Window Cleaner Ingredients
A window cleaning formula is fairly simple to make using some basic household ingredients. There are several different formulas touted by various cleaning sites, but all will do the job as effectively as the window cleaners you can purchase at your local store. Does this Spark an idea?
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Function
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Window cleaning ingredients ultimately should cut through dirt, grease and grime. While there are several different tried-and-true concoctions available to use, some work better than others on different types of dirt.
Most cleaning recipes include the following: water (to help dissolve and wash the window dirt), isopropyl alcohol (to keep water from beading up) and ammonia (a good degreasing solvent).
Types
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One common recipe uses the following proportions: 2 cups isopropyl alcohol (often marketed as rubbing alcohol); 1/2 cup ammonia; 1 tsp dish detergent (liquid); add warm water until you have 1 gallon of window cleaner.
Other recipes use different ingredients to help cut grime and grease. Some add a squirt of dish detergent to create scrubbing bubbles and assist in cutting grease. Vinegar is used in some recipes to limit streaking and cut through lime, calcium and other hard-water residue. Lemon juice also can cut through hard-water residue and offer a pleasing scent. Cornstarch has been suggested to offer a mild abrasive to the solution, as well as add sparkle to windows. -
Considerations
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Look at your dirty windows. What type of dirt and grime is most prevalent on your windows? That, ultimately, will help you decide which cleaning ingredients to use to make your window cleaning solution. If you live in a part of the world that has hard water and leaves a calcified residue after water evaporates, you should consider using a mixture that includes vinegar or lemon juice. If you have a lot of built-up grease from oil and traffic nearby, use a formula with more ammonia and possibly a few drops of a dish detergent known for its de-greasing abilities.
Benefits
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Using ingredients such as ammonia, water, lemon juice, vinegar and alcohol means that you are using a more environmentally friendly way to clean your windows. These ingredients all will disintegrate naturally more quickly than chemical compounds found in many commercial cleaners.
Other Uses
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Window cleaner can also be used to clean interior mirrors and glass. Some have recommended using it to eliminate ant trails on tile floors (spray on the ants, then wipe up immediately).
Window cleaner should not be mixed with bleach. Ammonia and bleach mixed together create a chemical reaction that releases a fatal gas.
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