How safe is IPA?

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imported_NHBFAN

New member
Lately, I've been using rubbing alcohol for many paint problems, e.g., tree sap and bugs, and it's seems pretty effective.



I know many "bug remover" products are alcohol based, so is it a good practice to use rubbing alcohol (which is much cheaper)? Are there any other problems except that it removes protection, e.g. waxes and sealants?
 
I try to keep it on the paint as short as possible for it to do the job just to be overly safe. I believe I have read it can stay on for several minutes though.
 
put alcohol on your hand and you will feel it dry right out, same goes with the paint. It is going to dry out all of the oils in the paint. That is why products that our women use to "cleanse" their faces are often alcohol based.



I even saw mine use my ipa on her face, she said it dried out the oil.



I would say you will have no proble, so long as you are polishing glazing or waxing the area after you are done
 
When people talk about a 50/50 water/alcohol mixture do they mean mix some water and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and use that?



When is it recommended to use this mixture?



Lastly, is there any benefits of diluted vs. tap water in the mixture?
 
The whole "alcohol mix" thing is probably less than scientific :D



Generally, I think most of us cut rubbing alcohol about 1:1 with distilled water. The distilled water will have fewer dissolved solids (minerals) in it than tap water.



I've just used rubbing alcohol straight to remove several fresh layers of SG.



While these sort of solvents *will* dry out surfaces, today's b/c paints are much less sensitive to this than older SS paints. The same reasons why "Meg's #7 feeds the paint" with SS but not with b/c is why this shouldn't be much of an issue with today's finishes.
 
The cheapest way to remove tar, tree sap and to a certain extent bug splat is mineral spirits IMHO. It does a couple of things better than IP. First it doesn't dry out so quickly, longer working time, and second the rub is not as lubricated as mineral spirits.



Accumulator brings up something I'm struggling with and have for a number of years. The whole feeding the paint thing. I know it's way off topic but I just don't get it. I guess it's how you define "feed."
 
Dennis H. said:
The whole feeding the paint thing. I know it's way off topic but I just don't get it. I guess it's how you define "feed."
Click to expand...



Agreed. In fact, I don't get a lot of the things stated by that company that likes to use that term "feed".
 
IPA won't hurt the paint. It won't dry it out either. Paint doesn't have any oils in it for the IPA to affect.



IPA will work on certain problems and Mineral Spirits might work on other problems. They are both good for detailers. ie they won't hurt the paint and they can each solve a variety of problems.



One way to see if the polish you are using is "hiding" the swirl marks rather than removing them is to use the IPA/Water mixture.



Just spray a little onto the paint and wipe it off with a soft cloth after polishing the vehicle. You will notice that a lot of polishes hide the swirls rather than removing them.
 
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