Frugal Glass and Mirror Cleaners

Below are several low-cost recipes for glass cleaners, starting from the simplest to the more involved recipes. The best “wash-cloth” for a good no-streak clean is simple newspaper.  Spray down your glass, and wipe it up with the newspaper, and then buff it dry with a clean piece of newspaper.  Do not wash your outside windows on a sunny day, as the cleaner will dry before you can wipe it off.

NOTE: If you wish to reuse a spray bottle that previously had a cleaning chemical in it, you MUST wash it (very well) several times before putting any of these recipes in it.  The commercial chemicals may react to some of the ingredients listed below.

1. Simply fill an empty spray bottle with Clob Soda, either flat or bubbly.  Spray it onto your surface, and wipe it off.
2. In a regular-sized spray bottle, combine: 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 2-3 cups of water, or until the bottle is full. To use this recipe in larger amounts, combine 1/2 cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of warm water in a bucket, and use a clean cloth to mop your window with it. To use this recipe as a windshield washer in a car, simply make the vinegar and water equal.
3. In a regular-sized spray bottle, combine: 1/4 cup of peroxide, 2 to 3 cups of water or until the bottle is full. To use this recipe in larger amounts, combine 1/2 peroxide with 1 gallon of warm water in a bucket, and use a clean cloth to mop your window with it.
4. In a regular-sized spray bottle, combine: 1 cup of rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water, and 1 tbsp white vinegar.
5. In a medium sized bucket, combine: 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia (the sudsy or cloudy type will also work, but will streak), 1/2 cup white vinegar, and 1 gallon warm water. NOTE: Although ammonia is a natural substance, it is still toxic if ingested, and can be an irritant. Use with gloves.
6. In a medium-sized bucket, combine: 1 gallon water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp liquid dish detergent. This recipe can also be used as a frost-free car windshield washing solution.
7. In a regular-sized spray bottle, combine: 1/4- 1/2 cup liquid castile soap (liquid vegetable oil soap- IE: Murphy's Oil Soap), 3 tbsp white vinegar, 2 cups water. NOTE: The soap helps cut the waxy residue that commercial brand window cleaners leave, and it leaves a streak-free shine as long as you dry it well.
8. In a regular-size spray bottle, combine: 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 rubbing alcohol or peroxide, 1/4 tsp dishwashing detergent.
9. In a regular-sized spray bottle, combine: 1 1/2 cups white vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 8 drops of citrus essential oil- your choice.
   

Sometimes, simply using straight white vinegar and a scrub pad will remove the hard water deposits- with a good deal of elbow grease.  This is one of the few times I will endorse a commercial product: Mr Clean Magic Eraser.  With only a little water, these will clean just about everything, from everyday cleaning jobs, to stubborn scuff marks, pen marks, hard water, you name it.  There is not a lot that these won’t work on, with a little elbow grease and some time. You can buy a pack of two for less than $5, and you can use them until they fall apart.  If you have a Costco membership, you can get a pack of 8 for under $10.

The Magic Eraser and all of the no-name versions are made with a plastic foam called Formaldehyde-Melamine-Sodium Bisulfite Copolymer.  There is no additional cleaner added to the eraser.  There is no “magic ingredient".  The reason they work so well is that the foam, though it feels smooth on the fingers, is like very fine sandpaper.  It simply scrubs away the dirt, no chemical needed.

To get rid of hard water stains on your shower door, all you have to do is wet your Magic Eraser and scrub it away.  This may take some time, but it should be fairly easy.
 
Once the hard water stains are gone, you can prevent them from coming back so easily by simply applying a sealant to the glass.  For a pleasant-smelling short term seal, simply rub either lemon oil or orange oil over the glass. For a longer term sealant, rub on some automotive or furniture paste wax. This will dry clear, and it prevents hard water minerals from bonding to the glass. After applying it, you can clean your glass again and again without having to reapply the seal.