Is it worth using alcohol for home cleaning?

Just walk through the hygiene and cleaning section of supermarkets to see the numerous solutions that the market offers for the housewife to leave her home clean, protected from bacteria and fragrant. However, when it comes to cleaning and even simple everyday cleaning, many people still prefer to use alcohol, believing in its superior efficiency. The question is controversial, but to what extent is it worth resorting to such a dangerous product?

Records of the use of alcohol as a cleaning product date back to the Middle Ages. In Brazil, it has been used for over 200 years, mainly in hospitals and health services due to its antiseptic properties and microbicidal and germicidal potential. Its use is so popular that Brazil is considered one of the largest consumers of alcohol for domestic use in the world and one of the few where marketing is allowed without supervision or control.

The most commonly used types of alcohol for cleaning are ethyl and isopropyl. Both are antiseptics and disinfectants, but isopropyl alcohol is more effective against bacteria, while ethyl alcohol is more potent against viruses. Ethyl alcohol has water in its composition and is easily sold in supermarkets at low prices, while isopropyl alcohol is more expensive and has its commercialization restricted to manipulation pharmacies and hardware stores, because its anhydrous formula, that is, with very little water, it is more efficient in cleaning hardware, as it prevents corrosion and oxidation of the metals present in these equipment.

The warning for the use of alcohol consists of the fact that it is a highly flammable product that, when used in domestic use to clean the house or light barbecues, exposes adults and especially children to very serious burns and risks that can be fatal.

The data on burns in adults and children are very high, but not exact. According to the Ministry of Health, in 2011 more than 7,200 people were hospitalized as a result of burns caused by flammable products such as alcohol, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, among others, and the misuse and inadequate storage of these substances in homes. contribute to the increase of these data.

Although there is still no national registry of alcohol burn cases, based on data from the information technology department of the Unified Health System in Brazil, Datasus, it is estimated that the number of victims of alcohol burns is around of two thousand a year.

For the National Front to Combat Accidents with Alcohol, formed by several civil society entities, the seriousness of the consequences of a burn on a person’s life and the high expense of the health system with the recovery of these patients would be enough to justify the suspension. of the sale of alcohol.

In 2002, the sale of liquid alcohol was prohibited by an Anvisa resolution. In this period, according to research carried out by the SBQ – Sociedade Brasileira de Queimaduras, the replacement of liquid alcohol by the gel version reduced the number of domestic accidents with alcohol, between 60 and 65%, but this resolution was later overturned by Abraspea, the Brazilian Association of Alcohol Producers and Bottlers on the grounds that banning the sale of alcohol to domestic consumers would increase illegal trade and, with that, the number of accidents would also rise. After that, liquid alcohol returned to the shelves.

Since then, the National Front for Combating Alcohol Accidents has been fighting for the prohibition of the sale of alcohol and one of the main reasons is that there are other alternatives for residential and even hospital cleaning with performance as or more effective than alcohol and by far less risky. The detergent or general cleaner itself has a bactericidal action and is capable of cleaning and preserving furniture, equipment and utensils without being flammable.

In order to assess the safety provided to consumers, in 2007 Proteste, the Brazilian Association for Consumer Protection, tested several brands of alcohol available in the Brazilian market in liquid and gel versions. These tests found that the product can easily catch fire and that a flame of 26 degrees is enough to cause alcohol to burn, causing burns and even fires.

In addition, alcohols with a graduation of 46 to 65 degrees were proven to kill between 98 and 99.6% of microorganisms, the same as other bactericidal cleaning products. It was also found that the lack of safety locks can facilitate ingestion by children and the wide mouth of the liquid versions, makes it difficult to control the dosage at the time of use, spreading the product uncontrollably, which does not happen in the gel version.

A bill that restricts the sale of alcohol is already being processed in the National Congress as a way of combating the numerous accidents caused. In addition, there are campaigns for consumers to stop using the products both for domestic cleaning and for lighting barbecues and opt for non-flammable products. While none of this happens, alcohol remains available for anyone who wants to buy it and the final decision is left to consumers.

If you are not convinced of the risks and prefer to continue using this substance in cleaning, check out some tips to protect you and your family:

• Keep alcohol away from children and animals;
• Store it very well covered in a place protected from heat and air;
• To light barbecues, choose specific and safe products;
• Before buying, look for the INMETRO certification seal;
• Read all warnings and instructions for use;
• Do not reuse or puncture your packaging;
• Do not smoke while using the product.