Alcohol swab absolutely necessary?

[Atomini]

Is it absolutely necessary to use an alcohol pad/swab? Or is it safe enough and fine to swab the area using something like a piece of paper towel soaked in alcohol?

[natvtec1.8]

stop being cheap and pay 2 dollars for a box of swabs. end of discussion

[Kratos]

paper towel with alcohol should be fine

[Njord]

I'll agree with both the poster above. Why be so cheap? And a cotton ball with alchohol will work if you decide to be cheap.

[goonstopher]

I can't find the swabs but have been liking using hand sanitizer on the area.

[Atomini]

I can't find the swabs but have been liking using hand sanitizer on the area.

No infections so far?

[goonstopher]

No infections so far?

For me the hand sanitizer is a step up from nothing. I shot hundreds of times for years with nothing at all and just recently started using something because I had a couple problems but then narrowed it down to a crappy bottle not the shots themselves and it all got better hwne I fixed the issues so the short answer is, no its been fine.

[magic32]

I can't find the swabs but have been liking using hand sanitizer on the area.

Where are you located?

[fLgAtOr]

I don't see why cotton balls and alcohol woudln't be appropriate?

[powerliftmike]

You can actually go without nothing, but its not smart. No sense in taking unnecessary risks. It doesnt matter how you clean it. alcohol on toliet paper, cotton ball, hydrogen peroxide, whatever. just sterilize it. alcohol swabs are prolly the most convienent and are readily available so thats what most ppl do.

[Lejes]

I finally ran out of alcohol swabs this morning. 3 and 1/2 something boxes + a shit ton brought for me by my sister the nurse. [GONE], Cheap cheap cheap, time to buy more.

I wouldn't want to mess with bottled alcohol + cotton balls personally, too messy. I like the swabs, super convenient.

[domeyeahaigh]

Alcohol on toilet paper i dont see a problem

[natvtec1.8]

all the crazy things we do for a shot, feels like crack

[Sir Lifts-a-lot]

You cheap son of a bitch. When I used to get **** I got a free box of swabs. Hell I still have a few untoucched boxes that are probably still good. PM me your address and I will even spring for the postage you cheap bastard!

[Serotonin]

I use alcohol swabs and 2 sterile pins... 1 for drawing and 1 for injecting. I even swab the top of the vial before I draw from it. After all of that I got a cellulitis infection in my arm just this week. Swelling from my deltoid all the way down past my elbow with inflammation and chills that shook my body.

After a trip to the ER I was given keflex and yesterday I had a golf ball sized hematoma drained at my second trip to the ER. The blood was normal looking thank God but I'm pretty damn careful and this shit still happened to me.

Bottom line for all the guys out there, play it as safe as possible. Get alcohol swabs that are at LEAST 70% isopropyl alcohol. They sell them at any drug store/pharmacy.

[Njord]

I use alcohol swabs and 2 sterile pins... 1 for drawing and 1 for injecting. I even swab the top of the vial before I draw from it. After all of that I got a cellulitis infection in my arm just this week. Swelling from my deltoid all the way down past my elbow with inflammation and chills that shook my body.

After a trip to the ER I was given keflex and yesterday I had a golf ball sized hematoma drained at my second trip to the ER. The blood was normal looking thank God but I'm pretty damn careful and this shit still happened to me.

Bottom line for all the guys out there, play it as safe as possible. Get alcohol swabs that are at LEAST 70% isopropyl alcohol. They sell them at any drug store/pharmacy.

Actually make sure you get the 70% isopropyl alcohol, the higher concentrations are not as effective as the 70%.

[Crest]

i went to my local needle exchange and the lady told me your better off just having a shower first as the alcohol can irritate the injection site, dont know how true this is though?

[Atomini]

That's bullshit. The lady doesn't know anything.

[Kale]

Never use them and I have injected at least twice a week for the last three years. Never had a problem

[bossman_1986]

i would use them, they're only 2-5 ****in dollars for a box! why risk getting an infection

[fLgAtOr]

Actually make sure you get the 70% isopropyl alcohol, the higher concentrations are not as effective as the 70%.

Why is that? I remember seeing the 70% listed specifically for injections and the 90% had something else on the bottle.

[kynetguy]

Why is that? I remember seeing the 70% listed specifically for injections and the 90% had something else on the bottle.

I have read that as well. I used to have a link to a study that showed 70% kills bacteria better than 90%.

I don't think I have ever seen 90% Iso swabs anyway.

[kynetguy]

That's bullshit. The lady doesn't know anything.

Actually she is correct. The average wipe and stick technique does not give the alcohol time to kill anything. Therefor all you are doing is cleaning dirt away. So a shower would be just as effective.

http://www.clinicalanswers.nhs.uk/in...?question=2874

[Giants11]

I use Purcell Hand Sanitizer. Kills 99.9% of Bacteria.

[justtrnd40]

I don't see any reason at all not to use alcohol to clean the area before injecting. All the nurses, doctors and hospitals do it for a reason. It doesn't take but a few seconds and it's cheap. Just let it dry to cut down on the stinging. If your to cheap to buy the swabs a cotton ball or toilet paper will work fine. I just don't understand why the hell someone will pay hundreds of dollars for juice and then try and find a cheap way out of buying freaking alcohol pads. I'm not flaming you I just find it crazy.

[Njord]

I'm a little bored, so I looked this up:

a. SANITIZER

In general, to sanitize means to reduce the number of microorganisms to a safe level. One official and legal version states that a sanitizer must be capable of killing 99.999% known as a 5 log reduction, of a specific bacterial test population, and to do so within 30 seconds. A sanitizer may or may not necessarily destroy pathogenic or disease causing bacteria as is a criteria for a disinfectant.

An alternate definition is that a hard surface sanitizer is a chemical agent which is capable of killing 99.9% ( 3 log reduction), of the infectious organisms which may be present in a bacterial population, within 30 seconds.

b. DISINFECTANT

A disinfectant is a chemical agent which is capable of destroying disease causing bacteria or pathogens, but not spores and not all viruses. From a technical and legal sense, a disinfectant must be capable of reducing the level of pathogenic bacteria by 99.999% during a time frame greater than 5 but less than 10 minutes.

The main difference between a sanitizer and a disinfectant is that at a specified use dilution, the disinfectant must have a higher kill capability for pathogenic bacteria compared to that of a sanitizer.

c. STERILANT

Sterilants are specialized chemicals, such as glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde, which are capable of eliminating all forms of microbial life, including spores. The term sterilant conveys an absolute meaning; a substance can not be partially sterile.


ALCOHOLS

Alcohols exert their germicidal activity by denaturing bacterial proteins. In the absence of water, proteins are not readily denatured by alcohol and therefore a 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol is a much more effective sanitizer than the pure (99%) product. Isopropyl alcohol is capable of killing most bacteria within 5 minutes of exposure but is ineffective against spores and has limited virucidal activity. The main disadvantages towards the use of isopropyl alcohol is that it is flammable, and can not be diluted as quats or iodophors can and therefore is relatively expensive to use.

[S431M7]

Is it absolutely necessary to use an alcohol pad/swab? Or is it safe enough and fine to swab the area using something like a piece of paper towel soaked in alcohol?

if u want reduce contamination or infection, get some alcohol immediately!!

[BuffDJ]

I would recommend alcohol preps or cotton balls with alcohol. Paper towels and toilet paper my breakdown and leave crap behind.
Buff

[Atomini]

if u want reduce contamination or infection, get some alcohol immediately!!

dude, I didn't ask if it was fine to use ZERO ALCOHOL AT ALL!!!! I asked if it was alright if I still used alcohol, only with a DIFFERENT APPLICATION! Read the my first post completely before you reply! I'm getting sick of people who only read the first 2 words of a post and then reply.

[LatinoPR]

Im old school...i get cotton balls,put in a glass container,add acohol and use them when need it....like in the old Dr's office.









LPR.

[SuperK]

I use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball. It likes to kill bacteria.

[Anavar Man]

I'm a freak, i use hand sanatizer 2 or 3 times during the draw and injection process. I will use alcohol pads and then after injection I place an alcohol pad on the site and put a bandaid on it. You can't be to safe..

[kynetguy]

I use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball. It likes to kill bacteria.

The problem with that is the time it takes to actually kill anything and it doesn't remove oils and crud from the skin.

[kynetguy]

dude, I didn't ask if it was fine to use ZERO ALCOHOL AT ALL!!!! I asked if it was alright if I still used alcohol, only with a DIFFERENT APPLICATION! Read the my first post completely before you reply! I'm getting sick of people who only read the first 2 words of a post and then reply.

Absolutely. when I am pinning at home I do exactly what LPR suggests. . .glass jar, 70% isopopyl and cotton balls. When I am on the road, I use swabs just because they are much more practical. But you can make about 500 cotton balls for the price of 100 swabs.

I have found that kroger brand are about the best swabs in terms of actually having lots of alcohol on them. I found the ones from RLS to be kind of dry. I like mine dripping.

[tbjake34]

i went to my local needle exchange and the lady told me your better off just having a shower first as the alcohol can irritate the injection site, dont know how true this is though?

I shoot after I shower.. Never had any problems..

[theflyzman]

Thanks for all the good tips here...