Difference between Cloudy Ammonia and Clear Ammonia!?

Question

i'll be cleaning my walls and found this solution online:

1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup clear ammonia
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water.

now, i bought a litre bottle of ammonia today but didnt know what kind was used in the solution.. and i got cloudy. can i still use it in this solution.. whats the difference between the 2 type. i vaguely remember the cluody one had soap in it which made it cloudy but i may well be making it up :)
any ideas??
cheers

Answer 1

You are right cloudy ammonia has a little soap added in. This was done because originally ammonia was cloudy. When they figured out how to make it clear, people were already used to it looking cloudy, so they started adding soap to give it the same look. You will be fine using it in that solution.

Answer 2

Cloudy Ammonia

Answer 3

My understanding is that at sufficient concentration ammonia solution is naturally cloudy, and "cloudy ammonia" was originally used to indicate the strength of the solution.

I suspect that the original reason for making "cloudy ammonia" with soap was to allow the manufacturer to pass off a weaker solution as "cloudy ammonia" - in other words to defraud the buyer. So it wasn t a matter of discovering how to make ammonia clear, as discovering how to make clear (weak) ammonia solution look cloudy.

It seems this practice has become so widespread and been going on for so long that people just accept that "cloudy ammonia" has soap in it, in the same way that people in some countries accept that bribery is a part of doing business.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Difference between Cloudy Ammonia and Clear Ammonia!?
i'll be cleaning my walls and found this solution online:

1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup clear ammonia
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water.

now, i bought a litre bottle of ammonia today but didnt know what kind was used in the solution.. and i got cloudy. can i still use it in this...

Answer 5

Clear ammonia is a mixture of ammonia and water, while cloudy (or "sudsy") ammonia is a mix of ammonia, soap (or detergent) and water. Clear is better where no streaking can be tolerated----such as cleaning windows, mirrors, chrome, etc.-----while cloudy or "sudsy" is likely a better cleaning agent.

Answer 6

never heard of cloudy amon, unless it gets cold, should be ok to use,