House Smells Like Rubbing Alcohol (Discover The Reasons) - HomeDcent (2023)

When people enter your home, you want them to be greeted by a pleasant aroma. So, they feel refreshed and lovely by coming to your home.

The problem arises, though, if your house smells like rubbing alcohol. A refrigerant leak in your air conditioner, or overuse of rubbing alcohol in the cleaning process, might give your home a solid alcoholic odor. Possible causes include an accidental spill of hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol also.

To get rid of this rubbing alcohol smell, you have to come up with the end of this article. Give yourself some time to know the reasons and possible solutions for the rubbing alcohol smell.

Why Would My House Smell Like Rubbing Alcohol?

Sometimes your house smells like Paint Thinner or Rubbing Alcohol, but you don’t know why.

Rubbing Alcohol is mainly isopropyl alcohol which is used broadly in household work. Below I’ve pointed out some reasons why your house smell of Rubbing Alcohol.

1. Refrigerant Leaking From Air Conditioner

Most of the time, refrigerant leaking of AC or mold growth in AC can smell like vinegar or rubbing alcohol. If you have an AC in your house and suddenly you smell something different like Rubbing Alcohol, then first check the AC.

It is possible to have a rubbing alcohol smell because of the refrigerant leakage of AC., So check your AC correctly to ensure it has any leakage.

2. Cleaning Products

Isopropyl or ethanol-based liquids are known as Rubbing Alcohol, used in cleaning products. For disinfectants, many household cleaning products contain Rubbing Alcohol in them. Some of them are:

• Mr. Clean
• Glass cleaner
• Lysol wipes and many more.

When you clean your house with these cleaning products, your home may smell like Rubbing Alcohol as the products contain Isopropyl alcohol.

3. Sanitizer

Rubbing Alcohol has a strong disinfectant nature; for this reason, it is used in sanitizer. You smell rubbing Alcohol because you may have overused the sanitizer or, my fault, you dropped it on your floor, which spreads this smell.

Sanitizer is not for cleaning purposes; never put it close to your child because they can drink it, which is very dangerous.

4. Open Bottle of Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing Alcohol is used for many purposes. Even for medical needs or medical purposes, doctors used rubbing Alcohol.

So, for any experiment or any other reason, a bottle of rubbing alcohol is already in your grip. Then by fault, if you left the bottle open or dropped it somehow, it will spread a rubbing alcohol smell in your home.

5. Olfactory Hallucination

If you often smell Rubbing Alcohol in your house and can’t find any solution, then you should ask other home members whether they have the same scent or not.

If you notice the smell of Rubbing Alcohol except others, you might have Olfactory Hallucination. Because of olfactory hallucination, people may get other scents that aren’t there; the same goes with rubbing Alcohol.

If you figure out that smelling rubbing Alcohol is just detected by then, you should consult with a doctor as it may be because of your olfactory hallucination.

How Do I Get the Smell of Rubbing Alcohol Out of My House?

The odor of rubbing alcohol is unpleasant and should be avoided. It may make you uncomfortable, and excess inhaling of rubbing Alcohol may cause several health issues.

If you wish to get rid of the odor of rubbing alcohol, now would be the time to do so. Here I suggest some ways to ease your problem.

• Check the AC first because leakage in the refrigerant of the AC can spread the rubbing alcohol smell; if you find the leakage, then servicing your AC will not give a rubbing alcohol smell again.

• Try to use a minimal amount of cleaning products that contain Rubbing Alcohol in them.

• Make sure to close the bottle of Rubbing Alcohol properly.

• If any other products in your house spread the Rubbing Alcohol smell more than you can tolerate, then remove that product from your home.

• Give a ventilation system to your house, and open the windows and doors to remove the smell from your home.

• Until the smell dissipates from your house, use a mask.

• For quick results, use any air freshener in your house to get rid of this smell.

• If the smell of Rubbing Alcohol bothers you much, try to avoid buying products that contain rubbing alcohol in them.

After removing the Rubbing Alcohol smell from your house, you can use some natural scents to make your house more pleasant. Check out this video if you’re interested in learning how to create a natural fragrance at home.

Can the Smell of Rubbing Alcohol Hurt You?

Many people use rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent and disinfecting process. But what if you smell the rubbing alcohol? Can it hurt you?

The smell of Rubbing Alcohol will not hurt you until the amount of it doesn’t cross the excess level. The amount of Rubbing Alcohol is bearable in cleaning or any other products.

If you continuously inhale rubbing alcohol regularly, it will cause several diseases. Some of them are life-taking.

Some of the diseases you will face by smelling too much Rubbing Alcohol are:

• Breathing issues
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Low Blood pressure
• Stomach ache
• Throat pain

Not only can smelling give you trouble but also, if it touches your skin, you will feel irritation. So before using rubbing Alcohol for any use, you should first know about the risks.

What Should I Avoid if I Have Rubbing Alcohol in My House?

Rubbing Alcohol is quite common now; people use it for various purposes. But you should know that you can’t use Rubbing Alcohol everywhere; it has some limitations and risks.

1. Drinking

According to a study, drinking Rubbing Alcohol is dangerous for health as it can cause poisoning of health and give you several diseases.

You will suffer from diarrhea, vomiting, stomach ache, instability, sedation, and more because of drinking Rubbing Alcohol.

2. Fever Treatment

Some people treat fever by inhaling Rubbing Alcohol as it gives a cool temperature.

The fact is, rubbing Alcohol gives a relaxed vibe to your body, but it doesn’t cool down the actual body temperature. That means it doesn’t help to reduce your fever.

Inhaling Rubbing Alcohol can cause cardiac issues and alcohol poisoning and lead to coma.

3. Acne Treatment

Rubbing Alcohol is sometimes found in several beauty products, so people may think it can reduce the acne problem.

If you use Rubbing Alcohol on your face, it will make you look drier, breaking your skin condition. So, rubbing alcohol on the face should be avoided.

4. Taking Bath

As Rubbing Alcohol has a disinfectant quality, people are confused about using it in their baths.

Using rubbing Alcohol while taking a bath may cause toxicity in your skin, and the skin’s pH level will be disturbed by using this.

Never use this while you are bathing your baby. Because children’s skin is more sensitive than ours, which affects them more.

Last Words

People have trouble with a thing: “House smells like Rubbing Alcohol.” The reasons for these smells are:

• Refrigerant leakage of AC
• Cleaning products
• Sanitizer
• An open bottle of Rubbing Alcohol
• Having an olfactory hallucination problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use hand sanitizer instead of rubbing Alcohol for cleaning?

No, sanitizer is not a suitable substitute for rubbing alcohol when it comes to disinfecting. Sanitizer and rubbing alcohol are not similar items in any way.

Though sanitizer contains a high percentage of rubbing Alcohol with water, the rubbing alcohol is mainly based on ethanol or isopropyl, so if you even try to clean your home with a sanitizer, it will not work out.

2. Is burning rubbing Alcohol toxic?

Regular rubbing of Alcohol is not as toxic as burning one is. Burning rubbing Alcohol is poisonous to health as it will mix with your bloodstream by inhaling, injuring the lungs.

3. How long does the smell of rubbing alcohol last?

The smell of Rubbing Alcohol doesn’t last long; it will disappear right after drying out.

If you still get its smell, open your doors and windows to remove the scent, or speed up your fan so that the smell vanishes soon.

4. Can you smell rubbing Alcohol while pregnant?

Smelling rubbing Alcohol while pregnant is not a good idea. Because inhaling Rubbing Alcohol could cause liver or brain damage.

While pregnant, it will not only give you pain, but also your baby will suffer from it.

5. Is rubbing alcohol flammable after it evaporates?

It would be best if you always used rubbing Alcohol in an open space so that the smell quickly disappears.

The rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly, creating flammable smoke for your work.

6. Is rubbing Alcohol toxic for cleaning?

Rubbing Alcohol is a perfect chemical for cleaning. As it has disinfectant properties, it can easily clean your house.

Proper use of rubbing Alcohol is safe but excessive use of rubbing Alcohol can cause several health issues.