Isopropyl Alcohol: A Survival Essential

If you are collecting supplies for possible future use in a survival situation, I recommend you buy plenty of isopropyl alcohol. This is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol, and it is readily available and inexpensive. It also has some uses that you may not expect, and you’ll most likely find it handy in your day-to-day life.

Perhaps most important for a prepper to consider is that isopropyl alcohol makes an excellent fuel for cooking. There are many advantages to using this alcohol for this purpose. It is safe to burn indoors and can be extinguished with water if necessary. If you decide to use isopropyl alcohol as a cooking fuel, it is best to use the higher strength 90 percent alcohol as opposed to the 70 percent. 

If you are making preparations for the future (or even if you are considering trying this out next weekend), you should decide what size stove is best for your plans. There are small camping stoves that are great if you are putting together a bug-out bag or if, as the name implies, you’d like to try it on a camping trip. However, using a small stove like this may not be best for regular use. In that case, you may want to purchase a portable stove with a full-size burner. Both of these options are readily available for purchase. Because isopropyl alcohol burns at a slightly lower temperature than other cooking fuels, you’ll want to give yourself a little longer time for meal prep. This is worth it, though, when you consider the convenience and safety of isopropyl alcohol.

A second use for this alcohol is a disinfectant. Unlike when it is used for a cooking oil, when using this product as a disinfectant it is better to use the lower strength of 70 percent.  Isopropyl alcohol is used to kill germs and bacteria in hospitals. While this is not a good product for wound care, it can be used around the home to wipe down food prep surfaces or to disinfect any area that needs to be kept particularly clean.  It can be poured directly into a spray bottle and used as a surface disinfectant. If the smell is unpleasant to you, you can add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to the bottle. As a disinfectant, it can be useful to soak first aid implements such as tweezers and scissors in isopropyl alcohol. You can also pour a little on a cotton ball and safely wipe down your cellphone or tablet/laptop screen.

Isopropyl alcohol makes a great, inexpensive insecticide that isn’t full of weird chemicals. It can kill all kinds of plant-destroying insects. It is also very handy for getting rid of ticks on pets. Dab a bit of it on the tick and it will release its hold on your pet. Remember that spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol you put together for use as a disinfectant? It will also be useful as an insecticide. It is an effective way to knock out irritating swarms of flies or mosquitoes with a few spritzes into the cloud of pests.

All in all, there is truly no reason not to add isopropyl alcohol to your prepper supplies. It is easy to find, inexpensive, and has a basically unlimited shelf-life. It is really one product that is often overlooked by preppers but that can prove useful in many situations. All for a very modest investment on your part!