Which is best for sterilizing metal, rubbing alcohol, bleach or ammonia?
None of these chemicals sterilize the surface to which they are applied. Sterilization requires high temperatures, such as found in an autoclave. These chemicals, and others such as iodine, are used to sanitize surfaces. The best results are obtained by soaking the item in the chemical solution for several minutes. The most common of these sanitizing agents is household bleach or sodium hypochlorite. Bleach and bleach compounds are widely used in industry for sanitizing equipment, particularly in the food industry. It is usually sold at the retail level in concentrations of 4% or 5%, which is further diluted for sanitizing purposes. If you purchase household bleach from a grocery store for this purpose, you must use one that is pure sodium hypochlorite, without any added fabric softeners or perfumes. Metals such as stainless steel are usually resistant to bleach, but it can affect the surface finish of some. Note that bleach can react with other chemicals and form dangerous gases. Iodi
