Iso Alcohol for cleanliness

[SmilingBob]

So I have been doing lots of reading up on the subject of homebrewing and to my surprise most people seem to be using 90% isopropyl alcohol for their sterilization practices. It is my understanding that 70% works better as far cleaning is concerned (90% or higher much better for dissolving and it dries faster than the 70%).

My reasoning behind this is as follows: the 70% mimics water's characteristics much more closely than the 90% and therefore is more easily absorbed into the cell, thus killing it. Its as if the cells know the 90% is not water and you are relying more on a "scrubbing" action to clean your glassware than actually sterilizing it.

Please correct me if I am wrong, as this is very new to me (I am however very versed in the ways of mycology and sterile procedure is second nature to me after being bashed into my brain from years of practice and failure )

 

[bluesp]

DO NOT DO THIS

You want Sterile Benzyl Alcohol...

Jesus Iso is what is made as a byproduct of moonshine... we are talking blindness, foot amputation, brain damage, even death.

NOT ISO EVER.

 

[PedestrianX]

DO NOT DO THIS

You want Sterile Benzyl Alcohol...

Jesus Iso is what is made as a byproduct of moonshine... we are talking blindness, foot amputation, brain damage, even death.

NOT ISO EVER.

LOL, he is talking about using it to clean, not to brew with.

 

[SmilingBob]

Yes I am only talking sterile procedure here. I guess better safe than sorry, huh?

So whatcha think? 70 vs. 90

 

[SmilingBob]

Okay so just to be clear, I only intend to clean my glassware before use with the iso. It still sounded slightly confusing after I read it again.

So if no strong opinions either way on the different iso percentages, what do you guys think about pressure cooking? Is it overkill? Or do you need an autoclave?

It seems the generally accepted method is to scrub good with soap then lots of dry heat in the oven (some of you hitting it with iso in between). So would you then cap off the glassware while its still in the oven to prevent contamination (assuming its not too hot to melt the bottle top or cap)?

Sorry bout all the questions, its just the thought of a bad abscess (like there is a good abscess- lol) makes my skin crawl.

 

[tommbstone]

if your going to use iso to clean with make sure its dry. If you get iso in your brew its going to hurt like a MOF

 

[ketchup]

Higher iso concentration would pull water out of cells and move into them at a higher rate than lower, would it not?

 

[SmilingBob]

Higher iso concentration would pull water out of cells and move into them at a higher rate than lower, would it not?

Interesting point. I was only thinking of cell walls being a one way gate. It would indeed want to maintain equilibrium with its surroundings. Whether it moves into the cell or draws the water out, either way the cell is dead and not able to ruin your batch.