K Barrett N Calif, USA
"Ethanol in concentrations of 70% and higher is considered an intermediate-level disinfectant and is considered broadly virucidal and tuberculocidal. The virucidal activity of isopropanol is limited primarily to lipid-containing viruses.
Ethanol is tuberculocidal. Adding ethanol to a disinfectant formula can shorten the required contact time for inactivation of benchmark organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis but may have no effect on contact time for other organisms.
Because alcohols are poor cleaners and evaporate rapidly, they may not be the best choice for use on environmental surfaces(1). Adding soap to alcohol may improve its usefulness as a cleaner but will not increase its germicidal efficacy.
References:
1) Ali Y, Dolan MJ, Fendler EJ, Larson EL. In Block SS., ed. Disinfection, Sterilization, and Preservation, 5th edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2001 "
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