Do alcohol wipes expire?
Alcohol wipes have an expiration date, which is shown on the packaging. Once alcohol wipes have expired, they are not dangerous to use, but it means they are no longer as effective or not as effective.
Alcohol evaporates faster and more easily than water. This causes them to lose effectiveness over time. Also, if you leave a pack of wipes open or not fully covered, this can cause the entire pack to dry out.
High-quality alcohol wipes come in specially designed containers that can be sealed when not in use, such as the PDI wipes we stock, which have a snap-closed lid and a deep groove at the bottom of the lid to store the next available wipe.
Uses
Prepare the skin for injections or incisions. Alcohol disinfection pads can be used to disinfect small areas of unbroken skin to ensure that the skin is completely clean for use with sterile instruments. Alcohol disinfection pads ensure that harmful bacteria cannot enter the body through the skin.
Disinfect your hands. Just like hand sanitizer, alcohol disinfection wipes can be used to clean your hands when you don't have access to a sink with soap and water. Sanitizing your hands can help prevent the spread of viral infections like Covid-19.
Disinfecting hard, non-porous surfaces. Alcohol wipes can damage some materials, but most hard, non-porous surfaces like glass, plastic, rubber, stainless steel, and vinyl can be cleaned without a problem. This means countertops, door handles, windows, and bed frames, among other touch points, can be disinfected.
Disinfecting non-invasive medical devices. Disinfection is the process of removing potentially infectious agents to safe levels. Medical devices used inside the body must be sterilized, usually using an autoclave, as this ensures 100% kill of all germs. But for non-invasive devices, this level of cleaning isn't necessary. So alcohol wipes can be used to clean devices like blood pressure monitors and AEDs.
