We also use huge amounts of toluene, and quite a bit of chloroform as well.

At work we use heptane (C7H16), which is an even closer match to naphtha, by the 55 gallon drum as a general purpose solvent and degreaser. Hexane(C6H14) is probably the best known alkane solvent, and naphtha is just a less refined version of the same thing. Alkane solvents are much kinder and gentler than acetone and will work as well or better for anything that is likely to be on an EP, and it is far less likely to melt plastic or strip paint. But naphtha is a mixture of volatile alkanes and is an ideal solvent for long chain organics. Short chain alcohols like isopropyl and methanol are nearly useless as solvents for long chain organics. Skin oil, the most likely EP contaminant is made of monoesters, triglycerides, fatty acids and a significant percentage of unoxidized hydrocarbons, all of which are long chain. If you are worried about residues, that will depend on the quality of the solvent, not whether it is a single chemical, and that applies to acetone and alcohol as well. With molecular weights in the the range of 87-114, naptha is in the hexane, heptane, octane region of distillates and by definition contains nothing that is not volatile.

It is true that naphtha is not a pure chemical, but if you mean paraffin wax it won't be present because it is on the other end of the distillate spectrum. I can't imagine what Methanol can do for EP's that isopropyl won't, although if you can find methanol at all, it will almost certainly be a higher grade than drug store isopropyl. I've seen that methanol has a mysterious allure on these forums, but I can't imagine why, unless it is because it is highly toxic and not readily available.

Cleaning watch parts with naphtha