10 Uses of AMMONIA in the Home and Industry

Ammonia, also known as ammonium gas, is a chemical compound derived from nitrogen. The formula of ammonia is NH3 and this substance is characterized by having a very strong odor that is unpleasant when perceived. In addition to being used in many cleaning products, where it is used in a liquid state, ammonia is used to:

• Fertilize soils
• Degrease and disinfect
• Cleaning textiles and footwear
• Treat animal bites
• Eliminate bad odors
• Change the colors of the wood
• Create refrigerant gases in air conditioners
• Purify wastewater
• Manufacture plastics, fabrics, dyes, among other chemical products
• Make drugs

As you can see, ammonia also has many others industrial uses, as it serves as a refrigerant and as a fuel, as well as to eliminate nitrogen oxide contamination, to destroy bacteria in food and to control fermentation processes.

In many cases, ammonia cannot be used domestically due to its toxicity. In this sense, it is important that you bear in mind that ammonia, mixed with certain substances such as bleach, can produce gases that are very dangerous to health. We tell you a little more about it in our article What happens if you mix bleach and ammonia. Likewise, ammonia is dangerous for aquatic organisms, since they do not have the mechanism that, in humans, helps to avoid its concentration in the blood. Therefore, it is dangerous for the environment.

One of household uses of ammonia It is best known as a degreaser, since it is a very effective cleaner to absorb grease stains and splashes from the stove or glass-ceramic, as well as from countertops and tiles.

In the same way, we can use ammonia diluted in water to clean the oven. It is common to find grease or burned food remains inside these types of appliances, so ammonia is excellent at softening dirt and making cleaning much easier.

Also, if you have dishes with a lot of fat and you don’t know how to remove it, you can mix a few drops of ammonia with water. Clean the plate and then rinse it with soap and water, you will see that it is much easier to leave your dishes clean.

Image: ovencleaning.biz

Most of the ammonia used in the world is for the agricultural industry, as it is a key element of fertilizers, where it is in the form of anhydrous ammonia, without water. Because ammonia is a derivative of nitrogen, this increases nitrogen levels in the soil.

In this way, it helps increase the yield of crops such as corn and wheat. The application is gaseous and is most effective on very well tilled soils and with good air spaces.

AttentionThis does not mean that ammonia cleaning products can be used to water house plants. Ammonia diluted in water forms a substance that is toxic to plants and, over time, will dry out soils and cause their deaths. In our article How to make homemade fertilizer we show you natural ways to help your plants grow healthy.

Image: cif.cl

Ammonia also has many uses in the chemical industry. In its gaseous form, it is used as a refrigerant gas to keep cold and dissipate heat in air conditioners, as well as in food refrigeration spaces. Being a derivative of nitrogen, ammonia also serves to produce ice.

In addition, ammonia is used for the production of nitric acid, a compound used in the manufacture of drugs, resins, plastics, and explosives. In other industries, it is used as a base to make textiles and metals.

Another of the ammonia applications in cleaning the home is to use it to clean glass. It is advisable to clean the windows and mirrors with ammonia to achieve an unequaled cleanliness and restore their shine. With this product, it will be easy to remove all kinds of stains and fingerprints, in order to achieve shiny crystals in just an instant. You can see more tips like this in our article on Tips for cleaning windows.

Every time you use ammonia to clean your home, don’t forget to wear gloves, as it can be abrasive to your skin. Unless it is an ammonia-based glass cleaner, you will need to dilute it with three parts of water to use it.

In this list of uses for ammonia, you cannot miss its effectiveness in cleaning bathrooms, as it acts effectively on tiles, removing dirt and helping to keep tiled walls clean and shiny for a long time. What’s more, ammonia disinfects and is excellent for removing mold and rust stains, which are very common in bathrooms.

It is very common to use bleach to clean bathrooms, so be very careful not to mix both substances while cleaning the bathroom.

In our article How to use ammonia to clean we give you many more tips and instructions so that you use it correctly.

Ammonia diluted in water is also used as wood floor and furniture cleaner. However, it cannot be used lightly. Ammonia is also used to remove varnish or layers of paint from wood, so make sure the wood you are cleaning is not varnished.

If you are not sure, you can wet a cloth with a little ammonia diluted in water. Try cleaning a small section of the wood as a test and see if the color of the wood changes. If you want to know more about How to use ammonia for wood correctly, click on the link and visit our article about it.

Ammonia is also used to darken oak wood, since the compound reacts with the tannins in the wood and causes changes in its color, making it darker.

Since ammonia is also capable of remove stains on fabrics, this is also used in the cleaning of clothes and shoes. For example, it is possible to remove wine stains with ammonia, although not all types of fabrics are resistant to ammonia. Therefore, it is important that you test in some non-visible area of ​​the garment so as not to spoil it.

If you find that you can wash your clothes with ammonia, you can mix a little ammonia with detergent Or put a splash in the washing machine at the start of the wash cycle. Do not mix it with bleach.

Ammonia is also used to clean footwear, especially those made of materials that cannot be washed. To clean your shoes with ammonia, you will need to dilute it in a mixture of soap and water. In this way, you can clean sports shoes or more delicate shoes such as espadrilles.

As we have said before, ammonia is capable of removing stains on fabrics. For that reason, another of the uses of ammonia is the cleaning of carpets and rugs, as it effectively attacks dirt in thick fabrics of this type, something that is very useful when liquids are spilled on the carpets.

In this case, the best way to cleaning a carpet with ammonia is to use a sprayer or spray to apply the ammonia previously diluted in water. Apply it on the stain you want to remove and scrub until it is completely erased.

Ammonia is a known antiseptic, so it can help relieve the itching and burning of insect stings such as wasps. Due to its basic pH, ammonia works by neutralizing the acid in the sting. For this reason, it is super important that it be applied right after the bite has occurred.

Before applying the ammonia on the bite, check that there are no traces of stingers and wash the area with soap and water. Dilute the ammonia with water and apply a compress to the wound.

Ammonia is also useful for jellyfish stings and, along with vinegar, is a much more recommended home remedy than others such as urine.

The ammonia is also very suitable for eliminating odors, such as the musty or moldy smell that tends to adhere to fabrics such as kitchen towels or kitchen towels …