Question: Cleaning dash with alcohol ?

[killain]

What is safer to use on the stering wheel and dashboard plastic, Denatured Alcohol or Rubbing alcohol ? ;help I couldn't fine any information in the owners manual.

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Neither ... at least not straight. A 50/50 mix of distilled water and denatured alcohol should be safe and not leave any residue. Purpose-made cleaners are better though - leather cleaner for the steering wheel, and vinyl cleaner for the dash.

 

[TooFast]

I used to own a detailing business years ago and have been detailing cars for 30 years. I would not go near any leather, vinyl, plastic, etc. with alcohol. There are too many good products designed to clean, preserve and polish specific types of materials...go with one of those.

 

[killain]

Ok, I'm comtemplating installing custom made decals that go in the indented corvette crest area on the steering wheel and for the letters C o r v e t t e on the passengers side dash board. The guys who makes them said to clean the indented areas with denatured alcohol so that the 3M adhesive will stick properly. If alcohol is a no no, what can I use to clean the areas where the decals will be placed and be confident that they will stick OK ? Thank you ! ;help

What about 'Windex' or 'Glass-plus' cleaners?

 

[YumaZ06]

If you are just using alcohol in those small areas (for the decals) should not be a problem. When I read your first post it sounded like you were going to clean the whole dash and steering wheel. hnoes Get some of those eyeglass cleaning wipes and gently clean the area that the decal is going on and you should be ok. Most decals should come with some of those alcohol wipes.

 

[killain]

If you are just using alcohol in those small areas (for the decals) should not be a problem. When I read your first post it sounded like you were going to clean the whole dash and steering wheel. hnoes Get some of those eyeglass cleaning wipes and gently clean the area that the decal is going on and you should be ok. Most decals should come with some of those alcohol wipes.

Ok, then should I use a Q-tip wetted with a little rubbing alcohol or should I go out to the drug store and get De-natured alcohol to clean the indented area's ? Any help much appreciated. I never did any decal work before. I want to put them on correctly so they don't come off in the future, but I don't want to do anything that's going to damage the plastic dashboard. Thank you ! :eyerole

 

[Toms007]

If I were doing this, I'd use denatured alcohol. It is 'cleaner' than rubbing alcohol, leaves less residue.

 

[garllo]

Ok, I'm comtemplating installing custom made decals that go in the indented corvette crest area on the steering wheel and for the letters C o r v e t t e on the passengers side dash board. The guys who makes them said to clean the indented areas with denatured alcohol so that the 3M adhesive will stick properly. If alcohol is a no no, what can I use to clean the areas where the decals will be placed and be confident that they will stick OK ? Thank you ! ;help

What about 'Windex' or 'Glass-plus' cleaners?

When I did mine I cleaned the surfaces with dishwashing liquid then after it was dry I went over with a Qtip and rubbing alcohol. I used some weatherstrip glue on the dashboard lettering figuring if I wanted to remove them in the future a little weatherstrip adhesive release should do it!

 

[killain]

Thanks Tom and Garllo, this is why I love this place. Ask a question and your sure to run into someone who's done what your thinking of doing and they can give really postive help. Thanks again.

 

[Red Vette]

Denatured alcohol means no water. Most rubbing alcohols are isopropyl alcohol with water. Your windshield washer fluid is a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, water (generally 65-75%), and a color dye. Many of the suppliers of windshield wiper fluid purchase used isopropyl alcohol from industry, distill it or use a molecular sieve to recover the alcohol, then use it as an ingredient. If they didn't reuse it, it would be a hazardous waste due to its ignitibility and would be a regulated substance by the EPA. So if you purchase denatured alcohol (this would most likely be a grain alcohol that you would purchase from a liquor store), then add water, you would have a dilute solution of alcohol. If you purchase the rubbing alcohol, look at the label to determine the amount of water. Remember, the water in the mixture can lead to rust on metal parts if it is not removed. I would use a product that is manufactured for cleaning.
I have used ammonia, (lighter fluid too) to remove decals and stickers from glass and some glue residues, but I am very careful with it.
Barrett

 

[killain]

Denatured alcohol means no water. Most rubbing alcohols are isopropyl alcohol with water. Your windshield washer fluid is a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, water (generally 65-75%), and a color dye. Many of the suppliers of windshield wiper fluid purchase used isopropyl alcohol from industry, distill it or use a molecular sieve to recover the alcohol, then use it as an ingredient. If they didn't reuse it, it would be a hazardous waste due to its ignitibility and would be a regulated substance by the EPA. So if you purchase denatured alcohol (this would most likely be a grain alcohol that you would purchase from a liquor store), then add water, you would have a dilute solution of alcohol. If you purchase the rubbing alcohol, look at the label to determine the amount of water. Remember, the water in the mixture can lead to rust on metal parts if it is not removed. I would use a product that is manufactured for cleaning.
I have used ammonia, (lighter fluid too) to remove decals and stickers from glass and some glue residues, but I am very careful with it.
Barrett

Thank you Barrett, I bought some denatured alcohol from HOME DEPOT, and it is a "Earth Clean product" as it's 95% biodegradable. Made by Barr corp. www.kleanstripgreen.com It says for glass cleaning: Dilute 4 Oz in a gallon of water. It says do not use in a stove. But it doesn't give the solvent make up.

The Isopropyl rubbing alcohol 70% which says it's Isopropyl Alcohol 70% and it says the uses are for muscular aches and to decrease germs in minor cuts.

So I guess if I use a 30/70 mix of water and denatured alcohol it should be safe on the dashboard plastic? I just don't want to do anything to harm the plastic material.

 

[Red Vette]

Test it on some plastic that is not in sight or some other scrap plastic you may have. The alcohol you mix should be safe, but one never knows unless it is tested on some unimportant piece or in an out of sight area. Glass does not react to alcohol, but plastic may, depending on the type of material. Never use a solvent such as acetone on plastic as it will react with it. Alcohol is safe for many products, but not all. Did it come with a MSDS (material safety data sheet)? You can search the web for MSDS sheets, then put in the isopropyl alcohol and find out if it is safe for plastics.
Barrett
Barrett

 

[killain]

Test it on some plastic that is not in sight or some other scrap plastic you may have. The alcohol you mix should be safe, but one never knows unless it is tested on some unimportant piece or in an out of sight area. Glass does not react to alcohol, but plastic may, depending on the type of material. Never use a solvent such as acetone on plastic as it will react with it. Alcohol is safe for many products, but not all. Did it come with a MSDS (material safety data sheet)? You can search the web for MSDS sheets, then put in the isopropyl alcohol and find out if it is safe for plastics.
Barrett
Barrett

No it didn't ! the two bottles of rubbing alcohol and denatured alcohol are pretty slim on data. I'm starting to think this is a bad idea from any point of view. Mabye I'm better off sticking to 'Glass-Plus' it says it has a miute amount of alcohol in it ? Damn sure don't want to do more damage than good.

 

[Pac-man]

Trust me on this one. There is only one answer if you want the best adhesion. First off, isopropyl leaves a film, so forget about that. Second, you do not need to dilute the denatured alcohol. And, if you really want to do it right, first clean with low odor mineral spirits and then a final wipe with denatured alcohol. Use all of the above sparingly. This will promote the best adhession.

 

[killain]

Trust me on this one. There is only one answer if you want the best adhesion. First off, isopropyl leaves a film, so forget about that. Second, you do not need to dilute the denatured alcohol. And, if you really want to do it right, first clean with low odor mineral spirits and then a final wipe with denatured alcohol. Use all of the above sparingly. This will promote the best adhession.

I got the decals in the mail yesterday. The guy who makes them, (or the company) says to clean the indented areas with soap and water and an old toothbrush, the use a Q-tip with alcohol on it to wipe out the inserts area. and then use a xato knif and gentlely apply one decal at a time and the use water or 'spit' yeah he said lick the back of the decal, and apply, using the water or spit to do any final positioning and then press firmly and use a hair dryer set on high to get the adhesive to cure and stick properly.

I don't know. The denatured alcohol costs $7.00 for a pint, of which I need about one or two wet Q-tips, ( not really too cost effective to buy a farm when all you want is a couple of fresh tomato's) They didn't cost all that much, I'll wait for good weather and sit down one after noon and place the vinyl decals in place and see if I want to install them. Their in 50th anni. red. So they would look good on the shale colored dash.

 

[Paul Higg]

After working aircraft for 28 years and using a LOT of solvents I have discovered one of the most benign solvents is Aliphatic Naphtha. It can be used to remove stickers from fine furniture. No residue and no melting of any parts.

 

[killain]

Where do I find something like that Paul ?

 

[Paul Higg]

Home Depot. OR, the yellow bottle of Ronsonol lighter fluid. Same exact product.

 

[daveream]

Denatured alcohol means no water. Most rubbing alcohols are isopropyl alcohol with water. Your windshield washer fluid is a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, water (generally 65-75%), and a color dye. Many of the suppliers of windshield wiper fluid purchase used isopropyl alcohol from industry, distill it or use a molecular sieve to recover the alcohol, then use it as an ingredient. If they didn't reuse it, it would be a hazardous waste due to its ignitibility and would be a regulated substance by the EPA. So if you purchase denatured alcohol (this would most likely be a grain alcohol that you would purchase from a liquor store), then add water, you would have a dilute solution of alcohol. If you purchase the rubbing alcohol, look at the label to determine the amount of water. Remember, the water in the mixture can lead to rust on metal parts if it is not removed. I would use a product that is manufactured for cleaning.
I have used ammonia, (lighter fluid too) to remove decals and stickers from glass and some glue residues, but I am very careful with it.
Barrett

I was in the windshield washer fluid industry for about 10 years before I retired and we used nothing but Methanol Alcohol. 38% methanol to 62%
water to protect to -20. We also sold 55 gal drums of it as racing fuel.

 

[killain]

I was in the windshield washer fluid industry for about 10 years before I retired and we used nothing but Methanol Alcohol. 38% methanol to 62%
water to protect to -20. We also sold 55 gal drums of it as racing fuel.

Well I have spent the morning reserching the alcohol types (Denatured and Isopropyl) and have read a lot of info. And I have to tell you, the Isopropyl or rubbing alcohol seems to be as effective, yet easiest and most abundantly available cleaner. Especially if I take the 70% rubbing alcohol from the medicine cabinet, pour like a half an ounce, add a half a ouance of water and after cleaning the small arear with a old tooth brush and soap and water, then use the 50/50% mix of alcohol and water, clean the area and then wash it once more with fresh water.

This should have stripped away any oils, dirt and plastic protectants I might have used in the past, while having almost no harmful effects on the plastic dashboard material. Hope I'm right ! :eyerole