Household ammonia is one of the most versatile and affordable cleaners you can buy, cutting through grease, soap scum, and grime that many commercial products struggle with. The key to using it well is getting the dilution right for each job and keeping it far away from bleach. Here’s how to put it to work throughout your home.
Dilution Ratios for Every Job
The ammonia you find at the grocery store is typically a 5% to 10% solution (already diluted from its industrial strength). Even so, you should almost always dilute it further before cleaning. The ratio depends on what you’re tackling.
For everyday surface cleaning on countertops, floors, and bathroom fixtures, mix about 1 cup of ammonia per gallon of water. This is mild enough to use regularly without damaging most hard surfaces. For heavy grease or caked-on grime, you can double the concentration, using up to 2 cups per gallon. For glass and mirrors, go much lighter: just a few tablespoons per gallon of water keeps the solution strong enough to cut through fingerprints without leaving streaks.
Streak-Free Glass and Mirrors
Ammonia is the active ingredient behind most commercial glass cleaners, and you can make a version at home that performs just as well. Consumer Reports tested homemade formulas and found that a simple ammonia-based glass cleaner matched the big-name brands.
For a standard spray bottle (about 32 ounces), combine 2 teaspoons of ammonia, 1 teaspoon of dish soap, and half a cup of rubbing alcohol, then fill the rest with water. The rubbing alcohol helps the solution evaporate quickly, which is what prevents streaks. The small amount of dish soap acts as a surfactant to loosen oily smudges. One pass with a lint-free cloth or crumpled newspaper is usually all you need.
Cutting Through Bathroom Soap Scum
Soap scum is one of ammonia’s specialties. The alkaline nature of ammonia dissolves the fatty residue that soap leaves behind on shower doors, tiles, and tubs. Mix 1 cup of ammonia per gallon of water, spray it onto the surface, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse. For truly stubborn buildup that has been layering for months, you can apply ammonia directly without diluting it. Just make sure you have a window open or a fan running, because the fumes are noticeably stronger at full concentration.
The Overnight Oven Trick
This is one of the most satisfying ammonia cleaning methods because it requires almost no scrubbing. The idea is simple: ammonia fumes, trapped in a warm, humid oven overnight, soften baked-on grease into a paste you can wipe away with a damp sponge.
Start by heating your oven to its lowest setting (around 200°F) for about 15 minutes, then turn it off completely. While it warms, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil on the stovetop. Place the pot of boiling water on the bottom oven rack. Pour one cup of ammonia into a heat-safe glass or ceramic dish and set it on the top rack, directly above the water. Close the oven door tightly and leave everything sealed for at least eight hours, or overnight.
The next morning, open the oven door and let it air out for a few minutes before reaching inside. Remove both the ammonia dish and the water pot. The grease and burned food inside will have softened into something you can wipe off with a damp cloth. Even ovens that haven’t been cleaned in years respond well to this method.
Ammonia in the Laundry
Adding a small amount of ammonia to your wash cycle can tackle problems that regular detergent misses. It’s particularly effective for three situations.
- Musty towels: Add half a cup of ammonia to the wash along with your detergent, using the hottest water the fabric can handle. The ammonia neutralizes the mildew smell that builds up in damp towels.
- Lingering body odor: If workout shirts or undershirts smell fine out of the dryer but start smelling within minutes of wearing them, the problem is bacteria embedded in the fabric fibers. Pour ammonia directly onto the underarm area of the garment, then launder normally.
- Blood stains: Saturate the stain with ammonia and wash in cold water with your regular detergent. Cold is critical here. Don’t put the garment in the dryer until the stain is completely gone, because heat will set it permanently. Repeat the treatment if needed.
One important note: use a detergent that does not contain bleach when adding ammonia to your laundry. Check the label if you’re not sure.
Surfaces to Avoid
Ammonia is safe on glass, ceramic tile, stainless steel, and most sealed hard surfaces. But it will damage several common materials.
Copper and brass react with ammonia and can become discolored or corroded. Galvanized metal (the zinc-coated steel used in some ductwork, buckets, and hardware) is also vulnerable. Avoid using ammonia on unsealed or waxed wood floors, as it can strip the finish and leave the wood looking cloudy. Natural stone surfaces like marble and granite are sensitive to alkaline cleaners, and ammonia can etch or dull the polish over time. If you’re unsure about a surface, test a small hidden spot first.
Never Mix Ammonia With Bleach
This is the single most important safety rule. When ammonia and chlorine bleach combine, they produce chloramine gas, a toxic vapor that causes burning in the eyes, nose, and throat and can send people to the emergency room. One published report documented 72 patients treated for chloramine inhalation from exactly this kind of accidental mixing.
The danger isn’t limited to pouring the two liquids together in a bucket. Many common cleaners contain bleach or ammonia without making it obvious on the label. Toilet bowl cleaners, mildew sprays, and disinfecting wipes often contain sodium hypochlorite (bleach). Some glass cleaners and degreasers contain ammonia. If you’ve just scrubbed a surface with a bleach-based product, rinse it thoroughly before switching to ammonia, or better yet, don’t use both on the same surface in the same cleaning session.
Oxygen-based stain removers (like OxiClean) work through a different chemical process than chlorine bleach and do not produce chloramine gas when combined with ammonia.
Protecting Yourself While Cleaning
Ammonia fumes irritate your eyes and respiratory tract even at household concentrations. Open a window or turn on an exhaust fan in whatever room you’re working in. This matters most in small, enclosed spaces like bathrooms and inside an oven.
Wear rubber or neoprene gloves when handling ammonia solutions, especially at higher concentrations. The liquid is alkaline enough to dry out and irritate skin with repeated exposure. If you’re doing extended cleaning or working with undiluted ammonia, splash-proof goggles add a layer of protection that’s worth the minor inconvenience.
Storage Tips
Keep ammonia in its original container with the cap tightly sealed, stored in a cool area away from direct sunlight. Store it separately from any bleach-containing products to eliminate the chance of accidental mixing during a spill. Ammonia does lose potency over time as the dissolved gas slowly escapes, especially if the bottle is frequently opened. If your ammonia smells noticeably weaker than when you bought it or your cleaning results have dropped off, it’s time to replace the bottle.