Believe it or not there is more than one use for alcohol.

Drink it

Over 90% of the UK adult population drink alcohol. It is widely associated with socialising and relaxing and studies have shown some possible health benefits.

Burn it

Methanol and ethanol can be used as an alternative to fossil fuels as they burn very cleanly, producing only carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol is considered a renewable fuel as it can be made from renewable sources such a sugar cane. It's really useful for countries without an oil industry as it reduces their dependence upon imports of petrol.

Wear it

As ethanol is the least toxic of the alcohols it is used in perfumes to stop the plant and animal extracts from going off. The amount added depends on whether you are making a perfume, toilet water or cologne.

Dissolve in it

As ethanol is the safest of the alcohols it is often used to dissolve chemicals that are insoluble in water. Examples include perfumes, cosmetics and vegetable essences such as vanilla extract.

Clean with it

You may have seen bottles of methylated spirits lying around, which is ethanol with a small quantity of methanol added. The methanol makes the mixture highly poisonous and unsafe to drink, however it is very good for cleaning paint brushes.