Captain's Log

Windshield Washer Fluid

Do you guys buy the $2 gallon jugs of windshield washer fluid to refill your cars when your car runs out? I used to, but then I figured I could just make my own. Although it almost never freezes where I live, I figured it would be good to stick to a standard recipe with something to lower the freezing point. Using what I had in my apartment I filled a 64 oz. Juicy Juice bottle with some water, about a cup of 70% isopropyl alcohol (didn't measure), and a little bit of dishwashing soap. I tried it out and it seems to work great. Not sure if you'd need to up the alcohol percentage to keep the freezing point up. You definitely don't want the stuff freezing in the pump/lines. I don't know how good this stuff would be at melting ice. Maybe add some salt? This would take some experimentation, which I'm sure the companies that make this stuff have done. I found a recipe that said 9 cups water, 1 cup isopropyl, and 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid, which is pretty close to what I figured myself. Isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol, btw.

In case you are wondering about why you'd do this, here are my quick reasons.

1. It's silly to pay $2 for a gallon of water with a little bit of soap and antifreeze.
2. It's easy to make, and the ingredients are cheap and easy to get.
3. It's probably more environmentally friendly and less toxic that what you buy at the store. You probably shouldn't be drinking isopropyl alcohol, but if you spilled this stuff or got it on your skin you wouldn't really need to worry too much.

Another note to those who are going to try this: From the past few days of experience, it definitely seems like I can smell the isopropyl volatilizing if I have the air set to draw from the outside and I'm going over 20 mph. Not sure where the air intake is, but it's definitely interesting to know that the air that some of the air that flows over the front of the car goes into the intake. I'm going to investigate this further to make sure there aren't any leaks or anything. You'll know more when I do.