Rubbing alcohol is in almost every medicine cabinet, so it’s natural to wonder if it works on mold. The short answer: it can kill mold on the surface of some materials, and it has a few advantages over other cleaners. But like every household product, it won’t fix mold that’s inside a material or the moisture behind it.
Where Rubbing Alcohol Works Well
- Leather: diluted with water, it’s a common way to clean mold off shoes, bags and jackets (see how to remove mold from leather)
- Hard, non-porous surfaces: plastic, glass, metal and sealed surfaces
- Items you don’t want wet for long: it evaporates quickly, so it leaves less moisture behind than water-based cleaners
How to Use It
- Use 70% isopropyl alcohol. It’s typically considered more effective as a disinfectant than 91% or 99%, because a bit of water helps it work.
- For delicate items like leather, mix it about half and half with water. Test a hidden spot first.
- Wipe it on with a cloth, let it sit a few minutes, then wipe clean.
- Let the item dry completely.
Safety First
- Rubbing alcohol is flammable. Keep it away from flames, stoves, candles and sparks, and ventilate the room.
- Never mix it with bleach. That combination can create harmful chemicals.
- It can damage some finishes, like varnished wood, lacquer and certain plastics, so test first.
Where It Won’t Help
Alcohol evaporates too fast to soak into porous materials, so it won’t reach mold growing inside drywall, carpet pad, insulation or soft wood. It also does nothing about the leak or humidity feeding the mold. For those, see how to remove mold from walls and bleach vs. vinegar vs. hydrogen peroxide.
Free Visual Inspection in South Florida
If mold keeps coming back no matter what you clean it with, there’s a moisture source to find. FL Cleanup offers a free visual inspection with moisture readings and an infrared (thermal) camera across South Florida, and handles licensed mold remediation. We answer 24/7, and hablamos español. Call 877-224-2532 or request a free visual inspection online.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
