Windex
Encyclopedia
Windex is a trademark
for a glass
and hard-surface cleaner manufactured since 1933. S. C. Johnson acquired Windex in 1993 and has been manufacturing it since that time. The product was recently reformulated with more environmentally desirable solvents.
Windex-like products typically contain detergent
s, ammonia
, fragrance to moderate the odor of ammonia, and some form of dye
. The original modern Windex was colored a light, transparent shade of blue
, but varieties are marketed today in a variety of colors (ocean fresh blue, sunshine lemon & citrus orange) and fragrances (spring bouquet, ocean mist, lavender and tea tree), touting additives such as vinegar
, lemon
, lime
, or orange
juice.
s were introduced after World War II
, the product was reformulated.
The Sam Wise patent #3,463,735 lists several example formulae, one of which is 4.0% isopropyl alcohol
(a highly volatile solvent) 1% ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
(a less volatile solvent), 0.1% sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant), 0.01% tetrasodium pyrophosphate (a water softener), 0.05% of 28% ammonia
, 1% of a dye solution, and 0.01% perfume. This formula was not only significantly less expensive to manufacture, but allowed the product to be packaged in glass bottles and dispensed with a plastic sprayer
.
The two crows seen in some Windex television commercials are voiced by Jeff Pillars
and Wayne Powers.
for similar product, including those marketed under different brand
s Window Cleaner.
The blue-green color has inspired bartenders to name similarly tinted mixed drink
s after it. For example, a "Windex shot" typically contains vodka
, triple sec
, and Blue Curaçao
for color.
The comedy film
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
presented Windex as a placebo
or folk remedy
for external use against most non-disabling ailments. When character Gus Portokalos is confronted with any skin ailment, he says, "Put some Windex." This parallels an actual folk belief in similar use of the WD-40
brand of penetrating oil
.
Singer Mariah Carey
mentions this product in her hit-single, "Obsessed
" in a line which says "Seeing right through you like you're bathing in Windex".
The SCUMM
debugger that let the developers go through instructions step by step was nicknamed Windex because it would "clean the bugs off the screen".
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for a glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
and hard-surface cleaner manufactured since 1933. S. C. Johnson acquired Windex in 1993 and has been manufacturing it since that time. The product was recently reformulated with more environmentally desirable solvents.
Windex-like products typically contain detergent
Detergent
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with "cleaning properties in dilute solutions." In common usage, "detergent" refers to alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water...
s, ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
, fragrance to moderate the odor of ammonia, and some form of dye
Dye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
. The original modern Windex was colored a light, transparent shade of blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
, but varieties are marketed today in a variety of colors (ocean fresh blue, sunshine lemon & citrus orange) and fragrances (spring bouquet, ocean mist, lavender and tea tree), touting additives such as vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
, lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
, lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
, or orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
juice.
Product history
When Windex was invented in 1933 by Harry R. Drackett, it was essentially 100% solvent, and as a flammable product, it had to be sold in metal cans. When modern surfactantSurfactant
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, the interfacial tension between two liquids, or that between a liquid and a solid...
s were introduced after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the product was reformulated.
The Sam Wise patent #3,463,735 lists several example formulae, one of which is 4.0% isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
(a highly volatile solvent) 1% ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
2-Butoxyethanol
2-Butoxyethanol is an organic solvent with the formula BuOC2H4OH . It is a colorless liquid with a sweet, ether-like odour. It is a butyl ether of ethylene glycol...
(a less volatile solvent), 0.1% sodium lauryl sulfate (a surfactant), 0.01% tetrasodium pyrophosphate (a water softener), 0.05% of 28% ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
, 1% of a dye solution, and 0.01% perfume. This formula was not only significantly less expensive to manufacture, but allowed the product to be packaged in glass bottles and dispensed with a plastic sprayer
Spray bottle
A spray bottle is a bottle that can squirt, spray or mist fluids. A common use for spray bottles is dispensing cool cleaners, cosmetics, and chemical specialties. Another wide use of spray bottles is mixing down concentrates such as pine oil with water....
.
The two crows seen in some Windex television commercials are voiced by Jeff Pillars
Jeff Pillars
Jeff Pillars is an American actor and screenplay writer. Pillars is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan. He currently writes and performs for the breakfast radio programme, the John Boy and Billy Big Show in Charlotte, North Carolina...
and Wayne Powers.
Popular culture reference
The popularity of Windex in the US has led to the generic use of the trademarkGenericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
for similar product, including those marketed under different brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
s Window Cleaner.
The blue-green color has inspired bartenders to name similarly tinted mixed drink
Mixed drink
A mixed drink is a beverage in which two or more ingredients are mixed. Some mixed drinks are alcoholic beverages that contain liquor; others are non-alcoholic.-Types:Some popular types of mixed drinks are:...
s after it. For example, a "Windex shot" typically contains vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
, triple sec
Triple sec
Triple sec, originally Curaçao triple sec, is a variety of Curaçao liqueur, an orange-flavoured liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet orange....
, and Blue Curaçao
Curaçao liqueur
Curaçao is a liqueur flavoured with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao. A non-native plant similar to an orange, the laraha developed from the sweet Valencia orange transplanted by Spanish explorers. The nutrient-poor soil and arid climate of Curaçao proved...
for color.
The comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 Canadian and American romantic comedy film written by and starring Nia Vardalos and directed by Joel Zwick. The film is centered on Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos , a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek upper middle class "White...
presented Windex as a placebo
Placebo
A placebo is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient...
or folk remedy
Folk medicine
-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...
for external use against most non-disabling ailments. When character Gus Portokalos is confronted with any skin ailment, he says, "Put some Windex." This parallels an actual folk belief in similar use of the WD-40
WD-40
WD-40 is the trademark name of a United States-made water-displacing spray. It was developed in 1953 by Norm Larsen, founder of the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, California. It was originally designed to repel water and prevent corrosion, and later was found to have numerous household...
brand of penetrating oil
Penetrating oil
Penetrating oil, also known as penetrating fluid, is very low-viscosity oil. It can be used to free rusted mechanical parts so that they can be removed, because it can penetrate into the narrow space between the threads of two parts. It can also be used as a general-purpose lubricant, a cleaner,...
.
Singer Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
mentions this product in her hit-single, "Obsessed
Obsessed (song)
"Obsessed" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel . It was written and produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on June 16, 2009...
" in a line which says "Seeing right through you like you're bathing in Windex".
The SCUMM
SCUMM
Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion is a scripting language developed at LucasArts to ease development of the graphical adventure game Maniac Mansion....
debugger that let the developers go through instructions step by step was nicknamed Windex because it would "clean the bugs off the screen".
External links
- Windex home page
- SC Johnson Milestones page (1993 Windex)
- Windex Product Safety Information
- Common Household Product Material Safety and Data Sheets