Is Ammonia A Miracle Cleaner?

Question: Is Ammonia A Miracle Cleaner?

All of the things that ammonia can clean are numerous according to many tipsters. Ammonia is reputed to clean floors, microwaves, and ovens with burned on food. Is it really a miracle cleaner?

Answer: Ammonia is a often touted as a "natural cleaner", but this is one instance when natural isn't always best. Ammonia is known for its very pungent odor. The smell alone can cause irritation to people with breathing problems. My eyes being to tear up as soon as I smell it, even in the 5-10% concentrations that are usually reserved for household cleaning. It's that strong.

That being said, ammonia can be used effectively as a cleaner for mirrors and glass, and it is cheap compared to some other cleaners.

Many people develop cleaning tips that use ammonia, but these tips aren't always helpful...
1. Using ammonia as a floor cleaner for no-wax floors isn't actually a great idea. Ammonia can damage the floors over time.
2. Using ammonia in the microwave to loosen food particles works, but bowling a bowl full of water works just as well. The steam from the water loosens cooked on food...without the fumes of ammonia.
3. Many people claim that leaving a dish full of ammonia overnight in an oven will loosen baked on food. In my experience, it was not very effective, and the fumes were nearly unbearable. I much prefer a fume free oven cleaner, or baking soda paste.