Homemade glass cleaner is an easy way to reduce toxins in your home. This natural, streak-free glass cleaner gets windows and mirrors shiny clean, with no fumes or dangerous chemicals.
If you can’t find your 5-year-old and it’s really quiet, you can guess that there’s mischief happening. When this happened, I wasn’t surprised to find that Jackjack made a HUGE mess on the bathroom mirror.
I don’t mind messes, but I also expect him to help me clean them up. Not a problem, right?
Except that once I looked at the ingredients on the Windex bottle, I didn’t want any of us touching this stuff:
2-Hexoxyethanol
Isopropanolamine
Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate
Lauramine Oxide
Ammonium Hydroxide
Liquitint Sky Blue Dye
Gross, huh? These chemicals are so nasty that Environmental Working Group rated Windex with a grade of “D.”
These ingredients have the potential for acute aquatic toxicity; negative respiratory effects and negative nervous system effects.
You don’t need any of those mystery ingredients to make natural, streak-free glass cleaner.
This homemade glass cleaner can be used on windows, mirrors, and glass–even faucets and stainless steel. It only costs pennies to make, and doesn’t contain dish soap or ammonia.
That means it’s safe for kids to use when they need to clean up the messes they make!
Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
Tap water
Instructions
Pour the rubbing alcohol and vinegar into a clean 16oz spray bottle (I like these because they’re sturdy and don’t leak).
Fill with tap water and label the bottle.
Hand the bottle and a microfiber cloth to your assistant and send him to the nearest dirty mirror.
Microfiber cloths are great to use instead of paper towels. They are reusable, super-absorbent, and don’t leave any streaks or smears.
If you’re lucky, your assistant might get motivated enough to wash more stuff. Watch as your bathroom becomes sparkly clean! Or less of a biohazard, at least.
Now if I could just get him to mop the kitchen, I’d be in business…
Homemade glass cleaner is an easy way to reduce toxins in your home. This natural, streak-free glass cleaner gets windows and mirrors shiny clean, with no fumes or dangerous chemicals. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Natural Glass Cleaner
Materials
Instructions
Recommended Products
Maya says
I’m not comfortable with the toxic fumes from ammonia, so I use vinegar instead of the ammonia and rubbing alcohol in your recipe. Works better than the store bought cleaner, for sure!
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy says
Ugh toothpaste on the mirror. BTDT! Thanks for sharing at Healthy 2Day Wednesday!
Anonymous says
Is ammonia not very bad for the environment?
Leslie A says
You may want to check out a great recipe I found a few months ago that uses Prell shampoo, instead of ammonia. It’s found here, if you are interested: http://www.theprudentlife.net/2012/05/glass-cleaner.html
Jenny @ The NY Melrose Family says
I love your helper. Do you think 2 is too soon for this? Lol! Thanks so much for sharing at Whimsy Wednesdays.
Annnightflyer says
Vinegar and wipe with newspaper works excellent too.
Antoinette Nozzero says
Yes, I started doing the same, white vinegar and water in a squirt bottle
Anonymous says
I use water and a dry J-cloth.
Anonymous says
I use your recipe plus old newspaper flyers and it works great! No streaks and doesn’t leave your house smelling like french fries after:D
Robyn L. Coburn says
I use very dilute hot soapy water and squeegee instead of any kind of cloth or paper. So much faster!
clarego says
peroxide!
galacticwalker says
Everyone in the UK knows there is only one way to clean windows…… Vinegar water and a dot of washing up liquid, then rub it on with newspaper and dry it off with more dry newspaper.
Hilde Tipton says
Glad someone mentioned using newspaper. This is the way we cleaned all the glass in the house back in the 60s – vinegar, water, and newspaper.
Vasantha Pahalawattaarachchi says
very good