House cleaning with natural products is becoming more important than ever to many people, both to maintain healthy homes and a healthy planet. The Cleaning Crew, LLC focuses on using natural products because we believe it is the right choice and we find that many of our clients value eco-friendly house cleaning as well.
With this in mind we have been trying out a few new house cleaning recipes, starting with a variation on an old standby of vinegar and water glass cleaner, something that I have come back to time and time again despite the occasional test run of store bought glass cleaners. This simple recipe has proven to be a great combination of economy and efficiency. Keep reading for an updated version of this recipe that has become a new favorite glass cleaner for The Cleaning Crew, LLC.
Good Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Combine vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and mist surface evenly. Use lint free cotton cloths for the best results on glass. This basic solution is best suited for light cleaning on most surfaces.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved this simple vinegar and water solution, and planned to go on using it for the rest of my cleaning days. Never mind that it takes a little bit more elbow grease than the smelly blue stuff, and never mind that its really only effective for cleaning glass and other slick surfaces, I still loved it for all of its earth and people friendly simplicity. Also, it costs just a few pennies to make, always a nice bonus!
However, about a year ago I came across a suggestion to add rubbing alcohol to the mixture, and my oh my, what a difference! My appreciation for homemade, natural cleaning products has reached an all time high! The boost of rubbing alcohol elevates this humble glass cleaners effectiveness and provides disinfecting properties as well. My mirrors and other shiny surfaces sparkle like they have never sparkled before, and counter tops and faucets handles are squeaky clean, nary a germ to be found!
Better Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered water
- 1/8 cup rubbing alcohol (70% or higher isopropyl content)
- 1/8 cup white vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle, and use lint free cotton cloths to clean and polish. Also works great for stainless steel and other slick surfaces, or for light cleaning on most surfaces.
We are careful not to use the alcohol and vinegar mixture on delicate painted or lacquered surfaces, but counter tops, sinks, appliances, door knobs, and any other durable and high traffic areas are fair game.
Best All-Natural Glass Cleaner (from Crunchy Betty)
I have included the Crunchy Betty recipe below:
The Best Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered, very hot water
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 c. rubbing alcohol (at least 70% isopropyl, if not more)
- 1/8 c. white vinegar
Instructions: Boil your water and let it cool just a bit. Add cornstarch to your spray bottle, and then the hot water. Shake well to dissolve. Add the rubbing alcohol and vinegar, and shake again. Every time you use this, you’ll want to shake it up to avoid clogging the spray nozzle with undissolved cornstarch. Use liberally and happily. Smile.
Don’t ask me how, but something amazing happens with the addition of cornstarch to the mix. I have never seen anything like the polishing power of this recipe, it is amazing! We wondered if the cornstarch would leave a residue on other surfaces, like counter tips and stainless steel, but this is not the case. After a frenzy of house cleaning with this stuff, everything comes up sparkling, and the disinfectant action of the alcohol is a welcome addition. I still keep a bottle of just vinegar and water for really delicate surfaces, but rarely is it called into action, as most of the daily house cleaning occurs in areas with durable surfaces.
Bleach now sits in the very back of the cleaning supply cabinet, only pulled out for areas with high germ populations. Since my house is regularly cleaned and low traffic, this means the bathroom. Although bleach kills a larger spectrum of germs, rubbing alcohol is less corrosive to the skin and lungs of soft and pink mortals like ourselves, and it kills many germs. Of course you don’t want to expose alcohol to flame of any kind, but I don’t find myself going out of my way to make sure this doesn’t happen.
When I need a boost in the cleaning power of the glass solution, a dash of Bon Ami works wonders, especially on stainless steel appliances as long as you are careful to go with the grain. In the course of researching this article, I discovered that bleach breaks down fairly quickly into harmless components, mostly oxygen and table salt. Who knew? I certainly didn’t, and although I still prefer to use bleach as little as possible, I don’t feel as guilty about the eventual result of my bleachy house cleaning choices.
We hope that you try one of these recipes and would love to hear what you think! Do you have a favorite homemade house cleaning solution? Please let us know!
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