Just because it was posted as a suggestion in this thread, I would like to say that rubbing alcohol has no place in cleaning wounds. Clean soap, clean water. Alcohol denatures the exposed tissue and actually hinders healing. Best choice is to get some Betadine solution (generically povidone) and soak the wound in a diluted solution of this. Alcohol really hurts and does not do any good. Unfortunately, there is the "no pain, no gain" aspect of using alcohol and hurting from it that may have kept in use in spite of its ineffectiveness. Its use in swabbing the antecubital fossa of the arm before blood is drawn persists mostly because of tradition.
