Cleaning the bonding surface
Also: degreasing
No patch sticks to dirt, grease or moisture. Cleaning and drying is the most important step of every repair.
Anfibio cleans with spirit, Alpacka with alcohol swabs from the pharmacy. Alpacka sums it up: deflate, clean, dry, with drying being the crucial step. After marking, don't wipe with alcohol again, or the marking will be gone.
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.