Homemade Glass Cleaner

Ready. Aim...

You've already heard that it's smart to make your own glass cleaner because it is economical and good for those of us aiming for the more natural, non-toxic side of the household chemical spectrum.

But there is a magical third benefit that few talk about: when you make your own glass cleaner, you will compulsively try it out on every window, mirror and glass-topped table in your home, leaving your home sparkling clean. Heck, if you are anything like me, you'll find yourself outside, in your husband's flannel jacket, standing precariously on a shaky ladder as you spray and wipe your exterior windows, marveling that yes, indeed, it even works outside!

I've haphazardly made my own glass cleaner for years. Sometimes I just used white vinegar. Sometimes I mixed vinegar and warm water. I think a few times I added a drop or two of dish soap. But although I don't really mind the smell of vinegar smell, it was really strong, and my vinegary concoctions never really seemed to work as well as that blue bottle of Windex.

But with my spray bottle running low, I looked up "best homemade window cleaner" and landed on the recipe below with well over 100 glowing comments about how amazing this stuff is...except I didn't have rubbing alcohol. But I did have some leftover sake from an Asian dinner party last winter. I figured they are more similar than different, so my window cleaner has sake in it, and for the record, it's pretty darn amazing stuff, even with cheap Japanese liquor in the mix...but you should probably stick with rubbing alcohol.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

I got the recipe here - check it out, it's a good blog post in itself. And to wipe the windows, why waste paper towels? Old rags or newspaper work just as well (some say newspaper leaves windows shinier).

1/4 c. rubbing alcohol

1/4 c. white vinegar

1 Tbls. cornstarch

2 c. warm water

Combine everything in a spray bottle, and shake well. Shake well before using, too, as the cornstarch might settle at the bottom (and subsequently plug the spray mechanism if it’s not mixed in well).