How to Use Ammonia for Cleaning: Uses, Ratios and Safety

To use ammonia for cleaning, dilute household ammonia first: about 1/2 cup per gallon of warm water for floors, walls and appliances, or 1 tablespoon per 2 cups of water in a spray bottle for glass. Open a window, wear gloves, rinse surfaces afterward, and never mix ammonia with bleach or bleach cleaners.

Ammonia is one of the cheapest cleaners in the store and one of the best at what it does: cutting grease and leaving glass without streaks. It’s also one of the few products where the mixing rule matters more than the method. Get the ratio and the airflow right and one bottle covers a lot of jobs.

What is ammonia used for in cleaning?

The bottle sold for cleaning is household ammonia, a solution of ammonia gas in water. Household strength is typically 5 to 10 percent; industrial versions run much stronger and are corrosive. Diluted, it handles:

• Glass and mirrors: it evaporates fast and leaves no film, which is why it shows up in so many window cleaners.
• Kitchen grease: range hoods, stovetops, appliance fronts, greasy cabinet doors and trash cans.
• Tile and linoleum floors: sealed ceramic tile and vinyl sheet floors that have gone dull from kitchen grime.
• Baked-on oven grease: the overnight fume method below softens it without scrubbing.
• Laundry: sweaty collars, greasy work clothes and musty towels.
• Old floor wax: stronger mixes strip built-up wax from floors that are meant to be stripped.

How does ammonia clean?

Ammonia is alkaline, a base. Most kitchen and body grime is acidic or fatty, and an alkaline solution loosens those fats so water can lift them away. It also evaporates quickly, so a diluted mix on glass flashes off before it can dry into streaks. That speed is the reason it works and the reason it needs ventilation: what evaporates off the surface ends up in the air you’re breathing.

How to dilute ammonia for cleaning

Always add ammonia to water, not water to ammonia, and mix it in a bucket or a clean, labeled spray bottle that has never held bleach. These ratios follow the directions printed on household ammonia labels such as Parsons’ and Austin’s:

• General cleaning (walls, appliances, sinks, counters, windows): 1/2 cup ammonia per 1 gallon of warm water.
• Spray bottle for glass and quick wipe-downs: 1 tablespoon per 2 cups of warm water. That’s the same strength as 1/2 cup per gallon.
• Ceramic tile and linoleum floors: 1/2 to 1 cup per gallon of warm water.
• Built-up floor wax: 1/2 to 2 cups per gallon. Let it sit 2 minutes, rub, then rinse with clean, cool water.
• Laundry: 1 cup in the wash water and half your usual detergent.
• Soaking delicates: 1/4 cup per quart of warm water for a few minutes, then wash as usual.

Stronger isn’t better here. Doubling the ammonia mostly doubles the fumes, and a weaker mix with a little more wiping does the same job.

How to clean windows and mirrors with ammonia

1. Mix the spray: 1 tablespoon of clear ammonia in 2 cups of warm water. Use clear, not sudsy, or the soap will streak.
2. Dust first. Wipe the frame and sill with a dry cloth so you don’t turn dust into mud.
3. Spray lightly and work from the top down.
4. Wipe with a lint-free microfiber cloth or squeegee, then buff with a second dry cloth.
5. Skip tinted car windows and window film. Ammonia can break down tint film over time.

For screens, tracks and the rest of the window, see our guide to cleaning windows and window screens.

How to clean floors with ammonia

Yes, you can mop with ammonia, but only on the right floor: sealed ceramic or porcelain tile, linoleum and sheet vinyl that need a degreasing reset.

1. Sweep or vacuum so grit doesn’t scratch the floor under the mop.
2. Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of ammonia into a gallon of warm water. Use the lower amount for a routine clean and the higher one for a greasy kitchen floor.
3. Mop in sections and wring the mop well. A damp mop cleans better than a wet one.
4. Scrub stubborn spots with a soft brush, not steel wool.
5. Rinse with a clean mop and plain water so no residue is left for kids, pets or bare feet.
6. Let it dry with a window open before anyone walks on it.

Skip ammonia on hardwood, laminate, natural stone, cork and no-wax or factory-finished floors. Its alkalinity can dull or strip the finish, so use the cleaner the flooring maker recommends instead.

How to clean an oven with ammonia

The overnight fume method is old, and it still works on an electric oven caked with baked-on grease.

1. Turn the oven off and let it cool completely. If you have a gas oven with a standing pilot light, skip this method.
2. Pour about 1/2 cup of ammonia into a small oven-safe glass dish and set it on the middle rack.
3. Close the door and leave it overnight, about 8 to 12 hours. The fumes soften the grease.
4. Open the windows first, then open the oven door and let it air out for 15 minutes before you lean in.
5. Wipe out the loosened grease with a sponge and warm, soapy water, then rinse with a clean damp cloth.
6. Pour the leftover ammonia into a bucket of warm water and use it to wipe the racks and the door glass.

Don’t use this method on aluminum parts, since ammonia labels warn against it, and keep pets and kids out of the kitchen while it sits. For self-cleaning ovens and other methods, see how to clean an oven like a pro.

How to use ammonia in laundry

1. Check the care label and test a hidden seam on anything colored.
2. Make sure no bleach is going in. Don’t use ammonia in a load with chlorine bleach or a detergent with bleach in it.
3. Add 1 cup of ammonia to the wash water with half your normal detergent. In a front-load or HE washer, pour it straight into the drum with the clothes or into the main detergent slot, never into the bleach dispenser.
4. For a pre-soak, mix 1/4 cup of ammonia per quart of warm water and soak for a few minutes before washing. Sweaty collars and musty towels respond well.
5. Wash as usual and air out the laundry room.

What not to clean with ammonia

• Hardwood, laminate, cork and natural stone like marble or granite
• Aluminum pans and fixtures, which ammonia labels say not to soak or clean with it
• Tinted car windows and window film
• Anything that has bleach, a toilet bowl cleaner or a drain cleaner on it, even residue

Is ammonia safe for cleaning?

Yes, when it’s diluted and used with airflow. These rules come from the ammonia label and public health guidance:

• Never mix ammonia with bleach. Together they release chloramine gases that cause coughing, chest pain, wheezing and fluid in the lungs, according to the Washington State Department of Health. The same goes for chlorinated toilet bowl and drain cleaners. Urine contains ammonia too, so be careful bleaching a litter box, diaper pail or toilet bowl.
• Ventilate. Open a window and run a fan. High levels of ammonia burn the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and people with asthma are more sensitive, per the CDC ammonia fact sheet.
• Wear gloves, and glasses if you’re working overhead.
• Keep it in the original container, out of reach of kids and pets.
• Rinse surfaces that people or pets touch.

If someone breathes in fumes, get them to fresh air. Flush skin or eyes with water for 15 minutes. Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if they’re having trouble breathing. For the bleach side of the rule, see how to use bleach safely. To weigh ammonia against gentler options, our guide to toxic and nontoxic cleaning products lays out the tradeoffs.

Ammonia cleaning FAQ

Ammonia is fine for one greasy job. If it’s the whole kitchen, the range hood, the bathrooms and the baseboards, our deep cleaning service handles it with our own supplies, so there’s nothing to mix and nothing to air out.