Popular ways to make windshield fluid for your car
The cleanliness of your car windshield is a very important component of accident-free driving. Even a windshield that is not very dirty is much more glaring and prevents the driver from adequately assessing the situation on the road. In the same case, if the trip takes place in bad weather conditions, and moreover on not very good roads, there are often moments, when the window becomes almost “blind” from the mud, flying from under the wheels of the car ahead. It is at such moments, it is very important that the windshield wipers work well, and for this it is important to use a high-quality windshield wiper fluid. In summer all motorists use plain or distilled water with the addition of various detergent additives, but with the onset of frost they are faced with the question of what “non-freezing fluid” is best to choose. Unfortunately the quality antifreeze liquid is not too cheap, and all the experts say in one voice that there are too many fakes on the market. Not only that such low-quality liquid can freeze at any time, it also quite often has a number of additives that cause irreparable harm to the health of the driver and his passengers. Given all these negative aspects, some motorists prefer to prepare a non-freezing fluid for the washer independently. Let’s look together at ways to prepare windshield washer fluid, suitable for different weather conditions.
Water instead of a special fluid
During the summer and up to the frosts, motorists can easily use plain water as a windshield washer fluid. Some car owners prefer to fill the tank, distilled water, which helps to avoid salt deposits on the glass and inside the mechanism, which feeds the liquid to the windshield. Given the fact that the dirt flying from under the wheels of the vehicle in front can be very poorly washed, the drivers are constantly experimenting with adding various additives to increase the washing effect of the composition and preparing a summer glass washer with their own hands. Since the onset of sub-zero temperatures, the tactics of preparing washer fluid change. Such mixtures will necessarily contain ingredients that prevent the freezing of water – alcohol, acids, etc.
Method #1 – using regular windshield wiper
Very good results can be obtained by mixing any household glass cleaner, which can be purchased in the department of household appliances. These products are designed to clean any glass surface. It is important to check that these products contain alcohol in their composition, this is what will not allow the liquid in the washer tank to freeze. In order to save money and in order to avoid excessive foaming of the composition, glass cleaner should be mixed with regular or distilled water. It is recommended to mix it in the ratio of 1 to 2, that is, take one part of the glass cleaner and add two parts of water to it.
Method #2 – adding vinegar
Deciding to prepare “antifreeze” in this way, it is necessary to prepare vinegar and water in equal volumes. Mixing these ingredients, for example, half a liter, we will get a liter of the necessary solution. In this case, you should remember that vinegar has a rather pungent smell, which can give a lot of unpleasant feelings during the trip. Motorists strongly recommend using such a mixture only when the air temperature drops to -10.
Method #3 – using dishwashing detergents
This method involves adding dishwashing detergents to the water. Since any dishwashing detergent used by housewives is very foamy, it needs to be added in small amounts. This is about one tablespoon of quality dishwashing detergent per three liters of water. This method should be treated with certain caution – it can be used only in the warm season, but even with a little frost, it will freeze. To avoid possible complications, it is best to follow the advice of experienced motorists and expose the prepared solution to the frost. If the solution did not freeze, everything is fine and you can safely pour it into the tank, but if the liquid has signs of crystallization, it clearly indicates the need to add any alcohol-containing liquid to the solution.
Alcohol is considered to be an ideal addition.
Method No. 4 – using medical alcohol
As noted earlier, the method when alcohol is added to the water is the most effective. This solution can be made in the following proportion:
- 3 – 3.5 liters of water.
- 750 grams (3 cups), 70% alcohol or 650 grams – 96%.
In the resulting solution, add a tablespoon of any detergent and mix it well. This addition is necessary to improve qualities of washing liquid, because on a windshield there is a dirt that has in its composition various oily substances.
Method #5 – adding ammonia
Sometimes motorists prefer to make a solution, adding ammonia to it. Here, you should adhere to the 1:3 ratio (one part ammonia to three parts water). When preparing the mixture, you should try to avoid the formation of foam. The main disadvantage of this solution can be considered the fact that at a significant drop in temperature it is categorically not recommended to use it, it will quickly freeze. To prevent this from happening, you can try adding about a hundred grams of vinegar to the mixture.
Method #6 – with isopropyl alcohol
This composition can be used after a preliminary test in winter. We need to take about 150 grams of 70% or 125 grams of 90% isopropyl alcohol and add 4 liters of water.
Method #7 – add methanol
Methanol is also non-freezing alcohol, but it is a very harmful substance for humans. If you decide to prepare such a mixture, you must be extremely careful and avoid getting it on your skin or in your respiratory tract. This poisonous liquid should be mixed with water in the following way: not more than 100 ml of methanol should be added to 900 ml of water.
Windshield washer fluids that you can prepare yourself can help save some money in the long run, but it will require some knowledge and accuracy from the car owner. Thus, it is up to you to decide what is better: buy a ready-made solution or prepare it yourself.
7 ways to make windshield wiper fluid with your own hands
Keeping your car’s windshield clean is a major concern for safety while driving. Unfortunately, in winter time we often get a low-quality antifreeze fluid. Unfortunately, this antifreeze fluid is not as expensive as plain water. Plus 90% of winter windshield wiper fluid is of questionable quality, leading to its freezing at the most inopportune moment. Besides a lot of antifreeze liquid contains forbidden substances, vapors of which are harmful to people and environment.
But there is a solution. You can make antifreeze liquid with your own hands. By making your own antifreeze liquid, you will not only save money, but also protect yourself from the unforeseen freezing of poor quality liquid, which can damage your windshield cleaning system.
1. Non-freezing liquid from window cleaner.
To make your own hands nezamerzayka, you need to mix any household alcoholic glass cleaner or window cleaner with ordinary water in the proportion of 1:2 (one part glass cleaner, two parts water).
For example, to make your own frost-free in an amount of 1 liter, then you need to take 335 grams of window cleaner and add to this 665 grams of water.
2. Non-freezing liquid from dishwashing liquid.
In order to prepare your own non-freezing liquid from any dishwashing liquid, you need to take 3.25 liters of water and add to it a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. But remember that the quality of your non-freezing liquid will depend on the quality of the dishwashing detergent.
Therefore, when choosing this household chemicals, choose a reliable and proven product. Otherwise, an ineffective dishwashing detergent will freeze in your windshield washer tank in sub-zero temperatures outside.
Before mixing the ingredients, we advise you to put the dishwashing detergent out on the balcony in freezing weather to make sure it won’t freeze. You may also want to use a concentrated dishwashing detergent. For example, Fae Platinum.
3. vinegar windshield liquid.
WARNING: This method can only be used at ambient temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius and above. Otherwise, when it is used, there will be a disgusting smell of vinegar in the car interior.
To prepare this liquid you need to mix vinegar and water in equal proportions. For example, to prepare 1 liter of non-freezing liquid, you need to thoroughly mix 500 ml of vinegar and 500 ml of water.
4. Windshield wiper fluid with ammonia.
To make ammonia windshield wiper fluid, you need to mix 1 part ammonia and 3 parts water.
For example, you would need 335 ml of ammonia and 665 ml of water for 1 liter of liquid, which must be thoroughly mixed with each other. Caution! Avoid foaming when mixing.
The liquid obtained cannot be used at very low air temperatures. To use it in very cold weather, you can add to the liquid 50-100 grams of vinegar (you can use it with flavoring).
5. Non-freezing glass liquid from isopropyl alcohol.
To prepare 3,75 liters of antifreeze liquid it is necessary to take 1/3 from 450 gr. of isopropyl alcohol (70%) or 1/4 from 500 gr. of isopropyl alcohol (90%), adding water to it, bringing the liquid to 4,5 liters, not forgetting to mix everything carefully.
6. Fluid based on medical alcohol.
Traditionally, you can use medical alcohol to prepare your own antifreeze. To make 3,75 liters of liquid you should take 3 cups of 250 grams of pure 70 percent alcohol (650 grams of alcohol when using 96,6% pure alcohol) and mix it with 10 cups of water (each cup of 300 grams).
Next add 1 tablespoon of laundry detergent. Also mix thoroughly.
7. Methanol based liquid.
Warning. Methanol is a poison. Therefore, you must be careful not to let methanol get in the eyes or respiratory tract in any way to prepare it with this recipe of antifreeze liquid. The liquid requires 1 part of methanol and 9 parts of water. For example, to prepare 1 liter of antifreeze you must take 100 ml of methanol and 900 ml of water.
For more thorough cleaning of windshield you can add to the received liquid a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in powder form (for example, Pemolyuks, Biolan).
– Always use only distilled water for use in the windshield washer tank to avoid the risk of damaging the windshield wiper system. Remember that poor quality water over time leaves rust and deposits on the wiper nozzles and inside the washer pump.
– If you use the purchased windshield wiper fluid in summer time, you can dilute it with distilled water to save money.
– To check the quality and reliability of the windshield washer fluid that you made yourself or bought in the store, you need to pour a little fluid into a small container and expose it to the frost for a few hours. If the liquid will freeze or will take a gel-like consistency, you need to enhance the property of the antifreeze by adding an alcohol-containing product to it.
– Do not keep windshield fluid in open places at home. It should be kept out of reach of children. Also, pets should not have access to the fluid. Source
