Q&A for How to Make Windshield Washer Fluid

None. Bleach will damage your car's paint. Generally, you should never use bleach or strong chemicals on your paint. It will strip off the clear coat, and wash out the pigment in your paint.

Yes, you can. In fact, it is the preferred method. How much to add depends on your climate. The more isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) you use, the lower the freeze point. Normally this type of alcohol is readily available in the pharmacy in 70% and 91% solutions. The cost per ounce of pure alcohol is almost exactly the same, so use the 91% for easier mixing of ratios. It's not possible to suggest a ratio of alcohol to water, since that depends on your climate. The last thing you want is for the fluid to freeze and burst the fluid reservoir, so more is better––up to 50% in extreme situations. Stay away from vinegar and ammonia because this fluid touches the paint and can cause problems.

Add a little blue food coloring; it is likely an optical sensor and is seeing through the clear fluid.

Nope! The etches from any mineral harder than polycarbonate are permanent. You can either dissolve the polycarb with an acetone (which also leaves a mark), or get a new windshield. If it was a crack or chip, it could be filled, but scratches require major surgery.

It is always best to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, regardless of the product.

Sure, but make sure you use the summer grade in a spray bottle. Add a cup of summer grade windshield solvent to a 16oz. spray bottle and fill the rest with tap water. It works!

Yes. These chemicals are similar to "acid rain." If the chemicals stay on the painted surface for any period of time, they will etch the surface and cause what many refer to as "water spots". The good news is, if you already have these spots, any good detail shot shop can buff them out for you, if the damage is not too severe. Never let these chemicals stand on a freshly painted surface or in direct sunlight, as they may become permanent.

Yes, it can and most likely will.

First, clean the windshield as good as you can. Then, take some 0000 steel wool and clean the windshield with it. Make sure you only use 0000 steel wool.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an extremely potent oxidizer (even the 2% solution you buy at the store/pharmacy), which means it can corrode or rust metals. If you think of water (H2O) being the universal solvent, it's because the oxygen atoms cause oxidation by reacting with other elements' atoms (e.g. iron oxide = rust). Stick with using just the alcohol, as that is what lowers the freezing point of the water without leaving any kind of residue or oxidation byproducts when it evaporates.

Just wait, and the bubbles should disappear over several minutes. If not, you have either used the wrong kind of soap or added too much. Try diluting your solution with more water.

Because wear and tear is not the only thing that affects them. Depending on the quality, the rubber in the blade can dry out with age regardless of how used they are, or even just go hard from the lack of "exercise." Either way, they can't flex to meet your curved windshield the way they should.

No. That's a bad idea. You want to keep corrosive things away from your car, and salt is corrosive.

You could if you're in warm weather. If you're a cold-weather driver, that's a no; you'll be altering the composition of the fluid and you'll lose some anti-freezing properties. If you have -45 C fluid, cutting it with anything else might reduce it to -30; if it gets too cold, you've got yourself a frozen washer fluid system.

Wipe the clean windshield with car wax. Water will bead off like the rest of your waxed surfaces.

I do not recommend it, just as they say not to use salt in the solution. Jet-Dry is basically a salt-based solution. It will cause the hoses and sprayers to become brittle and break far more quickly.

Around 40-ish percent. If you're using half 91% isopropyl alcohol, half other stuff, then that's 45% alcohol. It could conceivably burn for a short while. With half 70% isopropyl alcohol, that'd be 35% alcohol and not at all a problem.

No, not at all. It will smear and greatly reduce your ability to see the road.