HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients
Book a video visit
HealthTap
Telehealth
A member asked:

Should alcohol be used to sanitize a cut? does the alcohol cause more irritation than kill bacteria?

A doctor has provided 1 answer
Dr. Victor Bonuel answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine

Alcohol irritates: More than hydrogen peroxide but it does kill bacteria as well.

Dr Hoepfner agreed

Answered 3/26/2013

5.2k views

Thank

Related Questions

A member asked:

Hi there, I was wondering if 70% alcohol based sanitizer is enough to kill the herpes virus on your hands?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

I know hand washing (20+ seconds) is best to kill coronavirus, and that if not available use sanitizer of 60%+ alcohol. I thought my sanitizer was but realized it's only 57.6%. Been using lots for weeks. I've stopped using it. Should I be worried?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

Does alcohol hand sanitizer kill Hepatitis C?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

A member asked:

Does 70% alcohol hand sanitizer kill viruses while it's still wet? Does it have to dry to kill them?

2 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

A member asked:

Does washing hands with alcohol sanitizer kill sperm on hands directly ?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

Sponsored Content
HealthTap Medical Group does not endorse products or services. Sponsored content revenues support our mission to make health information free and accessible to all.Learn more

People also searched for:

Does hand sanitizer with 70% ethyl alcohol kill bacteria in a wound?
Are alcohol based hand sanitizer gels effective against killing typhoid bacteria from hands? I know that they do not kill norovirus, c.diff etc, but do they work for removing s typhi/paratyphi? Any research/publication would be helpful as well?
Are alcohol based sanitizers effective against killing germs/bacterias that cause boils, MRSA or staph infection?
Does rubbing alcohol (ethyl) have the same antibacterial properties as isopropyl? Store is out of isopropyl and sanitizer due to CV so is ethyl is good for germs and bacteria to wipe things down including hands.
Will alcohol based sanitizer kill h1n1 virus?

Telemedicine

Primary Care
Manage Your Conditions
Women's Health
Children's Health
Men's Health
Senior Health
Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle
Sexual Health
Mental & Behavioral Health
Travel Medicine
Urgent Care
Ask your question
Didn't find what you're looking for?

90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more.

Ask your question

More of what we treat

Allergies
Antibiotics
Asthma
High Blood Pressure
Prescriptions
Type 2 Diabetes
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.
HealthTap
HIPAA logo
HIPAASecure
Soc 2 Type 2 logo
SOC 2 Type 2Certified
JCAHO Accredited
JCAHOAccredited
Member App

Download HealthTap

Video visit and message your doctor

Member App QR Code
Play Store Member LinkApp Store Member Link

Questions?

+1 (888) 828-0841support@healthtap.com
LinkedInTwitter
HomeTermsPrivacyCookiesDMCAHealth TopicsDoctors DirectoryDoctor Q&A by Specialty
Copyright 2026 HealthTap, Inc.