I’ve been using isopropyl alcohol together with an ice scraper on my car windows. I stopped in a auto parts store, looking for a new scraper. They did not have a scraper as such but have Prestone’s Deicer which has a scraper on the container (two, actually). I told the guy I use isopropyl alcohol. He said that the alcohol can degrade my molding. I bought the Deicer and it works great
However, I use Windex on my car windows, which causes rain to bead, and the active ingredient in that is isopropyl alcohol. So, what’s the straight dope.
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Yes alcohol can dry out rubber moldings and turn some plastics brittle over time
Deicer also contains alcohol, so the sales guy just wanted to secure more sales to you i’d guess.
Alcohol does not leave a water beading residue, alcohol readily mixes with water.
Something else in the windex is doing this, and shouldnt the active ingredient be amonia?
As for the beading, perhaps they put something in windex to repel dust or finger prints?
I can read the can I have. Same as your link. Does not state ingredients. I asked the clerk what Deicer contains. I don’t now recall, but if IIRC, it began with acetate. Perhaps acetate glycerol.
The alcohol in the deicer is diluted. If you are pouring much purer alcohol onto your window, that can damage the seals, depending on exactly what type of rubber they used…
The same sort of thing happens with alcohol blended fuels (ethanol in this case, not isopropyl alcohol). Many cars will run fine on E15 but will have problems with rubber seals and such in the fuel system if they use E85.
I’m not sure if there’s a specific incompatibility between isopropyl alcohol and the types of materials used for window molding, but it’s worth pointing out that most windshield washer solvents (the blue stuff in the plastic jug) is a blend of water and methanol.
Current Windex ingredients: water, 2-hexoxyethanol, isopropanolamine*, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, lauramine oxide, ammonium hydroxide, fragrance, and Liquitint® sky blue dye.
Well, that clears that up.
Let’s see. Water, a surfactant, an amino alcohol to pick up oils and such (it is sort of a counter-surfactant in this regard), two more surfactants, ammonia (far down the list) and other stuff. Surfactants in this situation are to surround the dirt to allow them to be removed more easily.
Prestone DeIcer is a high concentration of methanol.
Isopropanolamine is used to make a lot of drugs including methadone.
Rain-X is a hydrophobic polymer surface coating. Sort of like applying a synthetic waxing to your windshield.
The commercial deicer mentioned is methanol-based so depending on the type of rubber or plastic there could be an effect from the different solvent type vs. the use of isopropanol.
