I have a recipe for you this Sunday, but I definitely wouldn't recommend eating it!
You might think I've gone off the deep end, that I've taken my lifestyle to a crazy, hippie kind of place. You might be right. Despite all of that, I'm here to tell you that this stuff
works. Better than Windex. Better than anything I've tried.
And there's no harmful, toxic chemicals.
AND it's super-cheap to make using ingredients you probably already have in your house. Intrigued?
First off, how did I get to a place where I'm making my own cleaning products? It's the result of 2 interests in my life colliding- saving money and slowly ridding the house of chemicals. I've been on a DIY kick for quite awhile. I've been trying different cleaning concoctions, and to be honest, not having much luck. As much as I want to kick that nasty bottle of 409 to the curb, it still does an amazing job. However, one homemade cleaning solution has passed the test of time. Again, and again. And it's this glass cleaner. I found the
recipe on a very helpful blog I follow,
Crunchy Betty. Crunchy Betty is all about making healthy, conscious choices. And not in a boring way :)
It's easy to make, using only 3 ingredients. The 4th ingredient is water. You mix all the ingredients together, and voila. Homemade glass cleaner. If you aren't fond of the smell (vinegar mixed with alcohol, yum yum!), you could mix in some lemon or orange essential oil. I have a feeling you would need a citrus oil to mask this scent. I'm kind of fond of the smell, it just smells clean to me. I was skeptical upon first using this, but wow. I was quickly converted. This is the least streaky product I've ever tried. Make sure to give this a good shake before each use, as the cornstarch settles to the bottom. My expert cleaning tip is to use this with old newspaper. I use one piece of newspaper to rub it all in over the glass, and leave it kind of damp. I use a second piece of dry newspaper to capture the residue. Using a dry material to finish is key with this cleaner. I think the dry newspaper mopping up the cornstarch is what really makes glass shine when using this.
Some of you might be saying that you use cloth to clean glass. Here's why I'm not a fan. Yes, cloth is good for the environment and reusable. But cloth leaves fibers over my glass and mirrors, and that annoys me. I don't feel bad using newspaper, because this newspaper promptly gets shredded and put in the compost. Yep, you heard me right. Put it in the compost. I was researching this very topic, to see if my DIY cleaning product is compostable. Sure is. Water? Check. Cornstarch? Check. Alcohol? A natural antiseptic, but it evaporates in the air so fast, it won't kill the bacteria in your compost. Check. Same goes with the vinegar, which dissipates a little slower, but is still compostable. Check!
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| Just a little Washi tape and some labels! |
Now, the decorated bottle? Completely optional :)
I don't know about you, but I enjoy cleaning so much more with pretty things. Maybe I am that crazy hippie? LOL.
I highly recommend trying this solution. It's not one of those DIY cleaners that you are going to be disgusted with, and immediately tossing in the trash. I'm almost betting you'll end up a convert, like me. Never buying Windex again.
Happy Sunday friends!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup alcohol
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups warm water
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake to incorporate. Shake before each use, for best results.
