubbing alcohol, and essential oils, and spray your bed where the little critters may be lurking. This will stop them from laying more eggs and spreading. Make sure to wash all of your bedding in hot water, and then continue to use this spray occasionally to prevent the bugs from returning. Get tutorial here
Dye groovy pillowcases
You don’t need a stove or big vats of boiling water to tie-dye. This technique is a whole lot simpler. Saturate your pillowcases in alcohol, fold them up, and then sprinkle alcohol ink on them. Spray the pillowcases with more alcohol, and then scrunch them up to spread the color around. To add a cool design to them, lay the pillowcases between heatproof paper and iron them. Cover your pillows with them to add a fun pop of color to your home. And you could even use this technique for any fabric to customize it to your heart’s desire! Get tutorial here
Disinfect your home
Making your own disinfecting wipes is cheap and easy. All you need are paper towels, rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and vinegar, and then you can use them to disinfect your surfaces and even your cell phone! Cut the paper towel roll in half, and place it in a container. Then, mix the ingredients together and pour them over the paper towels. Once fully saturated, pull out the center cardboard tube, and your new cleaning wipes are ready to be used! Get tutorial here
Add a faux marble look to your table
It’s really cool when you can take something ordinary and turn it into something truly special. It’s even cooler when you can do that yourself. With epoxy and different colorings, you could transform a plain white table into an absolutely stunning faux marble table. Once you’ve smoothed the epoxy over your table and added colorful accent veins, spray the tabletop with alcohol to fracture the colored lines to give them a marbled effect. Then, display your beautiful table in your home with pride. Get tutorial here
Remove nail polish from your floor
Spilled nail polish on your clean carpet is often a cause for panic. But you don’t need to panic anymore with this handy solution. Pour rubbing alcohol on the stain, let it soak into the carpet for 10 minutes, and then grab a rag and start scrubbing! After a couple minutes, the stain should disappear. We know - this amazing trick has just changed your life. Get tutorial here
Make stylish coasters
Dress up your coffee table with modern coasters. Draw on ceramic tiles with Sharpies before dripping alcohol onto them. Light them on fire, and watch your colors blend and blur together. Spray them with a clear coat of enamel spray paint to seal them, and attach a cork backing to them. And that's it - these fancy coasters are ready for you to rest your drinks in style on them. Get tutorial here
