What is the difference in the percentages of Isopropyl Alcohol? | Sydney Solvents (2024)

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Author: Sydney Solvents Date Posted:14 March 2018

Have you noticed that there is a whole range of percentages of Isopropyl Alcohol, like 70%, 99% and 100%? We know it can be confusing to choose between them, so we are here to help...

Sydney Solvents sell the best range of Isopropyl Alcohol from 70%, 99% to 100%. It is important to understand that a lot of sellers on the market will dilute their product down with unrefined products, causing impurities within the Isopropyl Alcohol, whereas Sydney Solvents ensures our IPA is consistently high quality.

When discerning the difference between the varying percentages, the main factor to consider is the difference in the moisture content and the strength of the Isopropyl Alcohol. This is important to considerprior toapplication as different applications of IPA require different strengths.A higher moisture content means that the evaporation process is slowed down, whereas the highest percentage of100%evaporates off very quickly leaving little to no residue.

Here we break down each of the percentages

Isopropyl Alcohol 100%

Key features:

• Higher strength
• Will evaporate off the surface quickly
• Useful for cleaning applications

The higher percentages of Isopropyl Alcohol are used for cleaning purposes like disinfecting, window cleaning, stainless steel cleaner, killing bacteria, as well as many other uses. The higher the percentage, the greater the evaporation rate, meaning that it dries faster. The high grades ofIsopropyl Alcohol 100%are suitable for the majority of IPA uses and is commonly used by industrial users and cleaners.

Great for:

• Disinfecting hard surfaces - kitchen, bathroom and laundry
• Sanitising and cleaning makeup brushes
• Cleaning glass and windows
• Cleaning computer, mobile and tablet screens

Isopropyl Alcohol 99%

Key features:

• Higher strength
• Perfect for 99% Isopropyl formulations
• Great for cleaning

What’s the difference between 99% and 100%? We get asked this question a lot. The difference is just the 1% of added moisture content. This is ofimportance for specific chemical formulations which specifically require 99%. It is often recommended that you use 100% instead of 99% unless it is specified otherwise. However, 99%has similar features and functions to 100% in the fact that itcleans and disinfects a variety of surfaces, evaporating off quickly.

Great for:

• Specific chemical formulations
• Laboratory use

Isopropyl Alcohol70%

Key features:

• Higher moisture content
• Stays on surfaces longer, so it has time to kill bacteria
• Used as a rubbing alcohol for skin

Another common percentage isIsopropyl Alcohol70%, which is the grade recommended for rubbing alcohol when applying it to the skin. The lower grade ofIsopropyl Alcohol 70%means that it is not as harsh to the skin, but it is still effective. The lower grade is also great for getting rid of bugs onplants as well as disinfecting as the water content mixed with the alcohol fights against growing viruses and fungus.

The reason you would choose70%over100%when it comes to killing mealy bugs is that the higher moisture content in the rubbing alcohol means that it will stay on the bugs for longer, allowing it to work over time and kill the bugs.

So which one should you get?

No matter what the percentage,Isopropyl Alcohol 100%,Isopropyl Alcohol 99%orIsopropyl Alcohol 70%are beneficial products to have in any workplace orhousehold. The amazing variety ofuses it has makes it a handy product to have around. If you’re cleaningelectronics, cleaninghard surfacesor disinfecting medical equipment get either 100% or 99%. If you’re using it as rubbing alcohol for the skin orspraying plants, use 70%. The required percentage will depend on your application, if you need help or have any questionsfeel free to give us a call on 02 4722 5060, and we will be happy to help out.

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