How To Put Screenwash Into Your Car: Beginner’s Guide

In this guide, I’m going to tell you how to put screenwash into your car – it’s pretty straightforward and easy to do.

Car screenwash is important to keeping your car’s windscreen clean, improving your visibility and ensuring you can see what’s on the road all year round.

It’s super important for you to understand where your car’s screenwash filler cap is located.

Are you ready? Let’s dive right in…

Just one more thing, to make your life easier, I’ve already listed what the best ready mixed screen wash and a screen wash product that you need to dilute actually is…

I thought I’d add them here in case you wanted to purchase them without having to scroll through the entire post!

What Is Car Screenwash?

Firstly, let’s quickly explain what exactly car screenwash is.

Screen wash is a liquid that typically contains some chemicals that help breakdown dirt and grime from your car’ windscreen when used.

It’ll help keep your car’s screen clean and give your wiper blades a longer, easier life meaning less replacements and broken wipers.

So many people neglect their car’s windscreen – typically as a result of not cleaning their car, are you one of these people?

Keeping on top of your car’s cleaning schedule can greatly improve the resale value of your car in the future and is also great for the mind.

Car screen wash comes in many types, and knowing how much to put in to your car is quite important, let’s cover that next…

How Much Screen Wash Should I Put Into My Car?

Putting the right amount of screenwash into your car will depend on whether you’ve got a concentrated or a ready mixed screen wash.

Typically, with the ready mixed screen wash you simply just pour in as much as you need to fill the windscreen washer tank.

Much like what you’d do with putting petrol or diesel into your car.

However, if you’re buying a concentrated screenwash then you’ll need to add water to dilute the mixture.

A concentrated screenwash might be more expensive, but could give you better results as you’re able to change how much dilution you want.

The instructions for how to do this would be written for you on the back of the bottle.

How Much Screen Wash Does Your Car Hold?

There isn’t really any one set answer with this.

So the easiest thing for me to recommend you to do…

Check your car’s owners manual or handbook.

Most car’s should be able to hold at least a few litres of screen wash, somewhere in the region of 2 litres to 5 litres.

How Do You Know When To Put Screen Wash In A Car?

When the time comes to putting screenwash in your car, typically, your car will let you know that it needs doing…

How?

Usually, you’ll get a light on your car’s instrument cluster telling you that it needs doing, it’ll usually be an amber light.

Can I Put Water In My Screen Wash?

Putting water into your screen wash isn’t the end of the world – you’re simply making an already diluted screen wash more diluted…

And a concentrated one diluted if you haven’t done it enough.

For some people, choosing water over buying screenwash is their recommended choice.

This isn’t so much of a problem during the summer, but will be a problem during the winter.

The water will freeze and put extra pressure onto the pipes and hoses of your washer fluid system – not good.

Don’t Use Washing Up Liquid!

You’ve probably heard or at least seen online people using washing up liquid as a form of screen wash…

This simply isn’t a good idea.

Washing up liquid is designed to break down grease, and in doing so, could easily start breaking down your car’s paintwork too!

How To Put Screenwash Into You Car

Great, so you need to know how to put screenwash into your car right? Excellent!

What I’ll do is give you a breakdown of exactly how to fill your car with screen wash and I’ll attach a recommended video to help you out!

3 Steps To Filling Your Car’s Screenwash [EASY METHOD]:

1. Locate the windscreen washer filler cap – this will be marked with an icon of a windscreen under your car’s bonnet.

2. Open the filler cap – carefully open the filler cap, there might be a rubber flap that gets in your way doing this, I recommend using a funnel to keep it open.

3. Pour the screenwash – pour the mixed screenwash into your car until full, this will usually be visible when there’s a lot of foam and/or the sound changes.

And it really is that simple!

Do you prefer to learn by watching? If so, see the attached recommend video that I found for you to help you out even more.

Putting Screenwash Into Your Car When The Engine Is Hot

Really?

I guess this is something that has crossed my mind as well, and although it is possible and likely won’t be a problem – I advise against doing this.

Your car engine will be extremely hot after you’ve used it, not to mention some cars activate their cooling fans shortly after the engine has turned off.

With this considered, it’s important to know that unlike your car’s cooling system…

Your windscreen washer system isn’t a pressurized system, water is sucked up from a pump that lays in the windscreen washer tank.

Putting Screenwash Into Your Car When The Engine Is Cold

Whenever attempting to fill up your car’s screenwash bottle, I’d always recommend doing this when your car’s engine is cold, and when the engine isn’t running…

Why?

The answer is quite simple, because you could simply hurt yourself, for example, burning your hand or arm on an engine component!

I’d absolutely always recommend doing this when the car’s engine is cold!

Adjusting The Windscreen Jet Nozzles

So, you’ve filled your car with some screenwash and have tried using it – but have noticed they’re not cleaning the right part of your windscreen…

Don’t panic, you can solve this…

The windscreen nozzles (the little jets on the bonnet where the water comes out) can be easily adjusted with a pin or small toothpick.

You can insert one of these pins or toothpicks into the jet nozzle (there’s typically 2 per jet)

Then simply point it to a new part of your windscreen.

It’s really trial and error when it comes to adjusting the nozzles so don’t be surprised if you need to re-adjust afterwards.

How Often To Use Screenwash On Your Windscreen

If you’re looking at how often you should use your windscreen wash, it’ll depend on how much driving you do.

Also, does your car have a rear wiper blade?

And headlight washers?

If so, you’re going to end up using a lot more screenwash than if you only had the windscreen to take care of.

I personally use screenwash on my windscreen almost every time I go out driving – and they get pretty dirty.

I can easily get through a 5L bottle of ready mixed screenwash within a week and you likely will too!

Luckily, it’s not expensive! It really is pretty affordable.

Do you mix screen wash with water?

When it comes to putting screen wash into a car, you might be wondering whether it’s okay to mix screen wash with water right?

Often referred to as diluting screen wash, it’s a common question to ask and certainly something I would be asking myself, you likely are too right?

It really all depends on what type of screen wash you’re buying, and what the instructions are.

There’s “ready mixed” screen wash, also known as concentrated screen wash which doesn’t require mixing with water, the easiest way to know if you’ve got concentrated wash is to check the size of the bottle…

Is it a 5L bottle? If so, chances are it doesn’t need any mixing!

What is the best car screen wash?

Choosing the best screenwash for your car with the amount of options on the market today is quite challenging right?

Just take a look at the number of retailers nowadays offering screen wash, some offering ones with a nice smell, whilst others have no smell

Best Ready Mixed Screen Wash – Carplan All Seasons

Okay, so I’m a lover of the ready mixed screen wash, and I think you might be too…

Why?

Because they’re extremely affordable, and you don’t need to worry about the dilution amounts, because you don’t need to dilute them!

I really like the Carplan All Seasons screenwash since it works well for the summer, is great for the winter as it works down to -5C, and comes in a 5L bottle!

If you’re interested in taking a look at this, here’s a link where you can check it out.

Best Screen Wash To Mix! – Autoglym Ultimate Screenwash

If you’re like me and like to take care of your car, treating yourself every once in a while doesn’t go a miss!

I recently bought Autoglym’s Ultimate Screenwash before the COVID-19 lockdown, bought it on an offer at Curry’s and then guess what…

I wasn’t able to use my car…

Sound familar?

If this situation sounds familiar because you were put on some restriction so that you couldn’t go any where, the screen wash would’ve been sitting around for a long time.

But sure enough, I recently finally tried it, and for me, I used 3/4 of the whole bottle mixed with around 4.5L of water, and I must say…

It’s pretty good, it’s quite foamy, and really does feel like it’s cleaning the window of the car unlike the ready mixed screen wash.

So if you’re interested in this one, go here to check out the offer.

3 Common Screenwash Myths

Screen wash sounds like it should be a simple task right?

Unfortunately, there’s so many myths that surround this topic that I thought I’d bust a few of them for you.

Myth #1: You only need to use car screen wash in the winter

This is simply not true, screen wash is more than a liquid to clean your car’s windscreen, in fact it cleans your windscreen too!

Yeah, sounds so simple doesn’t it.

But it’s true, the liquid that you put into your screen wash bottle in your car contains chemicals that helps get rid of all of that road dirt, slush and grime that collects all year round.

Typically, during the winter times, you will end up using more screen wash than during the summer, and that’s because of of the harsh winter salt that collects on the roads.

Myth #2: Don’t use screen wash, use water

Water is usually everywhere, in our taps, in puddles, what about the hose pipe that you’ve got lying around…

Turns out, a common myth is that you shouldn’t even use screen wash in your car, instead, use water…

Are you going to?

Well, you shouldn’t.

Because despite what the myth says, there are many benefits to using windshield washer fluid, and you shouldn’t ignore them.

Myth #3: I’ll just use washing up liquid or other household cleaners

Never use washing up liquid or any other household cleaners on your car’s windscreen…

Why?

Because you’re going to end up damaging your car’s windscreen, the chemicals that are in washing up liquid will leave a residue behind on your windscreen that you’ll find incredibly difficult to remove.

So leave it!

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Final Words

To conclude this blog post, screen wash is a beginner friendly task that is important to you and other people’s safety.

You’ll find it pretty straightforward and it shouldn’t take you too long to get to grips with!