“Metho” is one of the most-searched cleaning terms in Australia, and it gets used as a catch-all for three products that behave nothing alike: alcohol for glass and stainless, an alkaline solvent for carbon and grease, and pre-saturated wipes for surfaces that cannot get wet. This is where each one belongs, and where it does not.
Three solvents, three jobs
Methylated spirits is an alcohol for streak-free finishing on glass, stainless and polished surfaces, and it flashes off rather than staying wet. Alkaline solvent degreasers cut carbon, burnt fat and oil. Alcohol wipes at 70–72% are for surfaces that must be sanitised without wetting. Substituting one for another usually causes failure.
Prices are Freshway catalogue prices as at 16 September 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm the current price, and whether GST applies, before quoting.
Metho 435 and Metho Basic 436
We stock two methylated spirits, both listed as 95% concentrated and both in 5 L, five dollars apart. The catalogue positions them slightly differently, and where a site specification names one of the codes, order that code rather than the cheaper of the two.
| Product | Code | Catalogue positioning | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshway Metho 435 | 43502 | Universal hard-surface cleaner and polish-finish work; listed as biodegradable and phosphate-free | 5 L | A$46.00 |
| Freshway Metho Basic 436 | 43602 | Basic denatured solvent for general cleaning, fast drying and residue-free finishing | 5 L | A$45.00 |
Both are the same class of product — an alcohol that evaporates rather than remaining on the surface. If a tender or a site induction names a specific code, tell us which one and we will supply to it.
What metho does well, and what it does not
Metho earns its place in a cleaning cupboard for four reasons, and the limits matter just as much.
| Suits | Does not suit |
|---|---|
| Glassware, mirrors and windows where a residue would show | Greasy kitchen extraction and carbon where a solvent degreaser is needed |
| Stainless steel and chrome presentation, including fingerprints | Painted or lacquered surfaces where the alcohol can lift the finish |
| Adhesive and sticky-residue removal | Bleach-sensitive or acid-sensitive surfaces where an alkaline product is required |
| Drying aid where a wet surface must be turned around quickly | Mould remediation, which needs a sanitiser and a moisture fix, not alcohol |
The practical advantage is speed: because metho flashes off, it produces a finish with no water marks and no drying time, which is why it is used on glass and polished metal rather than on floors or walls.
Alkaline solvent degreasers: carbon, fat and oil
Where the soil is carbon rather than dust, an alcohol will not touch it. Two products cover that work in our range, and they are aimed at different surfaces.
| Product | Designed for | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossfire Super Cleaner Degreaser Stripper | Burnt fat, heavy road film and printing inks on factory, hospitality and transport surfaces | Listed in 5 L and 15 L | A$46.39 |
| Freshway Quick Break Solvent Degreaser 426 | Oil driven into unsealed concrete, where a quick-break formulation is used so the wastewater separates | 5 L | A$74.00 |
The distinction between the two is about wastewater as much as cleaning power. A quick-break solvent is formulated so that oil separates out of the wash water, which is what allows the water to be handled through an oil separator rather than sent to a drain carrying emulsified oil. Where a site has a trade waste obligation, that difference decides which product is acceptable.
Crossfire is listed in two pack sizes. Confirm the size, and the size you want, at the time of order.
Alcohol wipes and sanitisers
Where a surface must be sanitised and cannot be wetted — control panels, keyboards, handrails inside vehicles, medical equipment — the answer is a wipe or a spray rather than a bucket.
| Product | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bastion IPA Surface Wipes, 70% isopropyl alcohol | 75 sheets, 42 × 14 cm | A$15.00 |
| Isopropyl Alcohol Disinfectant Wipes (Great Aussie Wipes) | 75 pack, 70% v/v IPA | A$14.95 |
| Actichem Kwiksan alcohol surface sanitiser | 5 L, 72% ethanol, for sensitive surfaces | A$109.08 |
| Actichem Hand Sani Gel | 72% ethyl alcohol hand gel | A$19.00 |
Two of those sit in the hand hygiene category rather than the cleaning category, and the distinction is worth holding: a surface sanitiser and a hand sanitiser are different products with different claims and different safety data sheets.
Decanting spirits into a spray bottle
Methylated spirits is normally poured from a 5 L container into a spray bottle, and that step is where most of the risk sits. Two things matter: the bottle has to survive the alcohol, and it has to be labelled as containing it.
Price per litre
Straight-line comparison, calculated from the catalogue prices above.
| Product | Size | Price | Per litre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshway Metho Basic 436 | 5 L | A$45.00 | A$9.00 |
| Freshway Metho 435 | 5 L | A$46.00 | A$9.20 |
| Freshway Quick Break Solvent Degreaser 426 | 5 L | A$74.00 | A$14.80 |
| Actichem Kwiksan | 5 L | A$109.08 | A$21.82 |
| Agar methylated spirit spray bottle with trigger | 500 mL | A$10.50 | A$21.00 |
The last line is a spray bottle and trigger, not a bulk volume of spirits, so its per-litre figure is not comparable to the drums above. It is listed here because it is the item that lets you decant safely.
Storage, labelling and safety data sheets
Methylated spirits is a flammable liquid, and that single fact drives most of the storage rules: keep it away from ignition sources, keep quantities in the work area to what the job needs, keep it in its labelled container, and never decant into an unmarked bottle. SafeWork NSW sets out the general duties for hazardous substances in its chemicals and other substances reference, and where a site stores solvents at volume the EPA NSW chemicals guidance covers storage and disposal.
Safety data sheets for our own chemical lines are published on the Freshway SDS page, with the general SDS library covering the rest of the range. Anyone handling a solvent should have the sheet for that product, not a generic one for the category.
Questions we get asked most
- What can metho be used for?
- Streak-free finishing on glass, mirrors, stainless steel and polished surfaces, sticky-residue removal, and as a fast-drying aid where a surface has to be turned around immediately. It is not a degreaser for carbon and it is not a mould treatment, so it does not replace either.
- Is metho 100% alcohol?
- No. The methylated spirits we stock are listed as 95% concentrated, with the balance being water and the denaturant that makes the alcohol undrinkable. That is normal for the product — metho is deliberately not pure ethanol.
- Is rubbing alcohol and metho the same?
- They are not. Methylated spirits is denatured ethanol and is what general glass and stainless work is built on. Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol, which is the 70% formulation used in surface wipes and on equipment that must not be wetted. Use the product the job specifies rather than substituting.
- What does metho mean?
- Metho is the informal Australian name for methylated spirits. It is the same product: denatured ethanol sold for cleaning, thinning and fuel applications rather than for consumption.
- What surfaces should you not use degreaser on?
- Alkaline solvent degreasers are not for painted or lacquered finishes, anodised aluminium, or any surface where the coating is what you are protecting. On unsealed concrete you also need a quick-break formulation so the oil separates from the wash water rather than being emulsified into the drain.
References
Not sure which solvent the job needs?
Tell us the surface and the soil — oil on concrete, carbon on a grill, fingerprints on stainless — and we will point you at the one product rather than the three that get bought together and used interchangeably. Browse specialty chemicals or ask our team.