Will Baijiu Left in a Car During Summer Spontaneously Combust?
3 Answers
Leaving alcohol in a car during summer can lead to spontaneous combustion. Common 75% medical alcohol has a flash point of 20 degrees Celsius, while outdoor temperatures at noon in summer can exceed 40 degrees Celsius. If a car is parked outdoors under direct sunlight for an extended period, the interior temperature can rise to over 50 degrees Celsius, which can easily trigger spontaneous combustion and explosion of the alcohol. It is not recommended to store alcohol in a car: From a safety perspective, it is not advisable to keep 75% alcohol in a car because its flash point is only 20 degrees Celsius. If the interior temperature becomes too high, it may cause combustion. Therefore, it is best to avoid storing alcohol in the car. If disinfection is necessary, find an open area to wipe the car interior with alcohol and ensure proper ventilation for some time afterward. When using alcohol inside a car: If the car seats or steering wheel are made of genuine leather, spraying alcohol directly on the leather can cause damage. Alcohol is an organic solvent, and especially in cars with lower-quality leather, it may change the smooth, uniform color to a texture resembling that of a jaguar.
Back when the weather was hot, I specifically looked up information—the likelihood of liquor spontaneously combusting in a car is actually extremely low. The auto-ignition temperature of alcohol needs to exceed 400 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature inside a car in summer only reaches around 70 degrees, far from that threshold. However, it’s important to note that poorly sealed alcohol bottles can leak under high temperatures, and alcohol vapor can ignite instantly if exposed to sparks from a lighter or cigarette lighter. There have been scary news reports about car owners storing disinfectant alcohol in their cars, which exploded under the sun. My advice: if you really must leave it in the car, make sure the cap is tightly sealed and stashed in a corner of the trunk, and try to park in the shade. Personally, I don’t even dare to leave perfume bottles on the dashboard anymore.
I drive long distances all year round, and there are certain precautions to take when storing items in the car during summer. For alcohol-containing items like baijiu, they won’t spontaneously combust under high temperatures, but after being exposed to intense sunlight, the car interior can become as hot as a steamer. In such conditions, if the bottle is of poor quality, it’s prone to deformation and leakage. The most critical issue is that cars are packed with small electronic devices—cigarette lighter sockets, charging ports, and so on. If an electrical spark happens to occur in these areas and comes into contact with alcohol vapor, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Once, I saw a colleague’s car with a bottle of sorghum liquor inside—the cap had been pushed open by the heat, and the smell of alcohol was so strong that I immediately told him to roll down the windows for ventilation. With temperatures rising these days, it’s best not to store flammable items in the car. If you must, remember to wrap them in insulated bags.
