Best European alternative to Windex Glass Cleaner?

[The Hat]

I have to agree pharmacist solution is much cheaper than anything else out there and I think he could launch his own brand on the market, he’d clean up with it, most leading brands of window cleaner seem to do the job but at a higher price.

I use his formula in my carts when purging them it’s more like a Detox for sponges, but I still use washing up liquid and warm water to soak my print heads, the I.S. head cleaner is way to expensive for me to use..

 

[websnail]

Image Specialists make a print head cleaning solution, that I think is something like a "Colourless ink" or the base liquid for inks. Link here. Has anybody tried this cleaning fluid?

Well, yes, for somewhat obvious reasons.

As I'm not a trained chemist and there are issues with rebottling branded cleaning products, etc... there was no option to go with alternative solutions, although @pharmacist 's solution is one to consider.

Happy to let someone have some for a little empirical research...

 

[palombian]

All canon printheads contain rubber grommets for sealing on the print head.

Unless Canon intentionally uses non-alcohol resistant rubber in their pigment printers

I must say your solution is efficient, cheap (guess about €2/l at retail prices) and has a not unpleasant smell.

 

[Sherden]

For first, thank you all for this very useful discussion.

I would like to try pharmacist's formula but I have some difficulties in finding Propylene Glycol and isopropyl alcohol, so I am looking for something similar to Windex in Italian shops.

I have found this product with the below formulation:

Vetril multisuperficie con Ammoniaca

AQUA
METHOXYISOPROPANOL
ETHANOL
ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
Ammonia
1-OCTYL-2-PYRROLIDONE
Polysiloxane, polyether modified
PARFUM
SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
TETRASODIUM EDTA
SODIUM SULFATE
Colorants

Could it be suitable for cleaning the printhead?

 

[pharmacist]

Hi Sherden,

Propypelene glycol can be substituted with glycerol (100%) or glycerine (70% glycerol mixed with water). Isopropyl alcohol can be substituted with normal alcohol (ethanol).

Formula:

Denaturated Ethanol/Alcohol 96% (denaturated with 3% ether) 20 parts
glycerol 2 parts or glycerine 3 parts (reason: glycerine is slightly diluted glycerol)
concentrated ammonia 1 part
destilled water up to 100 parts

 

[Sherden]

Great!

A little doubt about denatured alcohol: is it the "pink" once upon a time used to disinfect(it should 90%)? Or is it the white one used for liquors\food (should be 95%)?

Thank you for the patience

 

[pharmacist]

The white one: because we want the purest version. (no artifical coloring). You can't get isopropanol in Italy? It is much cheaper.

 

[palombian]

@pharmacist: I found a bottle under the kitchen sink marked "ammonia 12%", how do I recalculate to "concentrated" in your formula ?

 

[pharmacist]

Concentrated is about 30 %, so increase by factor 2.5

 

[Sherden]

Honestly, I never bought or saw it in the shops in my town. I found it on Internet of course, now I have just to find a "phisycal" shop where to buy.

Let's the quest begin