Ammonia
An alkaline cleaner found in some glass and general-purpose products. Recorded here principally because of what it does when mixed with bleach.
What not to do
Never mix
Chloramine gases are released. These are severe respiratory irritants: exposure causes coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing, nausea, watery eyes and irritation of the throat, nose and eyes, and in serious cases pneumonia and fluid in the lungs. In an enclosed space such as a bathroom, concentrations build quickly. Get into fresh air at once and seek medical advice. FEELING BETTER SHORTLY AFTERWARDS IS NOT AN ALL-CLEAR: the regulator recommends medical observation for 24 to 48 hours after overexposure, because fluid on the lungs can be delayed.
Ammonia is unsafe on Finished wood flooring
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
Why we say this
Supported
Named directly alongside bleach by the trade association.
Sources
Maintenance, and How to Clean and Take Care of Your Wood Floors
National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That ammonia-based cleaners can strip the finish off wood floors and cause permanent damage. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The routine-cleaning section and the wet-mop statement on the maintenance page; the cleaner-selection, excess-water and spill paragraphs in the homeowner care article. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia is unsafe on Mirrored glass
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Precautions
- Test on an inconspicuous area first
- Ventilate the area
- Never mix with other cleaning products
Why we say this
Strongly supported
Named explicitly by the industry body responsible for the product.
Sources
Glass Technical Paper FB06-05: Proper Procedures for Cleaning Flat Glass Mirrors
National Glass Association (NGA), Mirror Division, 2019 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That commercial mirror cleaners containing ammonia must not be used, and that alkali cleaners can attack the front surface, the edges and the backing. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — 'Care and Cleaning of Mirrors', the numbered recommendations 1 to 8. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia must never be mixed with Sodium hypochlorite (chlorine bleach)
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Sprint 8 adds substance-level regulator sheets under a hazard previously evidenced only at product level.
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
- Keep away from children and pets
Why we say this
Strongly supported
Two regulator fact sheets state the incompatibility at substance level, independently of the product-level hazard alert already held.
Sources
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Ammonia
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That ammonia reacts violently with halogens including chlorine, and with calcium hypochlorite. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Description and Use, Hazard Summary and the Reactivity section. Supports the claim as stated.
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Chlorine
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That chlorine is a strong oxidiser, reacts with water to form acid solutions, and can cause pulmonary edema, described as a medical emergency. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Description and Use, Hazard Summary, Workplace Exposure Limits, First Aid, Health Hazard Information and the Handling and Storage panel. Re-read in full in Sprint 27. Supports the claim as stated. The odour material was already fully built, as the refuted claim about smelling dangerous fumes. What the re-reading contributes is the delayed-onset observation window, now carried on the mixing-hazard records because it is the one line here that alters what a reader does AFTER the event rather than before it. The skin-absorption and air-limits-only qualifications were read and NOT built: for someone who has just released chlorine in a bathroom the instruction — leave, ventilate, get advice — is identical either way, and a fact that changes no advice is weight without value.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia may damage Microwave oven
Best avoided
The available guidance advises against this.
Sprint 27. Stated as damage to appearance, and recorded at that strength rather than upgraded.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
Why we say this
Supported
One manufacturer, stated plainly, with the consequence it names and no more. Many household glass and multi-surface sprays contain one or the other, which is what makes this worth a record rather than a footnote.
Sources
Owner's Manual: Microwave Oven, models JEM31 and PEM31
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That cleaners containing ammonia or alcohol must not be used on the microwave oven, because ammonia or alcohol can damage the appearance of the microwave. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Care and cleaning of the microwave oven, pages 30 and 31 — Helpful Hints, How to Clean the Inside, Removable Turntable and Turntable Support, and How to Clean the Outside. Plus the Microwave terms table on page 29 for arcing. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Sprint 27. Scope matters: the same manual prescribes an ammonia soak for a REMOVED drip pan.
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Why we say this
Supported
Stated directly for the appliance's metal parts. It does NOT contradict the drip-pan ammonia soak the same chapter prescribes: that instruction covers a removed component in a closed container, and this one covers the range's own surfaces. Recording both at their stated scopes is the point.
Sources
Use and Care & Installation Guide: Self-Cleaning Electric Range
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the metal parts of the range must not be cleaned with steel wool, abrasives, ammonia or commercial oven cleaners, and are instead washed, rinsed and dried with a soft cloth. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 27 read Care and Cleaning (26-29) and Operating the Self-Cleaning Oven (22-25) with both Q&A panels. Sprint 28 added Important Safety Instructions (2-5) and the Problem Solver (33-34), which is where the carbon-monoxide statement is. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. The queue scored this source at zero debt because twenty-one records cite it. That was true and it was not the same thing as the passage being exhausted: the locator recorded that two sections had been read, and the rest of the chapter turned out to hold the oven shelves, the door glass, the enamel scope and two fire statements. ZERO DEBT MEANS WELL CITED, NOT FULLY READ, and the two are easy to confuse. The harvest is a component record for the shelf and one for the door glass, the enamel acid and crazing scope, the painted and metal exterior prohibitions, and the two fire facts.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia is unsafe on Laptop keyboard
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Which rules out ordinary window cleaner, the most common thing reached for when a screen or keyboard looks smeared.
Why we say this
Supported
A manufacturer prohibition stated by name, with the consumer product it rules out named too.
Sources
Guidance for Keeping Your Dell Technologies Equipment Clean
Dell Technologies · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ammonia is among the named prohibited substances, and that glass cleaning products containing ammonia must be avoided on display surfaces. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The preparation, solution, prohibition and drying instructions. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia is unsafe on Refrigerator
Unsafe
Do not do this. The risk is established, and it is described below.
Which rules out most window cleaner, and window sprays are separately named on the same list.
Why we say this
Supported
Stated twice in the same guidance, once as a requirement and once as a prohibition.
Sources
Cleaning the Interior of the Refrigerator
Whirlpool Corporation · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That appliance sprays must be non-abrasive and AMMONIA-FREE, and that window sprays are among the cleaners which must not be used on plastic parts, liners or gaskets. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — The cleaning solutions, the prohibited-cleaner list, the glass shelf instruction, the gasket instruction, and — from Sprint 31 — the maintenance-tips section and the FAQ block. Supports the claim as stated. Corrects a published statement. how-often-clean-fridge said in terms that no source read gave an interval and that CleaningHQ would not invent one — while the interval sat in the unread half of a source already held. Three intervals are now carried as this manufacturer's, tiered by task, and the intent moves to covered. The same failure shape as Sprint 30's wax finding: a claim of absence made from a partial reading.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
- Wear eye protection
- Wear gloves
- Keep away from children and pets
In detail
Ammonia in household products is an aqueous solution, used as an alkaline cleaner and valued in glass cleaning because it evaporates without leaving a residue. It is a respiratory irritant in its own right, with a sharp odour that gives some warning of exposure, and it requires ventilation in use. The reason it appears in this catalogue is not its cleaning performance but its reactivity. Ammonia reacts with sodium hypochlorite to produce chloramine gases, and this is one of the most frequently reported serious domestic chemical exposures. The practical difficulty is that a reader often does not know they are handling ammonia: it appears in some glass cleaners and multi-surface products under an ingredient name rather than on the front of the bottle, and it is present in urine, which is how the reaction occurs when bleach is used on a pet accident or a toilet. That is why the rule against mixing is stated as a rule about products rather than about named chemicals.
Properties
- Chemical name
- Ammonia
- pH
- Alkaline
What works
Ammonia is effective against Mould Supported
Named by the stone trade for biological staining, with an emphatic warning never to combine it with bleach.
Ammonia is safe on, in specific conditions, Stainless steel
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Sprint 29. A positive clearance, and the register's first for ammonia on any surface.
Only within these limits:
- Dilute — the sheet specifies a 1% solution in warm clean water
- Applied with a clean sponge, soft cloth or soft-fibre brush
- Rinsed in clean water and dried afterwards
- Routine light soiling; a stronger solution is not what is cleared
Also named as a pre-soak for burnt-on food and carbon deposits, and as the neutraliser after a phosphoric acid descale. The clearance is for bare stainless steel and carries nothing about coated or fingerprint-resistant finishes.
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Ventilate the area
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
Why we say this
Supported
The trade body names ammonia in its own routine-cleaning row at a stated dilution. Recorded as conditional rather than as a clearance because the concentration is part of the instruction, and because ammonia carries a standing never-mix precaution that no surface clearance suspends.
Sources
Care and Maintenance of Stainless Steel
British Stainless Steel Association, Stainless Steel Advisory Service, 2001 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That routine cleaning of light soiling takes soap, detergent or a dilute 1% ammonia solution in warm clean water, applied with a clean sponge, soft cloth or soft-fibre brush then rinsed and dried, and is satisfactory on most surfaces. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 29 re-read all four pages: Factors Affecting Maintenance, Maintenance Programme, Cleaning Methods with the whole of Table 1, Table 2, and Notes 1-10. Earlier sprints named both tables but carried only part of one and none of the notes. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. SPRINT 29 FOUND THIS UNDER-EXTRACTED WHILE ALL THREE SIGNALS CALLED IT DONE: zero representation debt, in the fully-harvested list, and honestly noted as 'read in full'. Five of Table 1's eleven rows, all of Table 2 and eight of ten notes had never reached the graph. Newly built: tannin and coffee deposits, heat discolouration, the 1% ammonia routine clearance, oxalic acid for embedded iron, and the condition-triggered domestic frequency rule. The paraphrase cap is part of the cause, and the fix is not a longer paraphrase — the facts belong in the citing records.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Ammonia is safe on, in specific conditions, Drip pan
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits. Outside those limits, CleaningHQ makes no claim.
Only within these limits:
- The pans removed from the appliance and enclosed in a covered container or plastic bag
- A quarter cup of ammonia, to loosen soil, followed by scrubbing, rinsing and polishing
- Never on the range's metal parts, which the same document prohibits
- Never where any bleach or chlorine-based product has been used, before or after
A household trick that appears verbatim in the manufacturer's manual — for this component only. The same document lists ammonia among the things not to use on the range's metal parts, so the permission and the prohibition sit pages apart in one source.
Precautions
- Ventilate the area
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Wear gloves
- Wear eye protection
- Rinse thoroughly afterwards
Why we say this
Supported
Specified by the manufacturer for this component. Supported rather than higher because it is one maker's method for one part and is not compared against alternatives.
Sources
Use and Care & Installation Guide: Self-Cleaning Electric Range
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That drip pans are best cleaned by hand in a covered container or plastic bag with a quarter cup of ammonia to loosen the soil, and that ammonia must not be used on the range's metal parts. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Sprint 27 read Care and Cleaning (26-29) and Operating the Self-Cleaning Oven (22-25) with both Q&A panels. Sprint 28 added Important Safety Instructions (2-5) and the Problem Solver (33-34), which is where the carbon-monoxide statement is. Supports a wider statement — our claim was widened. The queue scored this source at zero debt because twenty-one records cite it. That was true and it was not the same thing as the passage being exhausted: the locator recorded that two sections had been read, and the rest of the chapter turned out to hold the oven shelves, the door glass, the enamel scope and two fire statements. ZERO DEBT MEANS WELL CITED, NOT FULLY READ, and the two are easy to confuse. The harvest is a component record for the shelf and one for the door glass, the enamel acid and crazing scope, the painted and metal exterior prohibitions, and the two fire facts.
Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Ammonia
New Jersey Department of Health · Government or regulator
Relied on for: That ammonia is corrosive and reacts violently with halogens including chlorine and with calcium hypochlorite. (states this directly)
Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.
Read on — Description and Use, Hazard Summary and the Reactivity section. Supports the claim as stated.
Last reviewed by a person on .
Hacks and claims involving this
- You will smell it if the fumes are dangerous Does not work
- The ammonia bag trick for baked-on grease Supported
Sources for this page
Sources
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CDC · Poison or chemical-safety authority
Relied on for: That ammonia is a recognised respiratory irritant with established occupational exposure limits.
Verification: the work exists and is described correctly. Nobody has yet read the specific passage.
Last reviewed by a person on .