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How to use methylated spirits

Updated: 23 October 2026

The bottle is already in the shed, and the risky move is to splash the liquid about. Methylated spirits is a solvent and a fuel. You use a little on a cloth, or a little in a finish, then you put the cap back on. This is how to use methylated spirits for glass, brushes and French polish, with the flame somewhere else. Notes below are from the amazon.co.uk listings in our [denatured alcohol comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/denatured-alcohol), stored on 21 October 2026. Peter F. did not run a workshop test. If you buy through a link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The bottle is already in the shed, and the risky move is to splash the liquid about. Methylated spirits is a solvent and a fuel. You use a little on a cloth, or a little in a finish, then you put the cap back on.

Our top picks

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres

Best overall

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres
7.6/10about £34.98
View offer
Barrettine Barrettine mineralised methylated spirit, 500 ml

Rank 2

Barrettine Barrettine mineralised methylated spirit, 500 ml
9.0/10about £6.13
View offer
Bird Brand Bird Brand methylated spirits, 500 ml

Alternative

Bird Brand Bird Brand methylated spirits, 500 ml
6.6/10about £8.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Cloth, window, and a small amount
  2. 2.French polish and shellac
  3. 3.Stops: skin, eyes, screens and swallowing
  4. 4.If the next job is a burner

Cloth, window, and a small amount

Pour a little onto a cloth, not onto the glass, then buff dry. Bartoline's meths sheet lists glass cleaning as a use and cleaning skin as a use advised against. A fingerprint on picture glass is a fair trial. Varnish beside the pane is not, until you have tried a hidden corner. Brushes that have been in shellac can take a little meths in a jar, then dry with the cap back on. B2C reviewers describe brush cleaning, not a kitchen disinfectant. If the brush stays sticky, the paint may have wanted white spirit. Alcohol softens French polish and some lacquers. Bird Brand is asked whether it removes paint and does not answer.

French polish and shellac

Shellac dissolves in alcohol, so meths thins French polish and can strip a finish if the cloth stays wet. Priory Polishes' own guide goes up to about 10%. That figure is not printed on Barrettine. If the polish runs off a test board, you have added too much. Barrettine is violet. The 2BM liquid is described as pink and says not to spray it on hot surfaces. On pale oak the dye can leave a cast. A clear meths for shellac is not one of these nine. B2C does not name French polish. Air the room, and dry rags flat outdoors before they go in a bin.
B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres

Testsieger

B2C B2C denatured ethanol 96%, 6 litres
7.6/10about £34.98
View offer

Stops: skin, eyes, screens and swallowing

Meths is not a hand gel. Wash a splash off with soap and water. Isopropyl pages do not transfer onto this bottle. That split is on denatured alcohol vs isopropyl alcohol. Rinse an eye and get advice. If someone swallows it, do not induce vomiting unless a clinician says so. Bartoline's sheet points to NHS 111. Notice 473 forbids making the liquid drinkable. A diluted screen wipe in one B2C review is a warning to check the screen maker, not a method. Perfume and tinctures were rejected because of the denaturants. Open a new parcel over a tray.

If the next job is a burner

A spirit burner is not a cloth job. Barrettine names meths burners. B2C leaves the fuel question unanswered, so 96% is not a stove approval. Do not top up a warm cup from the shop bottle. The two-thirds fill is on methylated spirits for a Trangia. If the manual names another fuel, the manual wins.

Common questions

How do you thin French polish without flooding it?
Add a little methylated spirits, mix, and watch the flow on a test board before you charge a rubber. Priory Polishes’ own guide goes up to about 10%, and that figure is their guide, not a standard printed on these amazon.co.uk bottles. If the polish runs, you have added too much. Meths also dissolves shellac that is already on the wood, so a soaked cloth can strip a finish you meant only to revive.
Can meths clean glass, and what should you test first?
Yes, on plain glass: a small amount on a cloth, then a dry buff. Barrettine and Bird Brand both name glass. Test an edge first if a coating, a printed label or old varnish sits next to the pane, because alcohol softens some finishes. The listing question about removing paint is unanswered on Bird Brand. Silence is not permission to strip a door.
Is it a skin cleaner or a hand gel?
No. A retail meths safety sheet lists cleaning skin as a use advised against. The liquid is a solvent with denaturants, not a sanitiser. Wash a splash off with soap and water. Do not use pages about isopropyl hand gel as instructions for methylated spirits. The two liquids are not interchangeable on skin or on shellac.
What if it gets in an eye or is swallowed?
Rinse an eye with plenty of water and get medical advice. If the liquid is swallowed, do not induce vomiting unless a clinician tells you to, which is the line on Priory’s safety sheet. Bartoline’s sheet points the public to NHS 111. Do not invent a dilution to drink, and do not try to purify the bottle. Notice 473 forbids making completely denatured alcohol drinkable.
Will it strip shellac that is already on the wood?
It can. Shellac is soluble in alcohol, which is why meths thins French polish and why a wet cloth left on a polished surface can lift it. Use the least liquid that wets the rubber, and stop if the finish goes soft or cloudy. On pale timber, violet meths such as the Barrettine listing can also leave a dye cast that more polishing will not hide.
Can you wipe a television with it?
Only if the screen maker says an alcohol wipe is acceptable. One B2C reviewer diluted the 96% liquid for a screen and told the next buyer to check the manufacturer. Coated glass can haze. If the manual is silent, leave the bottle in the shed and use the cleaner the screen maker names. A seller bullet that says disinfectant is not a screen method.

Related pages

Denatured alcohol buying guide

Denatured alcohol

Best methylated spirits: top pick and who should skip

Methylated spirits for a Trangia: fill and fuel rules

Denatured alcohol vs isopropyl: which bottle is which

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices in the product files were stored on 21.10.2026.

  1. HMRC, Excise Notice 473 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. Denatured Alcohol Regulations 2005, schedule (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. HMRC, DNALC1150 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Bartoline methylated spirits safety data sheet (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Priory Polishes methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Smith & Rodger clear methylated spirit (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Trangia fuel list (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Scouts, FS120348 meths burning stove (retrieved 21.10.2026)