bohund
39259
1154
14
What is your favorite disinfectant?
Sep 22, 2025 8:32 PM
bohund
39259
1154
14
What is your favorite disinfectant?
aretherenousernamesleft
This kills the bacteria
Kegmoisking
Bullet Bourbon is my go to cure all.
Sebastopol140
They're just drunk.
HamDangler7TheLuckOfTheDangle
That's why I drink it
thesaurusaurus1984
Why waste whiskey on the bacteria!?!
TheCryptid
it was jack daniels, honestly Id rather use it as a disinfectant than as a drink
BillHubbard
Also useful to dilute a strong coffee.
anitabieror6
dang what's it do to your gut flora?
jacobjacobinfinity
Ja, das not gut for our tum tums
drduffer
My favorite is a tie between Phenol and Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach). Each kills almost everything. Including viruses.
probationaryperiod
Does whisky kill viruses?
drduffer
40% Ethanol by volume probably does not.
I’m unsure what Everclear would do.
When I took Microbiology and then Virology those many years ago, the rule was that if you wanted it dead, viruses included, you used Phenol or Bleach.
lewaq
It's as if ethanol was poison, amirite?
probationaryperiod
So’s H20 if you drink enough! 😉
Sonicschilidogs
Everything can be a poison if you consume enough of it..... But yeah, Ethanol doesn't really need all that much to affect you, harm you, or kill you.
Roguishpotato
Ajinxedchef
Right after this vid all the Bacteria called their ex and/or tried to sing karaoke.
SwissScars
Is 15-year-old single malt better at confusing the confounded, beastly bacteria?
onychoprion
I, too, would die if submerged in a tidal wave of alcohol.
onemightyandstrong
But what a way to go
sadurdaynight
Does hard alcohol affect gut biome like that, too? It hits the stomach and dilutes down with stomach acid. But as it moves into small intestine is it wiping out beneficial bacteria as it goes before absorbed?
probationaryperiod
I would guess quantity has a lot to do with it. More studies are needed.
onemightyandstrong
I volunteer.
ilasid
Yes.
guyonabuffalo
Alcohol is one of the few things absorbed in the stomach, so very little of it reaches the distant part of the small intestines where most bacteria live, and what does gets enormously diluted.
But yeah, it does affect the biome.
msporkboy
Yes, but no. It will kill some, but not so many that they won’t just grow back. When you talk about different things affecting your microbiome, it has to be things that affect different critters differently to upset the balance. Alcohol just kills everything indiscriminately.
ThisIsMyUsernameThereAreManyLikeIt
It's almost like using alcohol is a good sterilizer! Someone should tell the hospitals this startling revelation!
CaldariBob
I was expecting them to get into an argument at the bar over something inconsequential.
Twinklepot
And in walked .. the Germinator
imsodonewitheverythjng
Is this why my gut biome is fucked and everyone tries to sell me prebiotics?
thesecondbreakfastclub
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJleTZ5d2Y1OWI3aDhsYzhxbGs2MDRnZzVvNzJmd3dyZDhwZHR0dGh2aCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/IRoz0jP2Pr26I/200w.mp4
nosnowyno
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlbmhrdHA5cHVoaG83eTZxbmx3eWppenBiMGdueDNrZXB1bzh5eWNrZiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/kGHYlYY8CsCS23xTJ3/200w.mp4
TonyBalogna
Thanks. I needed that.
Frogblender
I remember this one, pause it when the scene changes and he brings the bottle down, it's been swapped for a clear no label stunt bottle for him to smash.
shitheadtookmyname
Yes this is the principle behind hand sanitizer and why also during COVID alcohol manufacturers started making hand sanitizer to make up for lost bar sales +satisfy demand that hand sanitizer companies couldn't fulfill
B166ERMaximus
Kinda makes you wonder how your gut biome gets along when you’re having Whiskey every day…
LitchLitch
By the time it reaches your gut it gets pretty watered down by the stomach fluids. Thats part of why some people boof
FiftyShadesOfBroccoli
CommanderHamDemander
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1YzQ2bmNibmU5ZjJmZDAzZG5zNXRqdDNlMDZzbTN3ZzZ3bnN5NnB2biZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/3o6ozh46EbuWRYAcSY/200w.webp
LetsEatGrandpaCommasSaveLives
Son of a bitch stole my line
japhex
Was literally having a convo with a work mate at the weekend who has an Indian wife and goes to India a fair bit, we were discussing how to avoid getting ill and I shit you not he literally said he just sits and drinks whiskey with his father in law every time and he’s fine.
OdinYggd
For the majority of human history safe to use water has been hard to come by. On the other hand beer is almost always safe to drink even if it tastes bad. Cause the water in it has to be clean enough for the fermentation to work properly and make beer with it.
japhex
I do remember a brewery in Bruges, Belgium telling us that they went through a period (however may hundreds of years ago?!) or just drinking very low percentage beer because it was safer than drinking the water.
Mairoa
Actually it's the process itself. There was a group who made safe to drink beer from raw sewage to test the theory that it was the process, which involves boiling among other things. The water itself can be awful and make awful beer, but you won't die shitting from it
ickyickywoopwoo
What you see here is evidence that Fauci is actively hiding the medical benefits of whiskey to protect billions from the drug lobby.... (If you think I'm serious I have a bridge to sell you)
salunatics
I'm amused that the force of the drop landing looks like a bomb shock wave leveling the environment.
Affray
It gives me Hiroshima vibes. If you squint your imagination a bit it's easy to see people.
jj86
I like the scientist pouring a beaker of whiskey and only taking a drop for the bacteria. I think I know where the rest of it is going.
HypnagogicHallucinations
Florida?
OBM1
Yes, Yes. Valid hypothesis.
RossReedstrom
There's an immunoassay called a Western Blot. It's common to use NFDM (Non-fat dry milk) as a non-specific protein blocking agent. The problem with it, is you have to make up the solution fresh - can't premix it, the milk goes bad. Someone discovered they can add some alcohol to keep it from going bad, without affecting it's ability to block. An absolute chad of a researcher took that a step further: turns out Bailey's Irish Creme makes an excellent blocking agent, straight from the bottle.
ardtay
CarInAVet
Just like when I use blackberry brandy to make pie.
lovehandlesmessiah
Reminds me of the beginning to Mel Gibson's Payback where there's an old guy putting on latex gloves, pours a huge highball glass of whiskey, downs it, then pours another glass full and drops a scalpel and surgeon's tools into it. Pours the rest over Mel's gunshot-ridden back.
HenryLongfellowIII
A little drink while writing up the results won't hurt anything.
Itrytojustbrowseforfunnystuff
Little for the test subjects, little for me
technicalfool
After you sanitize, you insanitize.
iMcFly
When I saw him pouring it I was thinking “that’s a bit more than a drop, mate!” and then figured out what was actually going on.
ErindorGhostPope
Those little guys are drunk off their asses.
executivedisfunction
?? Dead, from absence of water for every metabolic process inside them.
SackTheRipper
I was waiting for them to wake back up in a drunken stupor.
Krytture
Seriously, that's why I watched it, I thought they were going to wake back up and just start slowly running into each ither
revasseur
Lightweights.
cuzitsthere
They're all gagging on the taste...
SackTheRipper
Not a fan of bourbon I take it?
ObeeJuanKenobi
JD isn't bourbon. It's kinda overrated too.
cuzitsthere
I love bourbon... Woodford Reserve, Bulleit, Maker's Mark, hell even Wild Turkey. Jack Daniels is paint thinner wearing a bourbon Halloween mask.
justfiguredoutimc4azyanddumbb
Vodka will do that with feelings. Pesky fuckers.
Nanoxt
Rum amplifies them
TexMexHex
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1c2Z5aWQ4cGM4bTB2NW9oY2ljNjVkMGMwZHUwNWdldWNxZnZiMWpjNiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/3o6ZsUJ44ffpnAW7Dy/200w.webp
redsmerf
iMcFly
https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJldWRucDM1b3JlcDdsOWF2dzhwOTg1YmgwdzNxMzN3YXRnZjE4MGI5ZCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/bKBM7H63PIykM/200w.mp4
Yesitisathing
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlY25ib2JiYXRqNGoyM2lsMTFwY292ZmRxYjB1cG10ZHJvcjQ0cTV6bSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/IV2DvTArF5b9u/200w.mp4
JeezusJuice
Shame they always come back the next morning.
MoonRiverFrost
Any that survived multiplied to return in full force.
SirWhiskersThe3rd
Absinth will amplify all the bad ones and make them violent.
michiyl
iMcFly
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlM2J2bW1hYjJybWsyMThyODZoOXQyaGswdmVtZDJsbXVyNTh6YWs1OCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/kglSFMRNEd1pdCevL9/200w.mp4
CharlesTooke
What's this from?
justfiguredoutimc4azyanddumbb
The most popular television show in history you Russian fuck
michiyl
Can't tell you the exact episode but it's Star Trek Voyager
StunttheRunt
Ergo feelings are made of bacteria for when I drink my feelings go away. SCIENCE!
WillemHellfire
Your liver would like to have a word with you.
StunttheRunt
That word is vodka
justfiguredoutimc4azyanddumbb
Actually gut bacteria do have a huge impact on digestion and overall feelings of well-being. Drinking lots of alcohol overtime and degrade the intestinal lining leading to upper g i. Tract bleeding. At least im pretty sure that's what the nurse said
69Voltage
Ergo, whiskey is good for you
Toqom
Or whiskey kills living things very well, maybe don't drink it
Fifofu
During the pandemic, we turned booze into hand sanitizer in Brazil https://imgur.com/KPLFk7e.mp4
SpamYarBlockers
1) surely this won’t affect my own cells as apocalyptically as the cells that can attack and fuck up my own cells? 2) why did they do waste a whole shot to get one drop of whiskey???
oldpotatoes
Lergo my ergo
Huntergirl727
Ah, yes, from the Celtic "Uisce" (wuish-keh) meaning Water of Life. 😅
Wardonk3y
That's what I got from it.
acetothermus
That's my take away.
69Voltage
Pretty sure that was their aim…….more whiskey consumption. Thanks, guys!
ByThePowerOfSCIENCE
or, bacteria are lightweights
maeta
Maybe if you wash your hands with it. If you want this to happen to your own tissues internally, I think you greatly underestimate the beneficial effects of having bacteria and healthy tissues that aren't halfway dead all the time.
PlunderingTheCheeseVaults
Perkunas687
There's just slightly more bacterial cells in your body than human cells, almost 1:1. Whiskey is therefore bad for you! (Half of you?)
Californiajackson
To be clear, they're talking about the "good" bacteria that perform functions necessary for your survival.
TapiocaMartini
I knew there was a reason I'm so heslthy.
thetonestarr
*hic.*
69Voltage
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJleDg1b3RldzZ6cHF3ZTIyMWdlbmY4NDA2OWQyNWM3bXVhODU5YjQ5bSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/xThtar0e9kO3WkwQ1O/200w.mp4
TheAccursedHamster
Dad? That you?
69Voltage
Well done!
ThatLoserTheFourth
You fool, my real dad would never praise me! Got you now, sucker
69Voltage
😂
XXXSpork
Alcohol needs to be 60% or 120 proof to disinfect.
SteveTheEgg
They literally just used 40% Jack Daniels in the video.
1stDrunkJoe
Got a chuckle during the early days of COVID because the Grey Goose was sold out but there was still plenty of Everclear on the shelf.
AllTheGoodOnesWereGone
And interestingly you don't want 100% alcohol because it's not as effective as 70-80%. You need a bit of water.
Iwouldbenick
Love me some cask strength
Elhifel
So cask strength it is.
RufusPimperton
Here we see a classic example of how the ability to kill germs in a contained setting does not translate to practical disinfectants
DaveTheScientist
No, it actually would work in the short term. Just not as quickly or as well as a 70% alcohol. But then all the sugars would definitely cause something else to grow. Lots of something elses. So you'd have to use the whiskey, wait a couple minutes, then wash it with water.
Frogblender
Yeah, sticking that slide over a bunsen burner would disinfect it real good too.
FiftyShadesOfBroccoli
To reliably kill 99.9% of bacteria within 10 seconds, yes. 40% still kills most bacteria but it takes up to 2 minutes.
ihavethelowground
So your saying I need to mouthwash with whiskey
vman2000
So Kesha was on to something brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack.
6war6scry6
Underrated comment, glad I came here.
lovehandlesmessiah
Having done sterility validation back in the day, disinfection is a combination of agent, concentration and contact time. You don't just spray 10% bleach on a counter and wipe it up, you give it a good 2-3 minutes of soak time to kill off whatever is on the surface. I know some of the chef shows use a solution of white vinegar, but you have to let that set for about 5 minutes to kill any bacteria from the raw chicken you just diced up.
qPRdxH4UXm36HS9rJgLA
So Knob Creek Single Barrel?
Arbitrarynamehere
I've had a few bottles of Knob Creek and haven't managed to find one I've liked
TheYoungerLance
I don't think we're supposed to like it.
XXXSpork
Yup
wseslar
Guess I'll have to swap from the 7year rye
JackieTreehornProductions
Booker’s if you want to remove all doubt and memory.
CommunCreator
I wouldn’t use the top shelf stuff as disinfectant. High test rotgut gin works just as well.
SackTheRipper
Benchmark Full Proof. Cheap and tasty. Great in hot toddy during cold season.
Arbitrarynamehere
Idk who's down voting but this is a very solid bottle for the price, great pick!
hipifreq
Yeah, bacteria can be killed with as a little as basic 80 proof whiskey like this, but better disinfection (including viruses) happens at 140 proof. Higher than that and effectiveness actually goes down
k1everest
Why does effectiveness go down? Genuinely curious.
Rhythmaster
The water content helps the alcohol penetrate and spread into everything better, partly because it slows the evaporation of alcohol, so it can stick around and do its work for longer. There are also other effects just from the water content and other effects from the attributes of that specific ratio of water to alcohol, this is why 70% isopropyl is the best and most commonly used for disinfecting in hospitals etc.
Thornaxe
I thought they throttled the concentration on isopropyl alcohol because it spontaneously combust at near 100% concentrations?
Rhythmaster
I don't know anything about that, but yeah that would make sense lol. However the 70% is still the best for disinfecting and a lot of the reason is the water content
Mistruths
If the bacteria die too quickly, the dead bacteria can help protect some of the living bacteria, similar to how the leidenfrost effect can massively slow heat transfer between a hot pan and ice or water droplets. You end up needing a lot more physical agitation to reach the same effectiveness, or just way more alcohol in total.
Remember that the goal isn't to instantly kill surface bacteria, but to thoroughly kill as many as possible.
boop66
Username doesn't check out b/c u/Mistruths be dropping science facts like Galileo dropped the egg! https://media0.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJleDVtcnAwdmw0a2NoYm0xeXVjcmFsOGk1d3dzOHN3N2k3dTh1aWlxbCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/VHlKSFRTQ7nn81fkv4/200w.mp4
azazyel
Paigedidnothingwrong
Not to mention, high percent alcohol off gasses and dissipates rapidly.
Are we ignoring that guys username?
technicalfool
Mix equal quantity 95% stupidvodka with 40% basicvodka, you now have ideal hand sanitizer. Add a small amount of surfactant (ie: soap) to make a general purpose handwash.
GroverKerr
Nothing you said was true. The actual reasons are 1. having higher water content helps penetrate cellular walls. 2. higher percentages evaporate more quickly. But really the percentage efficacy is widely variant depending on what you're trying to kill.
Did you seriously just make shit up as an answer? Comparing to leidenfrost just to sound smart when it is in no way related? And you get massively upvoted. This site's community is so goddamn stupid.
Mistruths
No one reads usernames anymore these days.
hipifreq
I've read that it has to do with water aiding the alcohol in doing its thing. Without it the reactions just don't happen as fast
Rhythmaster
the water helps it work, yes. Part of it is the water slows down how fast the liquid evaporates, purer alcohol evaporates really fast so it may not be on the surface long enough to kill everything.
FancyFeastAdvocate
Not sure why you are being down voted, this is correct and why isopropyl alcohol is normally at 70% vs 90-99%
Escapist83
I mean, they don't just pour booze on your wounds in the apocalypse to make them wet.
DaveSamsonite
They're just resting.
greenytali
Sometimes you want your wounds to be extra wet.
doctorbocker
You'd be better off using an expensive perfume. Less sugar.
HamSlamwich
Weird that there's never rubbing alcohol available. It's in every gas station, grocery store, and residence. Any medical facility would have a ton.
ManguPixel
And amongst those locations, you usually find 20x more booze.
Goldensands
I don't know that you should use rubbing alcohol on most every day wounds. Some bacteria are helpful for healing. If it's a nasty cut from an old pipe or something that's different
NaughtButOne
Medical supplies would be among the first things to be looted. The alcohol bottles are usually tucked away somewhere, narratively, probably being hidden from someone or saved for later, where isopropyl would be left out in the open and more likely to be pinched.
Dxoh
High proof drinking alcohol is also super easy to make. Likely one of the very first industries to return after the apocalypse.
Sonicschilidogs
Drank it all before they resorted to the bottom shelf vodka
xFlenserx
https://imgur.com/user/Bottomshelfvodka That'd be my first stop!
Lutki
I have doubts. Industrial and medical alcohol is denatured and will make you very sick.
onlyhalfghost
never had the real bottom shelf stuff, huh?
Jordan7831
I mean it’s not even a tough choice to make
Dxoh
Sure, but drinking alcohol can act as disinfectant and anesthetic, plus you can drink it for fun. Easier to make, as well.
NostalgiaBird
A shot for the wounded, a shot for the wound, a shot for the medic
CarInAVet
Using it as an anesthetic isn't a great idea when dealing with a wound: it's also a blood thinner.
Dxoh
Yes, but actual anesthetic doesn't exist anymore.
Badprenup
What they don't have comically oversized wooden mallets in the apocalypse?