So I asked about cleaning cables over here and apparently the material on the outside of a typical cable is PVC (Polyvinyl chloride), AKA “vinyl”. The jury is still out on what the best cleaner is for vinyl, but options include WD40, IPA, and metho (ethanol). I was worried that such solvents might damage PVC around electrical cables, but apparently it won’t.
4 thoughts on “PVC insulated cables”
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I believe Acetone, on the other hand, will readily dissolve PVC. :)
I will find an old cable an find out! Gimme a tick…
Well acetone didn’t seem to drastically dissolve the insulation on a wire I tested it on. If it does damage it seems to be minor. In any event I think I’m gonna stick with ethanol for cleaning my cables…
Ah, OK. I thought since you can use the same solvent welding compound for either PVC or ABS pipes that it was acetone-based, but I guess not.
TIL!
I like ethanol for cleaning lots of things. I use it to de-dust before I put finish on a piece of wood for instance. Relatively non-toxic (ignoring drinking the methylated version) and evaporates pretty quickly.
The reason I bought the 99.9% pure stuff was mostly because I wasn’t thrilled about spraying methanol around. I don’t think it’s actually dangerous to inhale tiny amounts, but ethanol, now, hey I know what that does. :)