For disinfecting things, what would work better, isopropyl alcohol (70%) or ethanol (70 or 95%).

 

edit: What about methanol, too?

the Ethanol (in gel form) is used in hospitals mostly, isopropanol is only really used in the medi-wipes (pre injection wipes and such).

methanol is toxic, and I know of no practical uses for it as a disinfectant.

so I guess it all depends on the application.

I think a common disinfectant component in various soaps and washing liquid is chlorhexadine Glutamade

I think they use that because it's not terribly damaging to skin. Since I wasn't going to disinfect skin, I can opt for a stronger disinfectant.

 

edit: not that it matters now. My girlfriend (my ex now) wanted to pierce her ear. It turns out the piercing needles were EO gas sterilized and vacu-sealed in plastic, so it turns out it didn't even matter.

As long as she used a sterette to clean the skin of her ear first. Otherwise she simply used a sterile needle to inoculate the wound with her skin flora and fauna (S. aurius et al.).

Clean your hands too, especially in between the fingers.

Try speaking to Rhys International http://www.rhysinternational.co.uk they have Byotrol product to solve your problems