This homemade glass cleaner recipe is a great replacement for store-bought cleaners. It uses natural ingredients commonly found in your home, so you can trust even the littlest of children to clean your windows with this spray! This glass cleaner is so easy to make and will leave a streak-free shine on your windows and mirrors!

I have been making homemade cleaners for a long time now and some of my cleaners have evolved from just vinegar, but this DIY glass cleaner still utilizes white vinegar as the star of the show.

We try not to use commercial cleaners as much as possible because 1) I have toddlers in my home and most of these chemicals are not safe for them, 2) I love the convenience of not having to run to the store, and 3) I know exactly what is in this and I know the ingredients are natural and safe for us!

We had initially switched to making my own cleaners because of all the harmful chemicals that are found in store-bought products such as store-bought glass cleaners. However, over time I discovered it was pretty cost-effective to make my own homemade cleaning products and they have very simple ingredients!

This homemade glass cleaner recipe is perfect for your deep spring cleaning or, if you’re like me, any time your toddlers rub their fingers all over your windows! I think there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing clean windows after there have been hand prints all over it.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe

It will leave you with streak-free windows

There’s nothing more annoying than cleaning your windows and you have a bad cleaner that leaves you with streaky windows. The good news is, the ingredients in this recipe will not only clean your dirty windows or bathroom mirror, it will also leave you with a streak-free shine! The ingredients in this recipe are designed to clean, disinfect, and also dry quickly to give you that streak-free shine.

It is Made with natural ingredients

The ingredients in this homemade glass cleaner recipe are simple and natural ingredients. It is free of artificial fragrances, dyes, and harsh chemicals! The ingredients are safe for kids if it gets sprayed on them or they accidentally inhale some for whatever reason. That is why I love it! I can trust my toddlers to help “clean” the windows and it is one of their most favorite jobs!

It is super cost-effective

There are some great natural options out there for natural glass cleaners that you can buy, but this is significantly cheaper and you can easily use grocery delivery for these ingredients!

** Side note, this is NOT meant to clean glasses. It can potentially damage certain aspects of your lenses. This should only be used on windows, mirrors, glass surfaces, etc.

What’s in this homemade glass cleaner recipe:

White Vinegar:

White vinegar is eco-friendly and safe around toddlers while also having superb cleaning qualities. The acidity in the vinegar makes it capable of removing grease, grime, and dirt on glass surfaces.

Rubbing Alcohol:

Rubbing alcohol is kind of the secret ingredient in this recipe that gives the glass cleaner a streak-free shine. This is because rubbing alcohol will cause the cleaner to dry faster, which is what gets you that streak-free shine! You can leave this out if you prefer not to use it. I love adding it in because of the quick-drying properties!

Distilled Water:

You need distilled water to dilute your vinegar because it will be too acidic to use on its own. You want to make sure you use distilled water to reduce water spots and to prevent spoilage of your cleaning solution. This is because tap water and mineral water can cause mixtures to expire faster.

Essential Oils:

Essential oils are optional in this recipe. However, they do have beneficial properties and they take away that vinegar smell. If the smell of vinegar bothers you I would consider adding lemon essential oil or any favorite essential oil to this mixture to help with that. I love the smell!

See my post here on the best essential oil brands!

How to make natural glass cleaner:

You’ll need one glass spray bottle to hold your glass cleaning solution. This recipe makes 8oz.

Ingredients:

4oz vinegar
4oz distilled water
2tbsp rubbing alcohol
10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil

Add all ingredients to your glass spray bottle and shake it to mix well!

It is important that you have the right ratio of water and vinegar to have your streak-free shine. The 1:1 ratio works best in my opinion!

The Best way to use your DIY window cleaner

When cleaning your windows you will need your glass cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth. You can also use paper towels or any other lint-free cloth.

Spray your window cleaner directly on your windows and wipe with your microfiber cloth. It is best to clean your windows on a sunny day to get the cleaner to dry evenly, reducing the chances of streaks.

You will want to avoid getting this all over the trim and inside of your windows so you don’t damage those surfaces.

Glass Cleaning Tips and Tricks

There a few things to help you get a great shine on your glass when you clean and make this homemade glass cleaner even more effective.

Clean your windows with a sudsy solution of dish soap and hot water before using glass cleaner. This will help get off any extra grime that can leave streaks on your windows.
Use dusting spray to get any dust off your windows. Sometimes dust will spread around on your windows and contribute to streaks. If you quickly wipe them down with a dry cloth beore you use your spray you can remove excess dust particles.
Clean on a sunny day versus a cloudy day if you can. This will help the natural window cleaner dry more evenly, reducing streaks.

Final Thoughts:

It is easy to make your own homemade cleaning products with simple ingredients and make a cleaning solution that works! The best part is your kids can use this safely to help you clean around the home! If you try this out leave a comment below!