|
In winter, use methanol rather than ispopropanol in your window cleaner solutions. It evaporates at a lower temperature. In summer, it may evaporate too quickly before you get a chance to properly wipe it off, so isopropanol is generally more appropriate then. You can add additional methanol to products like Windex to hasten drying. Methanol (aka methyl alcohol, methyl hydrate, methyl spirits) can be bought in various purities based on water content and for the purposes of window cleaning it doesn't much matter. You can buy 99.9% pure methyl hydrate for cheap in many hardware stores usually in the paint department next to paint thinners, but even fondue fuel can be used in a pinch. BTW, one of the cheapest forms of isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) is consumer grade rubbing alcohol from your local supermarket, just a lot more water content so quite suitable for windows, not so much for techincial uses such as a contact cleaner or electronics flushing (called technical grade) or clinical applications (called medical grade).
Here are some general comments regarding glass cleaners and especially auto glass cleaners that I learned back in my lab days. Skip to my final recommendation if it's too much to read.
Using straight methanol or isopranol for windows may do a good job of dissolving oil and moving it around, but once it reaches the temperature to evaporate it will evaporate quickly leaving a thin film of oily residue all over that still requires a lot of buffing to remove. You need a surfactant (wetting agent) to help keep the cleaner pooled as fine droplets to be more easily absorbed into the cloth before it gets a chance to evaporate. So add a bit of plain dish liquid which has both surfactant and grime busting detergent ingredients. You could choose one like Dawn that is known as an extra good degreaser, but they usually have other additives that may make for a bit more residue to buff off. Dish liquid also includes the all important sudsing agent. Sudsy foam helps keep dissolved oils in the cleaner lifted away from the glass to make absorption more efficient and buffing easier. Add just enough dish liquid to get a tiny bit of foam when you start to rub the glass -much more and you'll just be creating more soapy residue to buff off later. Now that you're making your own primitive glass cleaner, you can add a few tablespoons of household ammonia to help reduce spotting -blue dye or yellow dye with concentrated lemon juice to improve the smell is totally optional.
Using a good, clean, lint-free, absorbant cloth is key, flipping/changing it as often as needed. If you've done your job right, there will be minimal residue to buff away (microfibre is great for the buffing stage). There is nothing wrong with having to do a repeat application for dirtier windows even with the best of cleaners. Be sure to choose plain cotton over anything with wrinkle free coatings, stain repellants, water proofing or poly blends. If you're any kind of purist, you will avoid paper towels -apart from the lint, if you knew how much silt was in everyday paper products you would never clean your eyeglasses with them. For the same reason also avoid crumpled newspaper -people used to use it for the waxy properties in older inks to give the glass extra shine, but it also made for more reflection, so not advised in auto windows.
Now having said all that, although Windex is generally a better product than many cheaper house brand glass cleaners, it is still not all that streak free. What may be adeqaute for your house windows may not be for your auto glass, especially the inside windows that don't get rinsed by rain and car washes. A home made formula can often be better for inside windows. Inside window glass, especially the windshield, often builds up a stubborn film of plastic oils gassed off from vinyl dash and upholstery material. It can be very difficult to remove with regular glass gleaners. This is where the commercial cleaners really shine, so to speak. I now much prefer to always use a high quality heavy duty commercial glass cleaner on the inside of my windows and both sides of the windshield. These are typically available in tall spray cans. Good products are not always easy to find even in hardware stores, but auto suppliers usually carry a few. Some of the better ones can often be found in janitorial supply houses and even commercial glass shops -try Amazon, but do check product reviews. Yes, they're not as cheap as supermarket brand glass cleaner, but one can lasts a long time if you're only using it for windshields and interior glass. Problem with spray cans, on really cold days the pressure is often noticeably reduced so a trigger spray might be better.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
|
