Did you know that you can make your own glass and mirror cleaner with ingredients you can find around your home? You can make a great cleaner for glass surfaces, for a fraction of the cost, with 3 simple ingredients. Get tips for making an easy, homemade glass cleaner recipe here.
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Growing up, my mom cleaned the mirrors and windows in our home with a famous blue liquid. This liquid, and the scent that came with it, represented “clean” in our home. I’m so glad glass cleaner was one of the first cleaning products to be questioned when we began to make the switch to using more natural products in our home.
Why Make Homemade Glass and Window Cleaner?
Let’s take a look at the ingredients listed on the Windex website (just one of many window and glass cleaner brands on the market): Water, 2-Hexoxyethanol, Isopropanolamine, Sodium Dodecylbenzene, Sulfonate Cleaning, Lauramine Oxide, Ammonium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Liquitint® Sky Blue Dye.
Common household ingredients, right?! Nothing like an ingredient list that makes you wish you paid more attention during high school chemistry class.
If you’d like to know more about the risks and dangers that may be associated with any ingredient you don’t recognize on an ingredient list (because they probably weren’t covered in high school chemistry class), check out the Environmental Working Group’s Database. The EWG grades nearly all ingredients found in common cleaning products in the United States.
Just reading the word fragrance on the ingredient list, above, raises a big red flag. Lots of undisclosed ingredients can be hiding under this vague ingredient name, including phthalates (which are believed to disrupt hormones and be carcinogenic).
Learning how to make your own cleaning products is one of the best ways to avoid toxic chemicals and have confidence in what you’re using to clean your home. There’s no need to memorize a long list of ingredients to avoid or spend hours researching safe cleaning products. And the best part is…with just a handful of natural and non-toxic ingredients you clean your entire home and make your own speciality cleaning products.
Why learn how to make your own cleaning products? This DIY glass cleaner is a great place to start!
- Save Money. You probably already have most of the ingredients needed to make this homemade glass and mirror cleaner, and many other DIY cleaners, already in your home! And the best part, you can use the same ingredients to make other homemade cleaners, like an all-purpose cleaner.
- Reduce Exposure to harsh chemicals that are of known concern (like fragrance ingredients and ammonia), yet continue to be used in popular cleaners.
- Be Self-Sufficient. Learning how to cook and make your own natural cleaners is a great way to do this! That’s what Live Simply is all about.
Now I get it, the rational answer is not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” I understand that we don’t live in a bubble. I still use some plastic products in our home (just to name one example) and probably come in contact with phthalates, and other ingredients, just by continuing with daily routines outside our home. But when an alternative solution exists for something that’s sprayed in our home environment regularly, like glass cleaner, and that solution only takes 60 seconds to pour into a bottle and spray on my windows and mirrors, why not give it a shot?
Today, my goal is not to scare you, but rather to show you just how easy it is to make homemade glass cleaner at home.
How to Make Glass Cleaner
Ingredients to make homemade DIY glass cleaner…
- 1/2 cup Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol): This ingredient is very low on the toxicity scale (see how it rates). Rubbing alcohol dries quickly and helps create that streak-free cleaning experience we all want from a glass, mirror, and window cleaner. If you prefer, I think vodka would also work as a substitute.
- 1/3 cup White Vinegar: The superstar of natural cleaning ingredients! This antibacterial ingredient is acidic and removes film, grime, and dirt on glass surfaces, naturally and without toxic chemicals.
- Water: From a safety and bacterial perspective, it’s best to use distilled water when making homemade DIY cleaners. For streak-free surfaces, like glass surfaces, using distilled water will keep surfaces streak-free (tap water can leave water spots on surfaces).
- Essential Oils: This is optional. If you want to scent your products, add a few drops of essential oil for a natural scent. I love a germ fighter blend (like this)–the combo of clove and other warm spices is amazing!
- 16-ounce Spray Bottle (my favorite): You’ll need a bottle to shake and combine the mixture of ingredients.
Add the rubbing alcohol and vinegar to the spray bottle, and essential oil if using (about 10-15 drops), then top the bottle off with water until full. So easy, right?!
How to Use DIY Glass Cleaner
With your homemade glass cleaner ready to go, here’s how to put this spray cleaner to use…
- Spray on surfaces. Use this cleaner on glass, window, or stainless steel (always spot test first) surfaces. This glass cleaner also works as a homemade window cleaner and mirror cleaner. You don’t need 3 different products for cleaning windows, glass surfaces, and mirrors–just this one!
- Wipe with a cloth. I recommend a microfiber cloth for streak-free cleaning. Microfiber cloths don’t leave behind the lint like many other cleaning cloths.
More DIY Cleaner Recipes and Tips
After making this recipe, give these natural cleaning tips and recipes a try…
Homemade Glass and Mirror Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rubbing/isopropyl alcohol (if you'd prefer to not use this ingredient, skip it and add 1/2 vinegar OR vodka)
- 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
- distilled water distilled water is best if storing for a few weeks, filtered water is fine if using within a few days
Instructions
- Add the alcohol and vinegar to a 16 ounce spray bottle.1/2 cup rubbing/isopropyl alcohol, 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
- Add water until the bottle is full (use a funnel, if needed). If you don't care for a vinegar scent (although it goes away once the surface dries), add a few drops of your favorite cleaning essential oil. I personally like lemon, grapefruit, or a germ fighter blend. This glass cleaner may be stored at room temperature.distilled water
- To Use: Spray a glass, mirror, or window surface with the cleaner, then wipe the surface with a cloth (microfiber is best for streak-free glass cleaning).
Video
how do i make this lemon scented? thanks 🙂
Hey Kenny, You’ll need to add lemon essential oil, about 15-30 drops.
Wow, what a simple hack! My glass doors and window looks new again and the solution is perfect. I’ll defiantly share this solution with my closest friends. Regards, Kristin.
I’m so glad you like the cleaner spray!
Hi Kristin
Could you tell me what your germ fighting essential oil blend is?
Many thanks 😊
Hey Lara, I use Plant Therapy’s blend: https://amzn.to/3JKWpAX You can also make your own, here’s a recipe (just use the essential oil part, not the all purpose ingredients): https://livesimply.me/bandits-oil-disinfecting-kitchen-spray/
Very good info. Lucky me I recently found your site by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve book marked it for later!|
Thanks a lot for sharing such a great natural Glass Cleaner recipe!
If water would shorten the shelf-life of this cleaner, is it okay to skip the water?
Please advise. Thank you!
I would use distilled water as that will keep for 1-2 months.
LS Team
Thanks for your response, Chardea! Kristin had replied with the same answer as well. : )
Thanks a lot for sharing such a great natural Glass Cleaner recipe!
If water would shorten the shelf-life of this cleaner, is it okay to skip the water?
Please advise. Thank you!
Hey Katherine, I wouldn’t skip it, just use distilled water so it keeps for 1-2 months.
Thanks for your prompt response, Kristin! I’ll follow your advice then. ^_^
This Lockdown I have worked on these shower glass doors really great tips to clean and make it shine. It helped me a lot and I even shared these processes with close relatives and friends.
Great blog, thank you so much for sharing with us.
Thank you!
Interesting tips. Nice to know some new strategies of glass cleaning. Thanks!
Hi there, thanks for the great recipes. Just wondering how quickly water-based products should be used? Is there any way to extend their life? Thanks 🙂
Hi Cara, Kristin is on vacation right now, but I have made a note for her to answer your comment when she returns. Rachel
I’m also wondering how long this product can be used since it is water based.
Hey Lene, It will last about 4 weeks, using distilled water. I’ve found that I use the entire bottle within in this time. You can also reduce the amounts to make a smaller amount.
Wow, Its a wonder! Now my shower glass doors are perfect with the new look. I’ll definitely refer this recipe to my besties. Thanks Kristin.
Thanks, Jennifer. Glad you’re enjoying it.
Hey Teairro, Like vodka? I think it should work.
I just washed my windows! They have never looked so good! Thank you!
Awesome, Tami! I’m so happy to hear that.
Made a batch of this over the weekend and cleaned all the windows of my house. It’s fantastic! Cleans wonderfully and leaves no streaks! Thanks for another great DIY cleaning product!
That’s so great to hear, Betsy!!
I may have missed this somewhere but your spray bottles look like glass – are they and if so where do I find some? Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Hey Karen, I purchase my glass spray bottles from Sally’s Organics on Amazon: http://amzn.to/29C6O2Y. They are my absolute favorite. They sell both amber and clear bottles.
Hi Kristin,
For the past few months I have been trying to get chemical filled cleaners out of my home. Thank you for all your great DIY cleaners. So far I have made liquid laundry soap (awesome! it even took out some old stains the other chemical soap couldn’t), foaming hand soap (love it), mirror and window cleaner (my windows and mirrors in my house have never looked so good!). Thank you so much. I love your website an I am going to continue to keep using your DIY cleaners for my home to keep my family safe.
Hey Chef Sherry,
That’s so great! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the cleaners! Great work!!
love this
Thanks, Rosalee!
It worked perfectly on mirror and steel appliances. Thanks
Awesome, Ritu! Enjoy!!
I like that your recipe doesn’t include cornstarch, which the popular recipe on Pinterest has. I found it left a film on my mirrors. Glass and Mirror cleaner was the first thing I replaced when I was expecting my son. I think it’s a good place to start since it doesn’t require essential oils or liquid soap one may find expensive or unavailable at first. Also, this cleaner doesn’t require a glass bottle that can be scary in the beginning especially if you have little ones.
I’m so glad you are doing this series, I never even thought about home cleaners being heavily laden with toxic chemicals until I read that pregnant woman should avoid cleaners as much as possible in the booklet my doctor gave me on my first visit. I threw my cleaners out, made my first homemade glass/window cleaner and for a while used vinegar and baking soda to clean everything else, which didn’t work too well and didn’t smell too well, I might add. Then I found your bathroom cleaner and it changed the way I clean my home! No more hours of elbow grease, and complaints from the hubby, not to mention my own nose. Thank you for your excellent work and your passion for sharing the knowledge you gain.
Hey Bethany, Wow! I had no idea pregnancy booklets recommend avoiding cleaners…very interesting! I’m so glad you’re loving the bathroom cleaner and the series!
Wow! I first made the powdered foundation. Needed it a wee bit darker. Then the face cleanser! Then the body wash! Tomorrow will be the window cleaner! Wow, wow, wow! This is si exciting!
I am a naturest of the 60’s. Rose hip jam, eating greens from my yard, then I found your site.
The next is shampoo. My hair has become so thin from any I have used. What do you sugest?
I am a big fan! I believe in passing on good information too! Keep doing what youare doing to make it a better place. Years ago I stopped eating stuff that had ing that Icouldnt pronounce. What is there about high frutoise that ussi bad?
That’s awesome, Frances. It’s so great to hear the blog and recipes have been so helpful!
I still use store-bought shampoo (since I haven’t been pleased with homemade alternatives just yet), and really like the brand EveryDay Shea. I don’t know much about other more natural brands, so I’d recommend taking a look at the EWG for shampoo recommendations.
High fructose (corn syrup) is a highly processed lab-generated sugar product and usually made from genetically modified corn. It’s incredibly cheap to use in processed food. We try to avoid any forms of highly processed sugar.
If you use distilled water to make the glass cleaner would it last longer?
Hi there, yes the distilled water will make it last longer.
LS Team