RNase and EtOH issue
Ethanol is not a problem, we use it without any further precautions and it seems to be RNAse free. You should take the usual precautions you should take with all chemicals when you work with RNA, never use a spatula or spoon to get anything out of the bottle (unless you want to bake your spatulas all the time), always pour them to avoid any contamination.

We autoclave the Eppis once, this might be an unnecessary precaution. I think you can also buy them certified RNAse free, but I'm not sure if they are actually treated any different or simply more expensive.