Make your own screenwash

[Pixelpeep 135]

Inspired by my previous thread about people not clearing their windscreens in this weather.

I am, unsurprisingly, going through quite a bit of screenwash - has anyone bulk bought the ingredients to make their own?

if so, what you using, and it what quantities/ratios ?

[Pica-Pica]

You always need something that will kill legionella. I think only genuine branded screenwash will do that. How come you use so much?

[UTH]

Are you likely to save that much money compared with something like this?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MICHELIN-Screenwash-Conce...

Or do you just want to do it as you like making your own things?

[rampageturke]

Eh, I think I use my washers loads and I still go through the concentrated stuff slowly. Not really going to get much freezing in the lines here in the UK so you don't need to use that much really.

[steveo3002]

just shop around for the best deal on highly concentrated stuff , the cheaper stuff wont dilute much and only protect to 0 or so , look around and you can find it that protects to say -15/20 so you can dilute it alot most of the year and just run more concentrated over the couple of cold months

[ingenieur]

You can buy in bulk from Eurocar parts. 20 litre drums of it will be cheaper than Halfords. Ask them for a discount and if they say no then tell them you're going elsewhere. They can discount it so worth trying.

[Wacky Racer]

[spreadsheet monkey]

I think you can make your own, from a mix of water, TFR and industrial alcohol (to prevent freezing and kill off bacteria). There are recipes on the internet if you search.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windshield_washer_fl...

But as others have said, easier just to shop around for 5L of good quality concentrated screenwash.

[captain.scarlet]

Pixelpeep 135 said:

Inspired by my previous thread about people not clearing their windscreens in this weather.

I am, unsurprisingly, going through quite a bit of screenwash - has anyone bulk bought the ingredients to make their own?

if so, what you using, and it what quantities/ratios ?

Not sure about making own from bulk, but white vinegar is meant to be a good cleaner. Could you use copious amounts of the cheap stuff and try diluting it?

If it's unsuitable for the reservoir or bad for paintwork then someone please confirm, but standard glass cleaners do contain the same stuff.

Vinegar and believe it or not petrol are great for cleaning wiper blades (often ignored) and grease off your windows and rear demister (the performance of which is often reduced by many not bothering to clean it). When at a petrol station, sometimes any petrol dribbling off goes onto a rag or paper towel and it cleans the rear window instantly.

I also sometimes add a little bit of bleach to the reservoir from time to time to help clean out the system and help when things get stubborn (dew and insects in summer).

Otherwise, I tend not to bother with windscreen wash and instead I use dilute concentrated household/floor cleaning liquids, sometimes rinse-aid, which have all worked brilliantly for me and for pennies: ultimately they're there to clean more or less the same dirt and grease that you'd get on household floors and glass. I'd say give that a try as well. Stuff from the budget stores works fine.

[UTH]

captain.scarlet said:

rear demister (the performance of which is often reduced by many not bothering to clean it).

Interesting.....do you mean cleaning it from the inside? Mine is rubbish, but the inside of the rear window probably hasn't been cleaned in years.

[Portofino]

Fairy liquid, job done.

[swamp]

I buy a job lot of Prestone Extreme Performance Screenwash from eBay. Use it neat for driving to the Alps in winter -- it's good to -18. In our mild UK winters you could probably dilute 2/1. In summer it dilutes 20/1.

[steveo3002]

just looked at mine...prestone -23deg from costco , prob 5-6£ for 5 ltrs

makes up to 100 ltrs summer ...maybe 10-15 ltr over uk winter , cheap enough for me

id worry if homemade stuff will ruin the paintwork it runs onto

[Ussrcossack]

It's a pity Lidl don't sell the German stuff they used to that was industrial strength

[captain.scarlet]

UTH said:

captain.scarlet said:

rear demister (the performance of which is often reduced by many not bothering to clean it).

Interesting.....do you mean cleaning it from the inside? Mine is rubbish, but the inside of the rear window probably hasn't been cleaned in years.

Definitely from the inside. My observation is that over time a greasy film of exhaling, dust, dirt, body vapour, pollution etc accumulates on the windows. I've found that cleaning this off regularly will enable the windows to clear of condensation quicker. For the rear demister, assuming it's not broken or anything, cleaning that invisible gunk off it and the glass definitely restores and boosts performance.

Easier to do with a hatchback or estate than a saloon, but standard household window and glass cleaner sprays work wonders, and with a cotton hand towel buff up to a very nice sparkle inside and out.

Petrol as a solvent is also great but I only use that method as a quick fix at the forecourt as and when

[captain.scarlet]

steveo3002 said:

just looked at mine...prestone -23deg from costco , prob 5-6£ for 5 ltrs

makes up to 100 ltrs summer ...maybe 10-15 ltr over uk winter , cheap enough for me

id worry if homemade stuff will ruin the paintwork it runs onto

-23 Celsius. It rarely drops below -1.

I tend to steer clear of these products because they're essentially household items and a lot of the selling points aren't relevant I find.

By the same token, I don't get de-icer sprays or people spending ages scraping snow and ice off their cars and damaging their glass and paintwork.

A 2-litre bottle of tepid water over ice in the UK is perfectly fine and quicker and I'm good to go within a minute, even with a refill, and I've never cracked any windows in winter with that method.

[steveo3002]

captain.scarlet said:

-23 Celsius. It rarely drops below -1.

I tend to steer clear of these products because they're essentially household items and a lot of the selling points aren't relevant I find.

why isnt it relevant ?

you can pay a fiver for -23 deg and water it down 5/1 and it makes good value ....or buy -3 from the supermarket and use it neat ?

boils down to some places are selling mostly tap water and labeling it as ready to use

[mickyh7]

Does Alcohol really kill bacteria?
I thought yeast still fermented in Alcohol until the Alcohol level was high?

[Chrismawa]

captain.scarlet said:

By the same token, I don't get de-icer sprays or people spending ages scraping snow and ice off their cars and damaging their glass and paintwork.

A 2-litre bottle of tepid water over ice in the UK is perfectly fine and quicker and I'm good to go within a minute, even with a refill, and I've never cracked any windows in winter with that method.

+1

Don't understand people scraping their cars for 10 minutes. Quick pour of cold water over the windows and then I'm on my way.

[sunbeam alpine]

mickyh7 said:

Does Alcohol really kill bacteria?
I thought yeast still fermented in Alcohol until the Alcohol level was high?

No, but it gets them pissed so they fight amongst themselves, and can't be bothered to go about infecting anyone else.