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Make Your Own Windshield Wiper Fluid
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A few nights ago, on our drive home, I remarked about the dirtiness of my wife’s windshield. That’s when she told me she’d been driving without windshield wiper fluid for a few weeks! At first I was a little surprised, then I realized it was the summer. Not having windshield wiper fluid in the winter is very dangerous, in the summer it’s only a mere inconvenience.
That’s when we started trying to guess what was actually in windshield wiper fluid. You can pick up a gallon of the blue/orange/green stuff at Wal-Mart for around $2, so we figured it couldn’t be anything too expensive. When we got home, I started research online whether it’s possible for us to make windshield wiper fluid and wasn’t surprised to find out that we could.
Windshield Wiper Fluid Recipe
Did you know that the US Department of Health and Human Services keeps a Household Products Database? It contains Manufacturer Safety Data Sheets on a variety of products, including windshield wiper fluid.
For each product, you can see all of their ingredients. For example, Rain X Plus Bug Remover Premium Washer Fluid has methanol, 2-butoxyethanol, water, and Siloxanes and silicones. Note that it’s less than 6% methanol (used to prevent icing), 1-5% of 2-Butoxyethanol (used to remove bugs), and 90-95% water.
Want to make it yourself? Find those products and mix in those percentages.
Other recipes I’ve found online are even simpler. Combine three cups of regular household window cleaner (like Windex) with a gallon of water. Mix and pour into your windshield wiper fluid tank/reservoir. If you want a slightly greener version, another recipe I’ve found uses water and white vinegar, though I’m not sure how effective that is and what effect the acidity of the vinegar will have on your washer system.
Ultimately, while making your own is probably a little cheaper than buying it from the store, you don’t really get a better product or a less wasteful product, so we won’t be making our own. Wal-Mart will get our $2 per gallon on this one. 
Have you ever made your own windshield washer fluid? If so, any lessons learned or tips to make it worthwhile (either from a financial or environmental perspective)?
(Photo: solidaltar)
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Glad to see you mention the anti-freeze properties of “real” windshield washer fluid. Depending on where you live, failing to recognize that could really screw things up.
Was your wife planning to mention that the fluid needed to be refilled, or just wait until you noticed?
Funny.
I will do it if it’s $20 per gallon, LOL.
This was timely – my window washer fluid idiot light has been on for a couple weeks now. But with all the rain we’ve been having, I haven’t missed it at all. And in fact, on the rare occasion I’ve hit the “on” wand, there’s still washer fluid in there so the reservoir isn’t empty, just low. Guess I’d better fill it up one of these days. I think we must have about 10 partial jugs of the stuff at home because we always buy some when we need it then stick the rest in the garage. Time to refill and consolidate
I never rely on my wife to maintain the car, so I make it a point to periodically check all fluids, tire pressure, tire and belt wear, etc when I check my car. (and when I say my car, I mean the car that I’m driving, because I lost my car to her when we got married) But on the frugality side, I started doing my own oil changes and other basic maintenance and found it a great way to keep the cars running smooth as well as save money. And as time went by, I started doing more and more myself and could not believe the markup on some of the repairs that could be easily done by you. I’ve saved hundreds of $$ by replacing my own brake pads, belts, filters, etc. All with small investments in the tools you need that I’ve made back ten-fold in a short time.
I live in the South, so anti-freeze is not needed… usually. Occassionally, the temperatures here will drop below freezing.
What’s wrong with good ol’ water? I don’t need the cleanliness that the Windex/water mixture would provide. I moreso need the water pressure and windshield wiper action to remove dirt and bugs. I’ll stick with water unless there’s a good reason not to.
Since I live in a warmer climate, freezing is not an issue here, so to the water I just add dishwasher. I works very well with oil spils, bugs, mud, etc…
I prefer to buy windshield washer fluid, but I tend to run out (I use a lot). I frequently make it (rubbing alcohol and water – doesn’t freeze) because I live in the middle of nowhere and I only go to town when absolutely necessary. To make a trip just to buy windshield washer fluid would be really uneconomical. I prefer using alcohol because it cleans better, but if I’m out of that I’ll use water and vinegar.
Isn’t there a worry that homemade washer fluid will corrode the washer system or the car body. After all, vinegar is acid.
The vinegar is diluted quite a bit with water, and I’ve never had trouble with it causing any damage. I usually use my alcohol recipe, though, so I’m not sure if you use only a recipe that calls for a vinegar solution that it wouldn’t hurt your paint, rubber or the holding tank/dispenser equipment.
Great post– I love these product replacements!
I would also be concerned about vinegar or Windex splashing on the car’s paint & rubber.
I purchased windshield washer concentrate several years ago. It came in a small bottle and worked fine. I think it made about 5 gallons. I just kept an old fluid bottle and kept refilling it. It wasn’t necessarily cheap, but it did save some containers.