Question: At what time
should the cotton wool ball be used most effectively when it is moistened with alcohol?
Answer: Alcohol (ethyl
alcohol, isopropyl alcohol) in the strength 70% in water is used to clean the
wound.
Alcohol in the strength 70% in water has fast-acting
bactericidal, but short-acting. It should be used immediately. Cotton wool moistened
with alcohol should not be left for long, because alcohol evaporates quickly
and will be diluted and less effective.
Alcohol acts by precipitation process of protein. Isopropyl
alcohol is slightly more potent than ethyl alcohol. Some places may prepare the
isopropyl alcohol slightly lower strength than ethyl alcohol. If the two kinds
of alcohol were used in the equal strength, isopropyl alcohol may still be
effective a little longer than ethyl alcohol.
However, it is recommended that cotton wool moistened
with alcohol should not be left for too long. It should be used immediately,
whether
it is isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol (or any other kinds of alcohol). And all of them should be kept in tightly closed containers.
Reference:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/76-142b.pdf
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