Join us for our Spring Cleaning Challenge to Organize and Clean for a Thrifty and Healthy Home!
Do you want to know the secret for the BEST EVER homemade Window, Glass and Stainless Steel Cleaner?? Well, I have that for you today!!
You know that we have been posting our favorite versions and recipes of our homemade cleaning products. Well, I have been making my own products for a very long time. But even longer is how long I have been making my own Homemade Window and Glass cleaner. In fact, it was the first cleaning product I made at home and this is probably the case for most homes. It is easy and it works – really no matter the recipe, they all work.
BUT….SOME.WORK.BETTER.THAN.OTHERS.
I have tried many, many combinations of this cleaning solution until I finally stumbled upon the right mixture to make the perfect, effective, streak-free, smell good and awesome window and glass cleaner. One day, I also sprayed down one of my stainless steel appliances… BEAUTIFUL results!! So it is my all-three-spots-in-your-home-in-one-spiffy-cleaner-recipe!
Again, this is my own recipe, it may not be unique, but it is finally one I developed after wanting to perfect other recipes out there!
Here’s the ingredients needed: (my picture shows both of my bottles and I explain below why I have two!)
- Any size spray bottle
- Equal parts water to equal parts vinegar (white distilled) to fill your bottle
- 4 drops of lavender or lemon (both are great!) essential oil per 4 oz of liquid
- 1 drop of dish soap per 4oz. of liquid
- *Funnel if needed
Here’s how to make it:
- Pour the equal parts of water and vinegar in your bottle
- Then add the dish soap
- Then add your drops of essential oil
- Put the lid/sprayer back on and shake until blended
I actually have 2 bottles of these – a 4oz. bottle that is lemon scented for my stainless steel appliances that I keep under the kitchen sink. The other one is a 20 oz bottle that is lavender scented for my mirrors, glass and windows – the bigger all-over-the-house jobs that I keep in my cleaning caddy in my cleaning closet. I like the lemon scent in my kitchen, but you do not need to do this, only if you want two different scents!
I also shake the bottle before each use. I don’t know if it is necessary, but it makes me feel like all of the ingredients are blended well before each use in case any settling has occurred.
I clean my glass, mirrors and stainless steel with newspapers or microfiber cloths (cotton rags leave little cotton bits/lint). You would not BELIEVE how beautiful, shiny and streak-free they will look! I would show a picture of one of my mirrors, but a picture doesn’t do it justice!
Now if only I can get the 1.5 and 4 year old to stop handprinting every window, stainless steel appliance and glass table within their reach just seconds after I clean it, then I could enjoy the WHOLE window, table, appliance or mirror being clean, not just the top half 🙂 But at least I knew it was clean before they touched it and then when they touch it, I know it was natural ingredients that they are coming into contact with!
As far as how cheap this is, wow, considering that we buy vinegar by the gallons at Costco that end up being around $1.50 a gallon. This is 128 oz. of vinegar. So for my 20 oz. bottle, 10 oz. is vinegar which would be like nearly one 13th of the bottle or about .11 cents. A gallon from Walmart is $2.38 which would be about .18 each 10 oz. batch.
So here’s my estimated cost breakdown:
- .12 – .18 of vinegar (depending on where you get it)
- Water, let’s just say free
- Dish soap, well…maybe .01 a drop, so 4 drops??? = .04
- Lavender or Lemon Essential Oil around $6 a bottle which will last for a LONG time (ours has lasted forever) so we will estimate around $0.25?
TOTAL per 20 oz. bottle = .41 – .47 MAYBE (which is still probably a lot more than the real number)
Here’s a printable recipe that you can put in your home binder:
| Best Ever Homemade Window, Glass and Stainless Steel Cleaner | | Print |
- Any size spray bottle
- Equal parts water to equal parts vinegar (white distilled) to fill your bottle
- 4 drops of lavender or lemon (both are great!) essential oil per 4 oz of liquid
- 1 drop of dish soap per 4oz. of liquid
- *Funnel if needed
- Pour the equal parts of water and vinegar in your bottle
- Then add the dish soap
- Then add your drops of essential oil
- Put the lid/sprayer back on and shake until blended
We also HIGHLY recommend that you put this in your home binder along with many more things we will be sharing! See all of the information on this in our previous post HERE about Put Together Your Home Binder with Free Downloads.
Finally, use this new thrifty and healthy cleaning product as part of our Spring Cleaning Challenge.
Kaidi
A quick question. Why lemon and lavender oils? Can you use, say, peppermint oil?
Cassie
Hi Kaidi, you can actually use any essential oil. In fact, any of the 7 best for cleaning are good so you can kill those bacteria and icky things that grow in windows/window sills. We have those posted here (https://thethriftycouple.com/2013/03/15/hot-deal-on-essential-oils-to-use-in-our-homemade-natural-cleaning-products/). Peppermint is one of the 7 I recommend for cleaning. I only mentioned lemon and lavender as they both are very pleasant smelling and do the best job (in my opinion) of masking the vinegar smell that many people do not like. However, I personally also like peppermint and cinnamon, but many people don’t like the smell of it with vinegar. The other oils on the list are very effective and cleaning and killing the bad stuff, but as such, the smell is quite strong too, so adding it with vinegar takes a strong nose. But it isn’t a problem, other than the smells 🙂 Hope that helps!
Paula
WOW! You keep your stainless steel appliances under the sink??? AWESOME!
Kaidi
Yes, it does. Thank you! I thought perhaps the other two oils had something specific for cleaning :). I can’t wait to get to my windows but it’s still fairly cold to do the windows from the outside, so part of me doesn’t want to do it inside either since you cant really see the difference (well, no actual finger prints, though 🙂 but it’s supposed to warm up to high 50s this weekend so ready or not – I just cannot stand the winter grime anymore 🙂
Cassie
I understand! I have grown up in harsh cold winters my whole life, but I don’t consider myself a winter person 🙂
tijundonghua60
I’m pretty scared of winter. When I can’t take a shower, it’s uncomfortable
Jolee
Hi Cassie!
I’ve used vinegar/water/drops of Dawn to clean windows and mirrors for decades. Just added an organic lavender & tea tree oil combo I had for cosmetic use to my spray bottle. I was a bit skeptical, thinking the oil would leave streaks. But I can report that the oils seemed to break down some of the splatters on the bathroom mirrors more rapidly with no streaks, and they seem less prone to fingerprints! Bonus is that my bathroom didn’t smell like a salad when I was done!!!
Cassie
Thank you for the update Jolee! I am so glad to hear it! I love this stuff and it is kinda weird to think that oils wouldn’t. Essential oils are a whole other ball game and totally different. In fact, it is such a different oil that certain ones can be put directly on acne to take the acne away. I say that because in my teen years, I would have never have thought or tried oils – that was the last thing I wanted on my skin! But that just shows that they are different!
donni
I have a question and perhaps you have already posted a recipe for this and could just point me in the right direction. I’m finding all kinds of homemade cleaners but are these cleaners safe for things like computer screens and flat screens and laptop screens?? I’m scared to try on these….
Chad
I use nothing but 3 things. And I clean everything like this basically.
Now I use 2 microfiber towels. One for cleaning the other to follow behind drying what I just cleaned. And the secret ingredient …..water!
Wet one micro fiber cloth. Ring til almost dry, but still damp. Wipe area to be cleaned and follow behind with the dry micro fiber cloth. Done!
Sylvia Marie
Thank you, thank you for this post. I just finished printing the “recipe”, so I shall close and mix it together, so i can get started adding sparkle to my home! 🙂
Donna Foley
I have used this type of method for a while, but just with straight vinegar and water.
I just made a batch, but left out the essential oil. It doesn’t smell as nice, but works just as well.
I just got a new set of stainless steel pans and it said not to use any kind of citrus cleaner on them. My new place also has all stainless appliances, so I am erring on the side of caution. I will try lavender as soon as I unpack my oils.
barbara
Hi Cassie!
I have been using this recipe for years, with one added bonus on the bathroom mirror… After cleaning, I go over it with foam shaving cream. Let dry, and buff with lint free cloth…. When you get out of the shower,you won’t have a foggy mirror!! And its lasts, which leaves you with less mirror cleaning from streaks!
Also, @ Donna…. I used to work in a laundromat and had to wipe down every Stainless steel washer and dryer EVERY NIGHT….using STRAIGHT LEMON OIL. Worked like a charm and left no streaks or finger prints. Now I use it at home. Spray it on the lint free cloth though instead of the appliance so it doesn’t get on the floor…
barbara
P.s… Because it WILL be slippery.
Thank you for all of your tips Cassie…. Just downsized from a 2story colonial to a ranch due to disabilities….wonderful tips on shortcuts and organization!! Keep up the great job keeping moms sane!! Lol it has truly been a Godsend! God Bless you and yours! >
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Angel Todosijevic
Thought I would try this since being new to the stainless steel world & a neat freak the two don’t mix believe me !! I tried everything else that didn’t work & I had all of the ingredients using the lemon juice & WORKS FANTASTICALLY WOO HOO Thank u so much for giving me less stress cleaning my kitchen <3
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Lexy
I use this to clean my Laminate floors throughout my entire home. We were spending a fortune on all the SWIFTER Products and what’s worse was that it would make my laminate flooring look dull. One day I decided to mix in my bucket
1) Warm Water
2) Couple drops of Blue Dawn Dish Soap
3) 1/2 Cup of Vinegar
4) 10 drops of Citrus Oil
5) 10.drops of Lavender Oil
6) 3 Microfiber rags
I was shocked and so excited to have used this. I cannot even begin to explain how CLEAN my floors look, feel and smell. Mind you I have 3 indoor dogs. A Pit bull Mastiff & a Pom who live to sun bathe. Therefore they lay out and track dirt indoors. My 3rd is my Service Animal he’s a 137 lb German Shepherd. He never leaves my side just to go potty and runs right back . I usually clean my floors 1 detailed. 2 maintenance a week. I clean my baseboards and trim with this solution as well.
slope game
For decades, I’ve cleaned windows and mirrors using vinegar, water, and a few drops of Dawn. I just spritzed my spray bottle with organic lavender and tea tree oil blend I had on hand for cosmetic purposes. I was a little concerned that the oil might leave streaks. However, I can report that the oils appeared to break down some of the splatters on the bathroom mirrors more quickly and without leaving streaks, and they appear to be less susceptible to fingerprints! Plus, when I was finished, my bathroom didn’t smell like a salad!
ShadMoon
If you are able to do constant cleaning of the house, then that’s cool. But personally, I decided to rid myself of this case. I have better things to do than spend so much time cleaning. In addition, there is an eavestrough cleaning service that I learned about from here. I would hardly be able to clean the drains of dirt, old leaves with high quality. It is better to entrust it to specialists.