The BEST Dang Homemade Glass Cleaner (Easy, Streak Free & Non-Toxic)

Truly the best dang homemade glass cleaner recipe you will try… This homemade window cleaner is easy, streak free & non-toxic, AND it’s just 4 ingredients!

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Best is such a subjective term, don’t you think? And I feel like it’s used far too freely these days. Everyone has the “best” recipe for this and the “best” recipe for that… They can’t all be the BEST, right?

Prior to sharing this homemade glass cleaner recipe, I’ve posted exactly two recipes in my 8+ years of blogging that I called the best — this whipped buttercream frosting recipe and this strawberry daiquiri recipe. And judging from the response both of those recipes have received over the years, I was completely justified…

The Best Homemade Window Cleaner Recipe

So when I call this the BEST dang homemade window cleaner, just know that a lot of trial and error has gone into developing this recipe, and I truly feel it’s earned that title! I had a few specific criteria in mind when I was creating this homemade glass cleaner recipe:

1| Non-toxic — making my own homemade household cleaners isn’t just about saving money. It’s also about removing unnecessary toxins, which is why I developed this recipe using 80-proof vodka (the cheap stuff, of course!) instead of isopropyl alcohol. Vodka contains ethyl alcohol which is safe for human consumption, while isopropyl alcohol is toxic when absorbed.

2| Simple — the remaining 3 ingredients are distilled water, white vinegar and a few drops of essential oil, meaning this recipe is easy enough that even my kids can mix up a batch. With a rambunctious Weimaraner puppy and five kids, our windows need cleaned frequently, so I wanted everyone in our household to be able to refill the bottle as needed.

3| Streak-free — maybe this goes without saying, but a glass cleaner that isn’t truly streak free just isn’t worth the time and effort to use. Am I right?!

Above all, it had to pass muster with my husband. He’s more than a little attached to that blue stuff we both used growing up, and no other glass cleaner recipe I’ve tried prior to this was worthy in his eyes.

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DIY Glass Cleaner — Is Essential Oil Required?

In short, yes — the essential oil serves a purpose beyond just helping to cover the scent of the vinegar. It’s the key ingredient that makes this window cleaner recipe streak free.

You may have seen a number of other DIY glass cleaner recipes online that call for cornstarch to make them streak free. While I found that they did live up to the streak-free promise, they also left a bit of residue behind. And the cornstarch always settled in the bottom of the bottle, requiring a lot of vigorous shaking each time I needed to use it.

The essential oil in this recipe serves the same purpose — breaking the hydrogen bond that causes water molecules to get trapped in the pitted surface of glass, i.e. what causes streaking. You’ll still have to shake the bottle frequently, but it provides a more pleasant user experience (less odor and no residue)!

How to Make Homemade Window Cleaner

This homemade glass cleaner is seriously simple to make… Just combine all four ingredients in the quantities listed below in a pretty spray bottle (the one pictured is from Grove Collaborative, but here’s another option from Amazon), give it a good shake, and you’re ready to go!

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BEST Homemade Glass Cleaner

Yield: 1 (16-oz.) spray bottle

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Truly the best dang homemade glass cleaner recipe you will try… This homemade window cleaner is easy, streak free & non-toxic!

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Materials

• 1 1/4 cups distilled water
• 1/2 cup 80-proof vodka
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 8-10 drops of essential oil

Tools

• 1 (16-oz.) glass spray bottle
• silicone funnel
• microfiber cloths

Instructions

1. Using a silicone funnel, pour the distilled water, vodka, and white vinegar into a glass spray bottle.
2. Add 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil and replace the nozzle. Shake well.
3. Spray on windows, mirrors, etc. Wipe with a soft microfiber cloth until dry.

Notes

Please be aware that vinegar can etch marble. However, we have marble windowsills, and I’ve not experienced any issues. I just make sure to wipe them dry after cleaning the windows.

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Homemade Disinfectant Spray/h3>
If you like this homemade glass cleaner recipe, I think you’ll also adore this homemade disinfectant spray! Just 3 ingredients will help keep those to keep those nasty viruses at bay.

Is your microwave getting a little gross, too? Or maybe your garbage disposal? Try these other fabulous homemade cleaning products:

• Help prevent the spread of cold & flu naturally with this simple 3-ingredient DIY disinfectant spray!
• Stinky garbage disposal got you down? One of these homemade garbage disposal cleaner tabswill freshen it up in no time!
• Burned a bag of popcorn in your microwave? Learn how to how to get burnt smell out of microwave!