10 Savvy Household Uses for Ammonia
Baking soda and vinegar are usually the star ingredients of DIY household cleaners.
What’s great about them is they do the job but aren’t as expensive as commercial cleaning products. They’re also safer to use, though some would argue that they’re not as effective as traditional cleaners you can get from grocery shelves.
Now, if you’re looking for a cleaning agent that’s as powerful as commercial cleaning chemicals but doesn’t cost a pretty penny, ammonia is quite a good option. Here, we’ll talk about the top uses for ammonia around the house, plus some tips for handling it safely.
1. Cleaning Dirty Grill or Oven Racks
As much as you love grilling or using your oven, you know racks get filthy fast. It would have been okay if they’re easy to clean, but often, the only way to get them sparkling is with some good old elbow grease.
You can make the job easier, though, if you soak the racks with a mixture of ammonia and warm water (1:1). Allow the diluted ammonia to work its magic for 20 minutes, then rinse several times before wiping them clean.
2. Removing Grease on Stove Burners
You’ll discover that one of the best uses for ammonia is in the kitchen. If you have stove burners, you can place each one in a resealable plastic bag filled with a quarter cup of ammonia.
Be sure only to use bags you can seal, as the fumes can be toxic. Leave the bags in a sink or washtub for at least 8 hours (12 is better). After the required wait time, open the bags in a ventilated area.
You can then wash the burners with soap and water to remove the remaining gunk. Note that you may need to give them several rinses to ensure there’s no ammonia residue left.
3. Reviving Your Dingy White Shoes or Sneakers
One reason cleaning with ammonia is fun has to do with how versatile it is. As long as you follow safety measures when using ammonia, there are tons of things around your home that you can restore, such as old pairs of white shoes or sneakers.
To touch up your white sneaks, rub them with a cloth dipped in diluted ammonia. Again, a 1:1 ratio works best. Leave your shoes to dry for a day.
If you still see some stains, you can repeat the process until you get your shoes as clean as you want them. Just make sure you dry them in between cleaning sessions.
4. Deterring Unwanted Pests
Do you always get critters such as raccoons and squirrels raiding your trash bins?
If you use a half and half mix of water and ammonia and spray the tops, edges, and sides of your trash cans, you can keep pests away from them. Mice also hate the smell of ammonia, so try placing rags or cotton balls soaked in ammonia near openings or cracks where they might enter.
Of course, if you have kids and pets, don’t forget to keep them away from areas where you’ve sprayed or used ammonia.
5. Getting Rid Of Tarnish From Brass or Silver
Varnished silver or lacquered brass looks fantastic, but the downside is, they’re prone to tarnishing.
You can make them shiny again by scrubbing their tarnished parts with ammonia. For best results, use a soft brush, then chamois to wipe off any remaining liquid from the cleaned silverware or brassware.
6. Making Old Jewelry Shine
Here’s another excellent tip on how to use ammonia. Use it on gold, silver, diamond, or platinum jewelry pieces that have lost their sparkle.
All you need to do is soak them for 15 minutes in a mixture of warm water and ammonia. A 1:1 ratio will be too potent for your precious pieces, so only use 1 part ammonia to 6 parts water.
After 15 minutes, rinse your jewelry with warm water, then polish them with a lint-free cloth. Important: Don’t use ammonia on pearls, as it can remove the delicate finish on these gems.
7. Lifting Stains
You can add stain removal to the list of household uses for ammonia. It works on blood, sweat, urine, pencil marks, paint, and even grease stains.
The only thing you need to keep in mind is not to use full-strength ammonia, especially on silk, wool, or spandex. You should also dilute ammonia if you plan to use it on carpet stains.
8. Deodorizing Rooms
A fresh coat of paint is an easy and inexpensive way to freshen up a room. However, if you don’t use low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, the smell will probably bother you and your family.
To get rid of the paint fumes, you can place bowls of ammonia in each painted room. That will help dissipate the odors fast. Besides paint smells, this ammonia trick also works on other scents such as burnt lasagna.
9. Glistening up Glass
Do you always regret cleaning your windows because you can’t get them to be streak-free?
One of the best uses for ammonia is as a glass cleaner. Not only can it remove dirt, fingerprints, soot, and dust, but it also doesn’t leave any streaks.
All you need is a soft cloth dipped in a solution of 1 part ammonia to 3 parts water. You can also use this mix on crystal and mirrors.
10. Other Uses for Ammonia
As an all-purpose cleaner, you can also use ammonia to clean electric ovens, bathrooms, fireplace doors, upholstery, and flooring.
You can even use it to get rid of concrete stains. Some even say it’s more versatile than bleach but as excellent as ammonia is, you must be careful when handling it.
Understanding the Dangers of Ammonia
The number one thing you should remember when cleaning with ammonia is never to mix it with bleach or any product with chlorine. It’s a deadly combination that requires emergency medical care should you forget this precaution.
Another safety tip is: always use ammonia in a well-ventilated space. You can further keep yourself safe by wearing a mask and wearing rubber gloves anytime you plan to use ammonia for cleaning.
Make Cleaning Easier With Ammonia
Now that you know some of the best uses for ammonia and how to handle it safely, are you interested in trying it?
It’s best to start small, such as cleaning a piece of jewelry with it to see if you like it. You can then try other suggestions here if you love the results. For more cleaning tips and hacks, check out our other posts.
Samantha Gaines wrote this article on behalf of FreeUp. FreeUp is the fastest-growing freelance marketplace in the US. FreeUp only accepts the top 1% of freelance applicants. Click here to get access to the top freelancers in the world.
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