Obligatory Winter Window Cleaning Solution For Sub Freezing TempsThread

Thanks for all the suggestions. It’s a balmy 40 degrees today, but the first days of the season where it won’t get above freezing are now it the 7 day forecast, and I need money, so i will be out there cleaning. Think I will start with a few gallons of the automotive window cleaning solution. If it gets too cold to use that, I’d most likely be frozen as well.

I was wondering what the hell India Pale Ale would do in my bucket as well. Such a waste of tasty brew to mix with dawn or gg4.

I cover Mass-CT-RI-NH and we use blue ww fluid then move to pink then yellow as temps drop below 20 degrees…Straight is fine if you put a little dawn dish soap on applicator…I believe yellow and pink are used for marine/rv lines but id have to read the labels-we get it primarily at Home depot-Lowes-Auto zone

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I remember checking out the freeze curves for ethanol, methanol, and isopropanol. The first two were neck and neck. Isopropanol didn’t come close. And when you buy it at 90% the cost is very high.

Henry

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Do you know which is less toxic? Ethanol or methanol? And where would one source straight ethanol, if that is the safer substance?

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I gotta take a guess. Probably ethanol. They are both toxic. But our bodies can process ethanol better. I would cross compare the two MSD sheets. You can buy ethanol from a chemical supply house. But it would be very expensive, cut with methanol 5 to 10%, and stink really bad!

Henry

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Blue windshield fluid, and if below 25 degrees I stay home!

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It’s cold out. Lets resurrect this thread.

My issue with using windshield washing fluid is that the soap in it seems to suck. And if I add it to an already soaped bucket it becomes too soapy and sudsy. I prefer not to ask customers if I can fill up my bucket in their homes.

Understanding that any pure form of alcohol is toxic, would Denatured Alcohol be a suitable additive to prevent freezing? From what I can find Denatured alcohol is basically ethanol with methanol added to it to make it toxic, and therefore non consumable.

This stuff at Home Depot is $15 a gallon and I wonder if I could stretch it further than a few gallons of windshield cleaning with better results. I can’t really seem to track down pure ethanol or methanol via Google around my area.

Pure unadulterated ethanol is regulated by the BATFE. It’s not toxic but if you drink enough, it probably is. The add methanol by law to it, to make it legal to sell. Unless you are buying everclear and paying the tax, that is. :wink:

You could use iso alcohol. You can get it by the quart in walmart. I’m sure you can find it someplace else in larger quantities.

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http://www.pemro.com/Results.cfm?category=IPA&gclid=CjwKCAiAjanRBRByEiwAKGyjZVlB8iGEKhlExz9EgihNSdbFzYyGjis1r6rOQ-KN-SPWL1MrVBC0NhoCXccQAvD_BwE

Apparently you can get a 55 gallon drum if you want. Should last a while.

We use isopropyl or methanol 5 gallon container from local solvent distributor.