As you may have noticed, there are tons and tons of blue liquid in the windshield wiper fluid aisle at your local auto part store.
Thoughts of your pets, your loved ones and kids arise as you get a whiff of that strong odor while you finish pouring in the bright blue fluid into the reservoir. It is a good assumption that you will have concerns about just how safe it is for the container to be lying around the house.
According to my research, windshield wiper fluid is made up of 40% methanol alcohol. This ingredient is indeed toxic to animals and humans, but it is rather strong in breaking down bug splats so it is remains a popular part of the mixture.
Sometimes, there are variations in the mixture due to concerns about methanol's toxicity. These variations include ethylene glycol and ethanol, which is also an alcohol.
Blue dye in the form of powder is used to tint the windshield wiper fluid blue.
Made up of methylated spirits, anti-freeze is included in a variety of windshield wiper fluid products such that the temperature at which it will freeze will be much much lower.
There are two groups of people who do not support the use of alcoholic ingredients in windshield wiper fluid. They are environmentalist groups who want to remove damage to the roads and the environment, and they are car enthusiasts who want to protect the paint on their car.
These people have equally convincing arguments against the use of methanol and ethylene glycol, but the jury is out on whether or not their "safer" alternative can clean as strongly as the store-bought brands. So, it is up to you to decide which route you will take in the game of driving visibility.
Also, you may be thinking the frugal route altogether and consider making your own windshield wash solution with items you can find at home. Items like dishwasher liquid and windex are household products that some people like to mix together and save money over time by using.
Other folks will add isopropyl alcohol and/or ammonia to the mix.
While using a non-sudsing type of ammonia, you can have a nice windshield wiper fluid substitute that does not streak or have any lingering detergent on the glass.
