Windex Equivalent - what will happen if I use Mr Muscle or other brand

[OM2]

Windex in the UK: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=27618#p27618
OK, so I have the answer
Problem: I will go past Halford 20 times and each time I will forget to go and damn buy!

Solution: I got loads of cleaners in the house. Mr Muscle and a few other brand names I can't remember

Question: What will happen if I use these?
Has anyone tried and survived to tell the story? Or is it too horrendous to even talk about

Thanks


Omar

 

[slocumeddie]

SCJ list of "Mr Muscle" products and msds sheets.....

http://www.scjproducts.info/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=2699&brand=30&country_id2=2&archive=false

Short answer.......probably not a good idea.......

 

[barfl2]

OM2 Windex being American I believe still has some Ammonia in the specification.Most of the UK equivalents do not. However the version that Lidl's sell has been mentioned as OK although I do not have any personal experience of it. Generally it is a Window cleaner that is used for cleaning NOT heavy duty household cleaners. Isopropanol also is great for general cleaning and getting ink off your hands. I got mine via. Amazon.

Panos gave a very good post on gentle head cleaning which I used on my last printer, but so far my current MP620 has been fine, just nozzle checks if colours go off and ALWAYS replacing a cart as soon as I get the low ink warning. I keep a spare set refilled to keep the time the printer is exposed to the bare minimum.

 

[PeterBJ]

You could also try Pharmacist's cleaning solution, link here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=38818#p38818

I have used this solution with success. I think it works just as well as a window cleaner with ammonia.

Glycerol=Glycerine and concentrated ammonia is approximately 25% in strength. If you can only obtain a weaker ammonia then increase the amount accordingly.

 

[OM2]

i'd much rather just go and buy the one recommended on another thread on this forum - the halfords window cleaner

question: if i check the ingredients and it DOESN'T have ammonia - should i not buy?
i.e. they might have updated the cleaner or something?

thanks

 

[fotofreek]

i'd much rather just go and buy the one recommended on another thread on this forum - the halfords window cleaner

question: if i check the ingredients and it DOESN'T have ammonia - should i not buy?
i.e. they might have updated the cleaner or something?

Although the original Windex with Ammonia has an ammonia smell and undoubtedly has some ammonia in it, the list of ingredients in its MSDS (material safety data sheet, required by the US government) does not show it. Apparently, under a certain percentage, the MSDS doesn't have to list the ingredients. In another description of ingredients it showed ammonia being used to adjust the ph. The major ingredient (surprise!) is good old H2O. There is about 5% alcohol, an unnamed surfactant (reduces surface tension), and another ingredient or two that are unnamed. Of course, the most important ingredient is the blue dye that lets you know you have bought something much more valuable than water with a bit of alcholol and the smell of ammonia. Grandad35 recently posted the relationship of ph of Windex to the ph of inks.

The company that produces Windex has also come out with other formulas - one with vinegar and another called "dripless". The only one that has been suggested for cleaning printheads is the original with what they call "ammonia-D", otherwise known as ammonia.

 

[OM2]

@fotofreek - thanks for that - much more wiser and educated
but i still have the same problem: i need a quick and easy way to get windex equivalent
i'll pop into halford tomorrow and will read ingredients

EDIT: i just had a look now in halfords. i see this: window cleaner
is this the one? should i buy this?
thanks

 

[fotofreek]

Pharmacist's formula sounds like a good one if the window cleaner isn't OK to use. I expect that the ingredients are readily available in the UK and not too expensive. Other participants in the UK may have used the window cleaner you noted and can post their experience. Since you would completely wash out the cleaning agent before reinstalling the printhead, and you would do a fwe deep cleanings before doing a nozzle check, you might just put the same proportions of water and isopropyl alchohol (rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy) that Pharmacist calls for and give it a try. OR - use water plus a shot of vodka - a few drops for the printer and the rest for you. Just remember that the water/alcohol combination must be completely removed before even printing a nozzle check.

 

[OM2]

@fotofreek, thanks for the advice
i've got about 4/5 print heads lying around that i need to clean
i might look into putting together all ingredients - but would just prefer if a nice person had it all ready made for me
there's a few sellers on ebay who look like they sell home made brews - but a little too expensive i think

 

[fotofreek]

so cheap to make yourself and with very little effort.