I'm well aware of the chemistry involved here. For one acrylic (Polymethyl methacrylate, aka. Plexiglass) is a completely different material than polycarbonate is. Alcohol will eat right through acrylic, I'm not debating that at all. The most it'll do to polycarbonate is start to dry it out (which still takes a lot of time and exposure to happen).
Polycarbonate (what the case is made of) is safe to be cleaned with up to a 95% solution of ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. Rubbing alcohol in the US is usually isopropyl based, but can be ethyl based or a mix of the two; and is generally a 50% to 80% solution (which you can easily dilute).
In fact quite a few manufacturers/suppliers of Isopropyl alcohol package it in polycarbonate containers. If it worries you that much, you could always go back over the area with another cloth that's dampened in water to remove any residue which may be left behind, or just not use it at all.
The guys who mod the mac cases (g4 towers, iBooks) actually soak their parts for long periods of time in alcohol to remove the paint Apple applies on the inside. It will eat through the paint (which is acrylic based) but doesn't harm the 'plastic (poly)' itself. As long as you're just wiping the outside of an iBook with a alcohol dampened (not dripping wet) cloth, you shouldn't have any problems what so ever.
It's an option, wether you choose to use it or not is your own prerogative. I used it on my laptop for years without an issue. It's the only thing I've found that worked well, not to mention it's darn cheap and easy to acquire.
Polycarbonate (what the case is made of) is safe to be cleaned with up to a 95% solution of ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. Rubbing alcohol in the US is usually isopropyl based, but can be ethyl based or a mix of the two; and is generally a 50% to 80% solution (which you can easily dilute).
In fact quite a few manufacturers/suppliers of Isopropyl alcohol package it in polycarbonate containers. If it worries you that much, you could always go back over the area with another cloth that's dampened in water to remove any residue which may be left behind, or just not use it at all.
The guys who mod the mac cases (g4 towers, iBooks) actually soak their parts for long periods of time in alcohol to remove the paint Apple applies on the inside. It will eat through the paint (which is acrylic based) but doesn't harm the 'plastic (poly)' itself. As long as you're just wiping the outside of an iBook with a alcohol dampened (not dripping wet) cloth, you shouldn't have any problems what so ever.
It's an option, wether you choose to use it or not is your own prerogative. I used it on my laptop for years without an issue. It's the only thing I've found that worked well, not to mention it's darn cheap and easy to acquire.
). I mentioned the LCD part because that is where the biggest problem is with most cleaners. you can use it on and around the trackpad with no worries of harmful chemicals touching the screen.
