Home Made Windshield Washer Fluid
- Thread starter Shel_B
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DW, a drop of Dawn a cup of 50% isopropyl alcohol and a drop of blue food coloring. Lots more alcohol if freezing temps anticipated.
You also could purchase a commercial concentrate solution and mix your own with water. I think a family member paid ~$5 for a gallon that you mixed about 1 tablespoon of the solution to a gallon of water. He gave me some so I don't recall the brand name. I do remember it had a very strong ammonia smell.
Would water from reverse osmosis work?
The formula that I have used for years is approximately (I don't bother to measure accurately) one cup of clear ammonia, one cup of denatured alcohol, two or three drops of Dawn in enough water to fill a gallon bottle.
That is enough alcohol to handle the light northeast Florida freezes. YMMV if you live in northern climes.
That is enough alcohol to handle the light northeast Florida freezes. YMMV if you live in northern climes.
for my winters 40% should be enough.
i been thinking about making own, but why bother?
with concentrate for 6€ this will last me years.. (6,6gal)
these are wide chemical mix, which should do decent cleaning. apple or lemon perfume.
(i dislike the pour-ready fluids from store, they often suck big time; empty canisters everywhere..)
* warning - if you have headlamp washers, fluid must be plastic safe, or it may start crack..
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What about throwing a lil bit of Windex and water mixture into the reservoir?
Shel_B
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That is one recipe I've come across ...
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I would never put soap in anything that utilized a spray nozzle (like washer jets).
MB sells theirs as a concentrate. I never fool with it. I'll use any good name brand "Winter Fit" fluid just in case I need to head north on short notice.
And yes, Rat407, RO water would be fine for the mix.
And yes, Rat407, RO water would be fine for the mix.
Less than $2 too. Can't imagine how it's worth the time and effort to make your own.
Yeah, normally not a good idea. Washer fluid will often have some alcohol in it which should help with foaming or suds.
one cup of denatured alcohol,
Where do you get Denatured alcohol?
Maybe you mean isopropyl?
Where do you get Denatured alcohol?
Maybe you mean isopropyl?
manicrodder
$50 site donor 2022
Buy mine in the paint aisle
Alcohol won't damage the paint ?
The problem is that if you want anything good to -20F you need methanol and there's no way to buy it cheaper than the concentration it comes in when buying a gallon of windshield washer fluid. And yes I believe the problem with isopropyl is that it may damage the paint. Otherwise if you don't think the temperature will drop that low, you can just dilute the windshield washer fluid with water. Actually seems to clean better with more water.
Denatured alcohol is ethanol (the kind in booze) with a bitter agent added (so, it’s denatured, and can’t be consumed).
It’s used for a variety of purposes and available at any big box home store or paint store.
From a practical perspective, less lugging containers of liquid from Wal-Mart to home.
Also, it's a pretty easy way to avoid generating yet another empty plastic jug.
I buy the orange colored Peak brand "All-In-One" at Napa with the -30 F rating. Then I remove a few ounces from each container and add some full strength 409 from the white and blue bottles. Then shake it to see that it will foam up on top to confirm that it has enough 409 in it. If it does not foam up some, I add more 409 until it does. The 409 will really cut through oil if you get splashed with a puddle that has some oil in it. It is really good stuff. Cleans well and leaves no streaks if the wipers are decent. The 409 sometimes has a slightly noticeable smell, but it is not that bad, and does not last long. Usually I do not even smell it, but every once in a while when I use the wiper fluid I can smell it.
