# Do methylated spirits evaporate entirely or do I need to rinse?



## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

I have a 90 x 90 x 45 exo terra that I recently sterilised/cleaned ready to decorate. I am going to be siliconing some PVC pieces to the sides of the viv for positioning vertical branches and will be cleaning the glass with methylated spirits first. Am I going to need to rinse the inside of the viv once the silicon has dried to get rid of any exposed residue from the methylated spirits or do they evaporate completely?


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## m4rtinvbrown62 (Sep 30, 2019)

If you get 99.9% pure methanol it is a very clean solvent that will leaves behind no residual at all and will evaporate quickly.
But remember that the purple colour and nasty taste addative will.
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## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

m4rtinvbrown62 said:


> If you get 99.9% pure methanol it is a very clean solvent that will leaves behind no residual at all and will evaporate quickly.
> But remember that the purple colour and nasty taste addative will.
> Sent from my Redmi Note 9 Pro using Tapatalk


It's the purple stuff I got, sadly (didn't get your message in time).


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Purchase some 99% IPA (alcohol) - it will clean the glass and evaporates completely


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## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

Malc said:


> Purchase some 99% IPA (alcohol) - it will clean the glass and evaporates completely


I am thinking about using the purple MS then cleaning the area with mild detergent, followed by a thorough rinsing and see if I can get away with that. I really wanted to get the siliconing done night so everything i cured by Monday and I can finish assembling the viv.


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## m4rtinvbrown62 (Sep 30, 2019)

Boots Surgical Spirit B.P. - 500ml - Boots did stock it before lockdown.
Rubbing alcohol = surgical sprit

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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

MataLeo said:


> I am thinking about using the purple MS then cleaning the area with mild detergent, followed by a thorough rinsing and see if I can get away with that. I really wanted to get the siliconing done night so everything i cured by Monday and I can finish assembling the viv.


So why ask for people's opinions then...

It's been suggested to use surgical spirit which is basically IPA... You can use meths, it will clean the glass, but it stinks, and if it gets into the foam insulation it will linger for weeks (IMO). An alternative is normal window cleaner that the wife used to clean her vanity mirror ....


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## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

Malc said:


> So why ask for people's opinions then...
> 
> It's been suggested to use surgical spirit which is basically IPA... You can use meths, it will clean the glass, but it stinks, and if it gets into the foam insulation it will linger for weeks (IMO). An alternative is normal window cleaner that the wife used to clean her vanity mirror ....


I am not cleaning the entire viv and there is no foam background as it is just an empty viv. I have already sterilised the viv with diluted bleach and rinsied.

I am not siliconing joins, I am using silicone to attach pieces of uPVC to the sides of the viv to act as anchor. Only a small area of the glass needs to be cleaned. As I am not 100% sure that silicone and uPVC work together, I did a test run on the sides of the viv with a piece of the uPVC and I cleaned the glass with purple methylated spirits which I let dry then thoroughly rubbed it with clean kitchen roll. That left no smell or residues on the glass.

I appreciate people's input, I am just wondering if, considering how small the area of glass is, I would be able to just use the purple MS I have providing I am careful to wipe off any remaining residues with kitchen paper.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Should be fine....just do it outside otherwise the misses might give you an earful !!


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## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

Malc said:


> Should be fine....just do it outside otherwise the misses might give you an earful !!


Does this mean we are friends again?


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

MataLeo said:


> Does this mean we are friends again?


Didn't realise we had fallen out


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## MataLeo (Jul 12, 2016)

Malc said:


> Didn't realise we had fallen out


It was a joke.

Well, my test bond of uPVC to glass using silicone suggests the uPVC and silicone don't bind very well (nowhere near as strong as it does with glass) but it should be strong enough to safety support what I need it to. That makes life a lot easier and means I might actually be able to get this viv finished by mid next week.


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