Are windex and ethanol safe to use?

[Barry Tetra]

Is it safe to use windex and ethanol on outside aquarium glass?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Is it safe to use windex and ethanol on outside aquarium glass?

If you could guarantee 100% that there'd be no contamination of the tank, then yes.
But you really couldn't guarantee that, no matter how careful you were, so no.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I don't use any chemicals on my tank (apart from dechlorinater obvs) I use a wet microfibre cloth to clean and a dry microfibre to buff....streak and water mark free every time

 

[Barry Tetra]

What about vinegar? Is it safe?

 

[Essjay]

I would only use that to clean an empty tank with plenty of rinsing afterwards. I would not use any chemical, even vinegar, on a tank with fish in it.

What is it you want to remove? Solid deposits like dried water drips or greasy finger marks?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Vinegar lightly sprayed onto a wet cloth is fine to use for a filled tank with fish; just don't spray the tank glass itself directly with vinegar, unless it is empty.

I use full-strength vinegar to clean my glass lids, but only after removing them from my tanks, during WC's...then thoroughly wipe down with water-soaked rags before replacing on the tanks

 

[Colin_T]

Ethanol & Vinegar yes. Windex no.

Ethanol is ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol in beer, wine and spirits. If you use isoproyl alcohol (98% ethanol), then you can dilute it with water and use it to clean the outside of an aquarium. You can also use lower concentrations.

Windex leaves a chemical residue and this is toxic to fish so it is best to avoid using it on aquariums.

Vinegar can be used to clean glass and is good for dissolving lime scale. Just wash the glass with vinegar and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse off with fresh water. If you have cover glass, you can soak them in vinegar over night and then rinse with fresh water.

 

[StevenF]

s it safe to use windex and ethanol on outside aquarium glass?

If you are only talking about the exterior of the glass that never touches the water or fish, then yes it is safe. Even for windex. Chemicals cannot penetrate the glass so anything on the outside surface will not get in

Do not use any chemicals on the inside of the tank. since they would contaminate the water.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Chemicals cannot penetrate the glass so anything on the outside surface will not get in

This is true, BUT it is very easy for those chemicals to find their way into the tank.
Spraying onto the glass could contaminate, with capillary action drawing the Windex up between the lid and glass and then into the tank.
Lidless tanks, which are all the rage at the mo', have the contamination issue magnified.
There's also the ease by which hands with Windex on them could carelessly find their way into the tank.

Is it really worth any of that risk, when other means for safer glass cleaning are so readily available?

 

[FishHobby99]

Is it safe to use windex and ethanol on outside aquarium glass?

I don’t see why not. I wouldn’t spray on the tank sides. I‘d apply it to a cloth or paper towel & then wipe. I get my exteriors clean with plain old water on a washcloth.

 

[Fishmanic]

I use "Invisible Glass" to clean the exterior glass on my tanks. It is phosphate, alcohol, and ammonia free. Ingredients say "hydrocarbons'. It leaves a streak free glass surface. It is a very fine spray that does not drip on application.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007OWD2M/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[FishHobby99]

Stoner Car Care?

Bet the husband has some. He’s forever in the garage rebuilding a vintage vehicle.

 

[Fishmanic]

Bet the husband has some. He’s forever in the garage rebuilding a vintage vehicle.

I bet he does. Many car enthusiasts swear by it.

 

[FishHobby99]

I’ll have to ask. When there was a shortage of isopropyl alcohol that everyone was using for hand sanitizer, he had huge jugs of the stuff because car boys use it to degrease parts.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

When there was a shortage of isopropyl alcohol that everyone was using for hand sanitizer, he had huge jugs of the stuff because car boys use it to degrease parts.

I know I have two nursing friends who forget to properly wash their hands after repeated sanitising and had a relatively fraught water-changing session each, after doing some tank work.