With summer in full swing, keeping your car and windshield clean is quite a task. Windshield wiper fluid is a summer essential in any car to clear off any dust, bugs, or pollen that may limit your visibility while driving. It is relatively simple and inexpensive to go out and purchase a bottle of wiper fluid, but did you know that it contains methanol – a poisonous chemical that can be harmful to humans even in small amounts? Instead of exposing yourself to these nasty chemicals, consider making your own wiper fluid at home that is cheap, easy, and won’t cause you any harm. All you need is a few basic household ingredients and an empty gallon jug.
What You Need:
- Clean and empty gallon jug
- 1 gallon water
- 1 tbs. dish soap
- ½ cup non-sudsing ammonia or vinegar
- Blue food coloring
How To Make It:
Fill the gallon container with water and mix in the dish soap, ammonia (or vinegar), and a few drops of the blue food coloring. Put the cap on the jug and gently swirl it or tip it upside down a couple times to mix the ingredients together. You can then pour the mixture into its designated spot in your car.
This homemade wiper fluid should almost all year round, but if the temperature ever drops below freezing, add isopropyl alcohol to the mixture to ensure that it won’t freeze on your windshield when you try to use it. You can always test it to see if it will freeze by leaving it outside overnight.
So next time you run out of wiper fluid, don’t go to the store to buy it. Try making your own with this recipe from One Good Thing and see how it works!
