formula for wood/glass cleaner

Oct 02, 2004 2 Replies

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ryanne 21 years ago

I thought I'd share a great formula that my Grandmother uses on all her glass, mirrors, and unsealed wood floors:

4 oz rubbing alcohol
4oz non-sudsing ammonia (may not say nonsudsing, but shake too see if it bubbles)
8 oz of distilled water

I have started using this on a lot of things from my wood cabinet fronts, coffee tables, and it even got 20 years of tar residue off the windows in a house we recently purchased. I'm not sure if there's any long term effects that may come into play down the road, but for now, this is great!

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Tom Miller 21 years ago

Sounds great for glass, but I wouldn't use it on wood objects. This would be like spraying Windex glass cleaner on wood, except that it appears to be much stronger than Windex. All three ingredients can potentially damage wood and wood finishes over time, especially ammonia which darkens wood and will eventually remove many common finishes. Alcohol can damage varnish over time and will dissolve shellac. Water will darken and dry out wood.

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Phisherman 21 years ago

This sounds good for glass or plastic, but definitely not for wood. Ammonia may discolor (darken) wood, the water makes wood swell, and alcohol will ruin a shellac finish. You will be better off with an oil soap or mineral spirits for the cabinets.

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