Pre-moistened Windex Cloths – Do they work?
Written: Sep 10 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: convenient, easy to use, rip-resistant cloth, package reseals to keep in moisture
Cons: wipes quickly dry out & have a strong cleaner smell
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line is cleaner but definitely smells of Windex.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Windex Wipes Glass and Surface |
Imagine my surprise when I found Windex Wipes in the supply closet at work. I wasn’t the only one to goggle at the new cleaner. My coworkers were equally surprised to see the Windex bottle gone. After all, why replace something that worked well. Being the curious sort, I had to give the new Windex product a try. Would I like these newfangled wipes?
Description
The plastic package is a pretty blue with Windex written in scarlet letters. It measures 10" long x 4 1/2" wide. Inside are 25 soft pre-moistened cloths, each measuring 10" long x 7" wide. These white wipes are constructed of a durable cloth that is tough to tear. Looking at the cloths, there are fine holes perforating the fabric.
A “peel & reseal” tap pull on the front of the package make it easy to pull one wipe at a time free. Lift the tab up, pull out a cloth, and flatten the tab to reseal the package.
Manufacturer Claims & Instructions
These wipes are designed to use on hard surfaces throughout the house (or in my case, the office). The package says to use them on glass, kitchen surfaces, bathroom areas, in the car. Use to clean: appliances, counter tops, stoves, microwaves, faucets, sinks, cabinets, refrigerators, mirrors, toilet seat, shower, tub, tiled walls, car interior, vinyl seats, windows, computer keyboard, phones, diaper pail, playpen, doorknobs and pet areas.
Do not use these wipes on wood, cooking utensils, plates, glasses, tinted car windshields or upholstery. The manufacturer also suggests using the wipes on a small area to test the wipe on unknown surfaces.
“For best results, avoid use on glass that is in direct sunlight or is hot to the touch. Such use may cause streaking and limit surface coverage. When cleaning wipe gets dirty or dries out, discard in trash. Do not dispose of in toilets as sheets are not water-soluble.”
When not in use, store Windex wipes in a cool location and make sure the package is sealed so that the wipes do not dry.
Important: The manufacturer stresses not to use these cloths for personal hygiene or as a baby wipe. Also, unplug electrical appliances before using the wipes to clean electrical products.
My Experiences
The first thing I noticed was the strong “cleaner” smell. It’s not a smell I like, and the scent stayed on my hands a long time after I finished using the product.
The wipes are easy to remove from the package, and I like the resealing opening. It does keep the wipes moist between uses.
Each wipe is a large size and is soft. It is easy to grasp the wipe and use it to clean. However, I find the wipes dry out very quickly. I was able to extend the use of the wipes by running them under a bit of water after they dried out. The wipes still smelled of Windex, but again, they dried out too fast.
I tried the wipes on a variety of surfaces. Here is how they performed:
Phone – The wipe pushed the dust around on the phone’s black plastic surface. Other people besides me use my telephone, and sometimes the phone looks awful. It took several repeated scrubs with the cloth to remove all the dirt.
Calculator – Streak-free cleaning as promised. The LED display looks great. Did a wonderful job removing old dirt. The calculator looks almost new!
Desk Top & Table Surfaces – I used the wipes to clean my laminated desk top as well as two work tables (also with laminated tops). The wipe cleaned the desk well but did not remove ink marks. Someone had spilled coffee on one of the tables, and the wipe removed the dried spills. The other table is used for a variety of work tasks as well as to sort lunch take-out orders ... so it is well-stained. The wipe removed a few of the marks and the sticky food residue from the last order of Chinese food; but it did not touch an old water mark from a glass, ink marks, black permanent marker and glue stick smudges.
Computer, Keyboard, Monitor & Printer – These wipes worked great on the computer monitor. I cleaned both the monitor screen and the glass anti-glare shield that covers the monitor screen. No streaks or lint residue. The wipes also cleaned the dust from the top and sides of the monitor, tower and printer. The keyboard looks like new! The Windex wipes cleaned years of typical “finger dirt” from the keys.
Filing Cabinet – I have two 4-drawer black metal filing cabinets in my area. One cabinet has notebooks on top of it, and the wipes removed the light dust from the notebook surfaces and the cabinet top. The other cabinet had a lot of dust that had gathered beneath a metal file folder holder, and the Windex wipes just rearranged the dust on top of the cabinet. Even after repeated cleaning, I can still see dust.
Windows – No streaks ... but some lint residue remained on the window glass after cleaning.
Chrome Faucets – I moved my cleaning foray into the company’s kitchen. These wipes did an excellent job shining the chrome faucet.
Refrigerator Exterior – Terrible. The refrigerator has a textured surface, and the wipes did not touch the typical dirt found on the refrigerator handle.
Microwave & Toaster Oven – The glass on the microwave and toaster oven cleaned well with no lint residue.
Ingredients & Cautions
Windex wipes contain ammonium hydroxide. The manufacturer says not to use with other household cleaners. Also, keep these away from children and pets.
Do not place the hands anywhere near the eyes while using this product, and wash your hands immediately when finished since this product can irritate the eyes. If the eyes do become irritated, rinse the eyes with water for 20 minutes. If the problem does not go away, consult a doctor.
Purchasing
Our office supply person purchased these Windex wipes at Office Depot for $4.97. Drugstore.com sells them for $3.29 a package. My local grocery store sells the wipes for $3.69, and Walgreens for $3.79.
If comparing these wipes to traditional Windex liquid in a bottle, the wipes are more expensive. Using my local grocery store as an example, the wipes cost $3.69, which averages .15 cents per wipe. A 26-ounce bottle of Windex sells for $3.05, which averages .12 cents an ounce. I know that when using a paper towel with the Windex liquid that I receive a lot more than 25 uses.
Summary
Would I buy these Windex Wipes for home or office use? No. They dry out too quickly, and I don’t feel I receive much cleaning per wipe. I would rather invest in a bottle of glass and surface cleaner for cleaning. I receive longer usage for my money. Using the liquid cleaner also enables me to squirt as much liquid as necessary onto the cloth or surface to remove stubborn dirt.
Would I recommend them to others? Yes. Different people like different cleaning products. And these wipes did clean certain items well, even if they did dry out too fast for my liking.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Racine, WI 53403
Toll-free Phone: 800-558-5252
Please read my other reviews:
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Duo
Electrasol 2-in-1 Tabs with Jet Dry for the dishwasher
Cascade 2-in-1 Action Packs for the dishwasher
Ott Flex-Arm Plus Lamp
Belkin UPS Emergency Battery Backup
HP LaserJet 2200dse Printer
Hewlett Packard LaserJet 1000 Printer
Gateway 500X Computer
3M Anti-glare Monitor Filter
Texas Instruments Desktop Calculator
GE Refrigerator with Top Freezer
Curtis Radio/CD Portable Boom Box
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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