10 Uses of AMMONIA in 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 serves to:

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

As you can see, ammonia also has many other industrial usesas it serves as a coolant and 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 keep 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 put bleach and ammonia together?. Likewise, ammonia is dangerous for aquatic organisms, since they do not have the mechanism that, in humans, helps prevent its concentration in the blood. Therefore, it is dangerous for the environment.

One of domestic uses of ammonia Best known is as a degreaser, since it is a very effective cleaner for absorbing stains and grease splashes from stoves or ceramic hobs, as well as countertops and tiles.

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

Likewise, if you have dishes with a lot of grease 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.

Most of the ammonia used in the world is for the agricultural industry, as it is a key element of fertilizers, where it is found in the form of anhydrous ammonia, without water. Because ammonia is a nitrogen derivative, 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 with good air spaces.

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

Ammonia also has many uses in the chemical industry. In its gaseous form, it is used as a refrigerant gas to maintain cold and dissipate heat in air conditioners, as well as in food refrigeration spaces. Being a nitrogen derivative, ammonia is also used 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 home cleaning it is to use it to clean glass. It is advisable to clean windows and mirrors with ammonia to achieve an unparalleled cleanliness and restore their shine. With this product, it will be easy to remove all types of stains and fingerprints, thus achieving shiny crystals in just an instant. You can see more tips like this in our article on Tricks for cleaning glass.

Whenever you use ammonia to clean the home, don’t forget to use gloves, as it can be abrasive to the skin. Unless it is an ammonia-based glass cleaner, you will have to dilute it in three parts water to use it.

In this list of uses for ammonia, its effectiveness in cleaning bathrooms cannot be missed, as it acts effectively on tiles, removing dirt and helping to keep tiled walls clean and shiny for a long time. Besides, ammonia disinfects and it is excellent for removing mold and rust stains, 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 can use it correctly.

Ammonia diluted in water is also used as wooden floor and furniture cleaner. However, it cannot be used lightly. Ammonia is also used to remove varnish or paint layers on wood, so you want to 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 the link and visit our article about it.

Ammonia is also used to darken oak wood, since the compound reacts with the tannins of 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 cleaning clothing and footwear. 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 on a non-visible area of ​​the garment so as not to damage 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 when starting the washing cycle. Do not mix it with bleach.

Ammonia is also used to clean shoes, especially those made of materials that cannot be washed. To clean shoes with ammonia, you will need to dilute it in a mixture of soap and water. 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 from fabrics. For this reason, another of the uses of ammonia is the cleaning of rugs and carpets, 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 clean a carpet with ammonia is to use a sprayer or spray to apply the ammonia previously diluted in water. Apply it to 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 acts by neutralizing the acid in the sting. For this reason, it is super important that it is applied right after the bite has occurred.

Before applying ammonia to the bite, check that there are no traces of stingers and wash the area with soap and water. Dilute the ammonia in 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.

He Ammonia is also very suitable for eliminating odors. such as the musty or moldy smell that tends to cling to fabrics such as kitchen rags or bath towels.

To use it, you will need to add a little ammonia to the wash water. You will feel how unpleasant odors will disappear. Likewise, ammonia can also be used as a substitute for fabric softener, as it helps reduce static electricity.

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