Potassium Hydroxide Ethyl Alcohol Could you tell me what the limitations of these chemicals are. Is there anything that i should know about them?
Potassium Hydroxide is a very strong alkaline. It is one form of lye. It is used to really boost the pH and speed up the emulsification of grease. The potential harm is if it gets on your skin or is ingested. Limited health hazard for inhalation. So don't splash it on yourself and don't eat or drink it. Wash hands after using. Ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol, is the alcohol used in fuel and found in alcoholic beverages. Sometimes it is used to speed drying. It is also used as a volatile solvent to disolve light oils. The main concern would be safety. If the concentration of alcohol in the air gets too high, it can combust and create a flash fire. Use with good ventilation. Not much concern as long as it is not present in a large volume and ventilation is lacking. Scott Warrington
I used ordinary drugstore rubbing alcohol as a solvent for light oily stuff- as Scott says. I still use it some around the house, and yesterday added some to my car's windshield washer fluid to prevent freezing, and do a better job of removing road oily film. Not very expensive, either. Gary
Sounds overly strong and ... too fumy. Have you tried some of the soap free alternatives? I find they work better and are much nicer to work with.
