Windex Vinegar Glass Cleaner?

[BeejReef]

add voice to chorus, regular windex sprayed onto rag or very gingerly sprayed onto glass (have full canopy) , then polish with RODI water. So far, no problems, but I've been meaning to ask this same question.

 

[andrewkw]

Very interesting to see so many people using reg Windex near or on there tanks.

I have always read this is a no no. I still wont use reg Windex in my home BUT it makes me feel better using the vinegar one as I assume it has to be better then the reg!

Thanks for sharing everyone!

You could (probably) use a rag soaked in gasoline if you wanted to and didn't mind the smell. Nothing you use on the outside is going to go through the glass. Just don't spray it in the tank and virtually any cleaning substance will be fine. Any cleaning product that is not going to bother you is not going to bother the outside of the tank.

 

[Hillbillyreefer]

I used to use windex without any issues except all the streaks it left. Now the goto is straight vinegar, I find it works better.

 

[dantimdad]

I used to use windex without any issues except all the streaks it left. Now the goto is straight vinegar, I find it works better.

Yeah, you have to follow up windex. It's amazing what our aquariums show being the glass is backlit.

 

[jd371]

I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/Sprayway-Gla...glass+cleaner&qid=1554376381&s=gateway&sr=8-6

not because it's 'safer' than windex or anything else, just that I found I like it better..... used it before ever having an aquarium.

I used to work for a glass distributor. This is hands down the best cleaner, a lot of the glass shops carry this for a reason. Cleans without any streaking. I don't spray it directly on the glass but onto a rag and then wipe down the glass.

 

[pscheel2]

Mike paletta did an interview on you tube awhile back and shared his mother's window cleaner secret mix,,I mixed a batch and have been using it ever since,,unfortunately I list the recipe

At the 25 minute mark. Watch the whole thing though..he has some handy tips

 

[lapin]

https://www.novuspolish.com/plastic_clean_shine.html

 

[Mical]

Distilled Vinegar & RODI water 50/50

 

[authentic]

thanks for finding the link...Mikes mix works great,,no streaks...

 

[JonoB]

I guess I'm a risk-taker, I spray Windex straight on the glass. Never had a problem.

You monster!



I also just use straight up Windex.

 

[Neo Jeo]

You monster!



I also just use straight up Windex.

Lol

 

[flchamp89]

I've always used Windex apply on paper towel away from tank to avoid drift and just be smart.

 

[tony'stank]

I use straight vinegar in a spray bottle. I have been using it for 30+ years without a problem

 

[Dkeller_nc]

From a chemistry perspective, windex is safe to use around a tank. So's vinegar and water, and (obviously) straight-up RODI. However, never, ever use Lysol or any other product with benzalkonium chloride/bromide anywhere near a reef tank (or prefereably, anywhere in the home). That particular germicidal is deadly to marine organisms, and a little bit of overspray carried into a skimmer will wreak havoc.

 

[Neo Jeo]

From a chemistry perspective, windex is safe to use around a tank. So's vinegar and water, and (obviously) straight-up RODI. However, never, ever use Lysol or any other product with benzalkonium chloride/bromide anywhere near a reef tank (or prefereably, anywhere in the home). That particular germicidal is deadly to marine organisms, and a little bit of overspray carried into a skimmer will wreak havoc.

Good call out!

 

[simpleman]

vinegar & water and a squeegee than a microfiber cloth polish

 

[seaplane]

Hydrogen Peroxide!! Safe, no streaks, and antibacterial! I use it on everything. Learned about it at the Corning Glass Museum, it's what they use on all their glass.

 

[LetItReef]

Same here- distilled vinegar and water. About 1 cup of DV and about 4 cups of W.
Cleans well and leave no streaks.

 

[MnFish1]

Very interesting to see so many people using reg Windex near or on there tanks.

I have always read this is a no no. I still wont use reg Windex in my home BUT it makes me feel better using the vinegar one as I assume it has to be better then the reg!

Thanks for sharing everyone!

I use plain windex, another spray brand of glass cleaner with no problems. (I also have a large tank water volume-wise) The smaller the tank the more the 'spray' may have an effect. I did a rough calculation - if you added 1 ml of 'windex' to a 100 gallon tank (which would be hard to do with just spraying 'near' the tank' )- it would result in 1 ppm 'total ammonia' (not free ammonia) - which Randy Holms Farley says the toxic range is 1.3-50 ppm (total Ammonia Nitrogen). But - there are other things in Windex as well - detergents and isopropyl alcohol - so - its certainly not something to get into the tank...

 

[RalphTech]

I used this pricey cleaner and when empty substituted vinegar and water 50/50 mixture in the spray bottle. Due to the bad vinegar smell we went back to the API.
The trick is to spray, wait and wipe 2 times with clean paper towels. Otherwise the salt haze smears.