Cleaning Glass with Sodium Metasilicate

Otherwise known as "water glass".  It is usually sold as a TSP substitute.  A 100% pure product from the hardware store or a paint supply shop comes as white crystals, and looks like table salt.  But the reality is, it is a VERY powerful alkali!  When cleaning with it I will usually only add a teaspoon to four gallons of water.  Then I will add a synthetic detergent like Dawn since syn-dets tend to keep it from leaving deposits. Dawn has not more than one percent sodium hydroxide. Which is also a powerful alkali.  I wrote a post about this chemical also.  When SMS is used without a soap such as Dawn it has the tendency to leave a residue on the glass that is difficult to remove.  The spots left behind are also difficult to remove.  This is because they are in effect what I like to call artificial water spots.  Or mineral deposits.  They are sodium silicate deposits which are very similar to the chemistry of glass.  Of course such stains are relatively easy to remove with a little rubbing using a silica based compound or cerium oxide in water.

As a cleaner SMS is very powerful at removing even years of organic film.  Such as car exhaust on aluminum window frames at gas stations.  But I always suggest using rubber gloves since it will dry out your skin or worse.  When used at higher concentrations it will remove screen burn from window glass.   But again use extreme caution.  Never let it get on your skin or in your eyes.

One more word on using SMS to remove screen burn.  I will mix it with water at about a 5 to 10 percent solution in water. Then I will add about 10 percent silica powder.  This is an experimental product that I can sell to you at 20 dollars per pound including shipping.  Further I will use four zero steel wool.  This is a VERY powerful combination for removing even the worst screen burn.  Just remember to use extreme caution. One more word of caution.  I suggest looking up the MSDS on silica powder.  The dangers are greatly reduced when it is used in a liquid form.  In other words when it is put in water.  But you should never use it dry since you could breath it in.  This type of repeated exposure can cause silicosis which is cancer causing.

Written by Henry Grover Jr.
henrygroverjr@gmail.com

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