DIY Windshield Wiper Fluid

You can mix up all kinds of nonsense and spray it on your windshield oil might not be a good component to having that mix but ammonia window cleaner what do you want Dawn and something I mean I'm sure the environmentally friendly manufacturers method and all that must make glass cleaner that somewhat acceptable and so on this would be something to read on cleaning sites and environmentally friendly sites and look at some labels of window cleaner that's made by companies that are responsible like method and whoever see what their components are in them try it on your windshield and see if it's workable. The blue stuff the orange stuff from Rain-X and all that is bad for the environment eh well considering my jug has been full for about 5 years and almost never get squirted unless the wife is driving the car which is quite rarely so I never feel it and almost never use it when I clean off my windows it's usually done while I'm spraying off the car in the morning with the garden hose so as always that old cars don't need to have a lot of time spent on them cleaning and washing that's why I drive them people expect an old car to be well not as clean as a new car.

 

I make my own, in a jug that previously held the storebought stuff- so about one gallon at a time. Water, a couple of drops of Dawn or similar dishwashing liquid (really, just a couple drops!) and some isopropyl alcohol to prevent freezing.

5 parts water to 1 part alcohol is about right for any temperature we'll get in a mid-Atlantic winter. You could probably get away with less or even none.

I use distilled water since my well supply has a lot of minerals in it.

 

Here in Maine folks tend to mix water and antifreeze 50/50 maybe with a little dish soap.

 

Some info:

Antifreeze and Windshield Wiper Fluid | Connecticut Poison Control Center.

One thing you can do, is just don't use it much. The main time I seem to need it is on heavily salted roads. Being retired, for various reasons (rust-promoting, skid-outs, etc) we just avoid driving in such weather, whenever practical.

 

I did not mean to say that anyone should drink it.

Definitely do not drink it!

 

Ingredients:
1 gallon of clean water
1 fl.oz of 10% aqueous ammonia solution (NH3)
3 fl.oz of 96% alcohol (Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol))
1 (one) drop of dishwashing detergent

 

Ethyl alcohol, Ever Clear for example?

 

Ok.

 

Ammonia Solution 10% Jewellery Glass Cleaner Degreaser Deodoriser FREE P&P | eBay
amazon com /64OZ-10-Clear-Ammonia-2005/dp/B00OHRRYMY
Or take another concentration of ammonia solution and reduce the amount several times. Everything will mix in one gallon anyway.

 

What’s the ammonia concentration of laundry ammonia, the stuff readily available in grocery stores?

 

The concentration of ammonia in household ammonia varies, but is usually around 5 to 10 percent.
The main thing is not to use it internally. It is not Alcohol!
Although with such a sharp smell of ammonia, it is unlikely that anyone would want to take it internally))

 

In Canada Toyota dealerships sell attached:

 

Suitable for severe winter use.
It should contain a lot of alcohol or some special antifreeze.

 

For those temperatures, it needs to be at least 50% methanol, by volume. Needed only inland, not along the coast.

For my region, they sell mostly the -20F stuff, which needs to be 30% 40% methanol.

https://www.methanol.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/FreezingPointsMethanol-WaterSolutions.pdf

EDIT: -20F needs 40%, not 30% methanol. I read the wrong axis last night.

 

Funny thing, I'll see it freeze up on windshield, just around zero. Maybe wind chill in action. Or I'm getting short-changed.

I use it year 'round, rarely if ever activate the washer jets, any other season than winter, so don't want to be dealing with left-over summer fluid.