Many leading window cleaning products contain ammonia because it is widely considered the best surfactant that gets the job done without leaving streaks. For that reason, many householders and commercial cleaners demand glass cleaners containing ammonia, such as
Hydrocarbon surfactants, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, are commonly used in these cleaners. However, they tend to leave a hazy residue on glass after cleaning, also known as streaking. Also, they create foam, which is perceived by consumers as requiring more work to clean.
If you've already tried a quality glass cleaner, vinegar and warm water may be another good option. It may take some elbow great and a few rounds of cleaning. If this doesn't work, the next step would be to spot clean using a solvent such as acetone, rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits.
Windex® Outdoor Sprayer is water based and contains surfactants. For more information about what goes inside SC Johnson products, visit our whatsinsidescjohnson.com.
The true answer is that it depends on the application, BUT in almost all typical use situations it's better to go ammonia free! This goes for use in the home and most professional applications as well. The number one reason to avoid an ammoniated glass cleaner involves, you guessed it- safety.
Both vinegar and ammonia are good cleaning agents, but if you want to be on the safe side, then it's best to go with vinegar. Vinegar is less hazardous. When it comes to actually wiping the windows down, however, microfiber cloths are the best thing to use for absorbency.
Use an ammonia-free glass cleaner, a premixed vinegar-based cleaning solution, or make your own with one part white vinegar to 10 parts water, and apply to a soft, clean, lint-free micro fiber cloth or paper towel.
Furthermore, while white vinegar is acidic and a regularly promoted cleaning agent, it does not have surfactant characteristics rendering it ineffective in this context (Flanery 1).
In addition, vinegar does not contain surfactants, so it cannot carry oil and grease away in the same way that soaps and detergents can. Therefore, the science of cleaning says that vinegar is not good at cutting grease like some have claimed.
Instead of adding detergent to power the soap boat, they add other low surface tension liquids like isopropyl alcohol or acetone. Although these liquids have low surface tension, they are not surfactants.
To create your own glass cleaner, mix together 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water, and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with commercial brands.
Spray a stronger mix of 1:1 water and vinegar (or Windex, or glass cleaner) at your window, so that the solution covers most of the glass. (I found Windex to work better, but if you have pets—or kids—who frequently lick outdoor windows, vinegar may be the best route for you.)
Avoid using the harsh ones such as SLS or SLES (Sodium laureth ether sulfate). Harsh surfactants can strip your skin of its natural moisture and hasten your skin's aging process.
Examples include sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates, sodium stearate (a soap), and potassium alcohol sulfates.
Many surfactants produce foam as they clean. However, foaming capacity is not always related to cleaning efficiency. In fact, too much foam can make cleaning less effective, rinsing more difficult, and can cause problems with drainage and sewage systems.
Dish soap is used as a surfactant, both when washing dishes and applying herbicide to plants.
Some people recommend using dish soap, vinegar, and other household products as an alternative to using a surfactant. Others even recommend "washing your lawn" with soap and water before applying an insecticide or herbicide.
The term 'natural surfactant' is not unambiguous. Taken strictly a natural surfactant is a surfactant taken directly from a natural source. The source may be of either plant or animal origin and the product should be obtained by some kind of separation procedure such as extraction, precipitation or distillation.
Sodium stearate is a good example of a surfactant. It is the most common surfactant in soap. Another common surfactant is 4-(5-dodecyl)benzenesulfonate. Other examples include docusate (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate), alkyl ether phosphates, benzalkaonium chloride (BAC), and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS).
Carboxylates are the most common surfactants and comprise the carboxylate salts (soaps), such as sodium stearate. More specialized species include sodium lauroyl sarcosinate and carboxylate-based fluorosurfactants such as perfluorononanoate, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA or PFO).
Mix up your window-cleaning solution: In a plastic spray bottle, mix together 2 cups of warm water with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn. Sweep away dirt: Using a broom, sweep away the cobwebs and debris from the windows and sills.
One of our favorite window cleaning hacks is to create your own window cleaning solution using simple distilled vinegar, otherwise known as white vinegar. This is an easy-to-find product (if you don't already have it around the house).