Vodka vs Rubbing alcohol

cmckeeman

Active Member
I have heard to use Vodka to deodorize and kill bacteria in costumes, Would rubbing alcohol also work, or is there something about vodka that makes it work better?
 
I don't work in wardrobe so this is all second-hand, but I do think the prevalence of vodka for deodorizing is because it is much easier to buy bulk quantities of vodka pretty much everywhere in the world and you can do it pretty inexpensively because the bottom shelf stuff does the job just fine. I've also been told that Isopropyl alcohol isn't used because it dehydrates the skin and can cause soreness and whatnot, so ethyl alcohol is preferred over isopropyl. That being said, if you're using it in the process of a show I would imagine you'd want to spray the costumes down right after the show and let them sit overnight so it should evaporate before anyone wears the costumes again.

But I repeat, it's all second-hand, learned by going on many vodka runs with wardrobe crews.
 
Mine is second hand knowledge as well, but my experiences at similar with themuzicman's.

I think vodka being 40-50% alcohol is also kind of a nice sweet spot between evaporating rapidly enough to not bother the performers and being stable and safe enough for long term storage in large quantities.
 
Not to mention the costumer would likely have a preference for vodka after picking up all the costumes left on The dressing room floor after the show rather than a sip of rubbing alcohol...
Just a thought.
 
I will never forget the first time I walked into a dressing room to find the Costume gal standing there with a gallon of "Popov" in her hand!!!
Yes, Vodka is much better at deodorizing as Ethyl Alcohol breaks down they enzymes better than the Isopropyl alcohol in rubbing alcohol.
Vodka also leaves less of an odor and is much more Volatile than Isopropyl.

BTW Ethyl alcohol is also a 'Natural' alcohol it is obtained from the fermentation of grains. Isopropyl is obtained from chemical processes involving Petro-chemicals such as Propene.
 
This makes me think of that news story about the fact that you shouldn't wash your Levi's. This was from some top honcho with Levi Strauss, who said he used a tooth brush on dirty spots, and a spritz of vodka for the rest. I come from one of the cowboy states and that gets a Ewwwww, Ick from me. Another European jean maker said you could also just put your jeans in the freezer to kill bacteria.
 
This makes me think of that news story about the fact that you shouldn't wash your Levi's. This was from some top honcho with Levi Strauss, who said he used a tooth brush on dirty spots, and a spritz of vodka for the rest. I come from one of the cowboy states and that gets a Ewwwww, Ick from me. Another European jean maker said you could also just put your jeans in the freezer to kill bacteria.

I think pants that are fresh out of the dryer sound much nicer to put on that ones that are fresh out of the freezer.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back