{"id":6110,"date":"2015-08-25T06:31:11","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T20:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/?p=6110"},"modified":"2020-06-20T01:03:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:03:33","slug":"windscreen-washing-fluid-diy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/driving\/windscreen-washing-fluid-diy\/","title":{"rendered":"Windscreen Washing Fluid DIY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"windshield-wipers\"<\/a>One of the many signs on the dashboard of my Volvo <\/a>is flickering on and off at the moment, but I probably don\u2019t need to worry about it. This is because I do know the real meaning (rather than the silly meanings ) of my dashboard lights <\/a>and the thing that\u2019s showing is the one for the windscreen wiper fluid. It\u2019s only showing when I go up or down slopes, suggesting that the liquid is slopping up and down, leaving the sensor high and dry momentarily.<\/p>\n

Of course, no light on your dashboard should be ignored indefinitely and all the fluids need to be kept topped up. The last thing I want is to have my vision obscured by a lot of moth residue or a collection of marks created by (1) a bird sitting on or just above the car, (2) the cat sneaking up on said bird by way of the car roof and (3) the mess left by the bird as it takes off with the cat leaping at it. So it\u2019s going to be top-up time very soon.\u00a0 The choice then will be what to use to fill the tank of window washing fluid up. And there are a lot of options!<\/p>\n

Option #1: Proprietary Windscreen Washing Fluid<\/p>\n

This is the easy option that a lot of us opt for.\u00a0 You whip down to the local automotive supplies shop and pick up a bottle of something designed for washing windscreens. Follow the instructions on the packet and there we go. The advantage of this method is that it will do the job properly and get the bugs and dirt off your windscreen with minimal effort or streaking. The disadvantage is that it\u2019s the costliest option.<\/p>\n

Option #2: Ordinary Window Cleaning Fluid<\/p>\n

If you already have a bottle of fluid designed for cleaning windows and glass around your house, you can use this for topping up your windscreen washer fluid.\u00a0 Your windscreen is glass, isn\u2019t it? You don\u2019t need to use this at full strength, as this will prove rather costly.\u00a0 Dilute it with ordinary water at a ratio of one part window cleaning fluid to two parts water. Shake well and put it into your reservoir. The advantage of this is that it will clean without streaking and it\u2019s probably cheaper than using \u201cproper\u201d windscreen fluid (although it\u2019s probably chemically identical). You can also use what you have around the home or what you can pick up at the supermarket without making a special trip to the automotive supplies shop (although there goes your excuse for paying a visit there!).<\/p>\n

Option #3: Dishwashing Liquid<\/p>\n

This is the real El Cheapo option for those who don\u2019t want to spend more on their cars than they have to \u2013 or who want to keep their car care budget for more exciting items. This is also what gets used by those petrol stations that helpfully provide a bucket of something slightly bubbly and a squeegee (a cross between a scrubbing brush and a wiper blade). It\u2019s also used by those annoying roving windscreen washers who lie in wait at traffic lights trying to get a few dollars off you. It\u2019s cheap and it washes off the bugs but it\u2019s likely to leave a bit of streaking. Use a wee squirt of dishwashing liquid to a litre of water \u2013 just a few drops for your reservoir or you will get a windscreen covered in bubbles, which is a real nuisance.<\/p>\n

Option #4: Vinegar<\/p>\n

Vinegar is for the greenies out there who want to use something from a sustainable source that doesn\u2019t produce nasty toxins. You probably don\u2019t want to use vinegar straight, but it\u2019s best mixed at a one-to-one ratio with water.\u00a0 Cheap and doesn\u2019t streak, but may not be the most effective at cleaning off bugs, as it needs a bit more elbow grease or wiper action to work.<\/p>\n

Option #5: Vodka Or Rubbing Alcohol<\/p>\n

Another one for the green minded. Mixed at a one-to-one ratio with water, it\u2019s pretty good at dissolving off dirt, and it evaporates without any streaking.\u00a0 Might be a bit on the pricey side and many people might think it\u2019s a waste of vodka. It may also get you some funny looks from the boys and girls in blue <\/a>if you go through a checkpoint shortly after applying it to your windscreen, as it will leave a rather strong alcoholic smell. (\u201cHonestly, officer, it\u2019s the windscreen washer fluid you can smell. I haven\u2019t been drinking.\u00a0 No, seriously.\u00a0 Hey!!! I WANT MY LAWYER!\u201d)<\/p>\n

Option #6: Just Plain Water<\/p>\n

The cheapest and the greenest option of them all. \u00a0It also doesn\u2019t streak. The only problem is that it\u2019s not super-efficient at removing gunk off your windscreen, especially if there\u2019s a bit of gunk or grease involved. \u00a0A bit more wiper action will be needed to shift the remains of the flies if you opt for just water. In colder parts of the world, it can also freeze up.\u00a0 If you are in a hard water area or somewhere where the local council dumps heaps of chlorine in your tap water, you can also be left with deposits building up in the system and blocking the pipes, which results in an expensive fix.<\/p>\n

So what will I be doing?\u00a0 I\u2019m still trying to decide whether I\u2019ll use vinegar, ordinary window cleaner or dishwashing liquid, with the vinegar and the ordinary window cleaner being the two most attractive, as streaking can be a visibility hazard at the beginning and end of the day, when I\u2019m most likely to be behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

Safe and happy driving,<\/p>\n

Megan<\/p>\n

  http:\/\/credit-n.ru\/potreb-kredit.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the many signs on the dashboard of my Volvo is flickering on and off at the moment, but I probably don\u2019t need to worry about it. This is because I do know the real meaning (rather than the silly meanings ) of my dashboard lights and the thing that\u2019s showing is the one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-driving"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6110"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11668,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions\/11668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}