Can I use cleaning/rubbing alcohol to clean computer circuitry?

3 thoughts on “Can I use cleaning/rubbing alcohol to clean computer circuitry?”

1. GibsonEssGee says:

   May 6, 2011 at 9:33 pm

   Isopropyl alcohol will work, forget rubbing alcohol.

2. Nikhil Shinday says:

   May 6, 2011 at 9:33 pm

   Yes and no. ‘Rubbing alcohol’ is 70% ethyl alcohol and 30% water. Ethyl alcohol is great on its own, but with water it’s going to rust the contacts in your keyboard. BUT, as long as your dry off whatever doesn’t vaporize within a few seconds off within a few minutes, you should be alright.

   The best thing to do? Just pop off the keys in question and poke around with a slightly damp Q-Tip or something and see if there are any particulates, while simultaneously putting the keys in question in a dishwasher (trust me, it works [as long as the keys are plastic]).

3. percival.sweetwater says:

   May 6, 2011 at 9:33 pm

   Just to combine the other answers, rubbing alcohol is only 70% isopropyl alcohol as stated. It leaves water when it evaporates. What’s called Isopropyl alcohol is 91% that’s mostly pure alcohol. It works just like any other alcohol in the it moistens and loosens dirt, but evaporates quickly and cleanly with no residue. Also, there’s no worry about excessive usage. Keep in mind that ANY alcohol is flammable by nature, so don’t light a match.

   91% isopropyl costs between $1 – $1.50 a pint in any drugstore or department store. As an electrical engineer for more than 35 years, I’ve used it a lot, including on $20,000 specialized optics. For circuitry boards, you might also want to buy a small, stiff-bristled brush that would be similar to a straight tooth brush, so that you can lightly scrub stubborn dirt on circuit boards.

   If you were to go to Radio Shack or industrial electrical supply store, you can also buy an aerosol can of cleaner (professionally it was called Tuner Wash) that sprays on electrical surfaces without damage and evaporates. You can literally pour it on the contact surfaces so that it’s running off like a flood without damage to the contacts. (But it WILL discolor furniture, so use newspaper or something under it.)

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