DIY Natural Ultra Glass Cleaner - 18¢ replaces $4 bottle of Windex!

It's Spring in the northern hemisphere and that means birds, flowers, and DIRTY GLASS!  Winter is relentless at fouling the glass surfaces that face the outside.  For instance I wanted to enjoy the sunshine and have lunch on the glass-topped table on our deck, but it was too filthy (see photo on upper left).  Of course, if you have kids or pets they've done an even greater number on the inside glass.  Here's a simple test--wherever you're sitting right now look around you at the glass surfaces you can see--am I right?  Yup, that's what I thought. ツ 

So now you have a few options:

• Take off your glasses - this would be my favorite solution but a few years ago, while we were living in Brazil, I got a great deal on Lasik surgery (can you tell that that saving money is a primal motivation for me? ツ).  That means that I can see the spots whether I choose to or not--dagnabbit!
• Wait for someone else to take care of it - this is my second favorite solution, and it usually works because I have such an amazing hard-working order-loving spouse, but this week she's travelling so that didn't work out either.
• Break out the commercial cleaners - the problem is that most of these contain toxic chemicals.  The most common example is ammonia.  According to Donna Kasuska, chemical engineer and president of ChemConscious, Inc., a risk-management consulting company. “Ammonia is a powerful irritant.  It’s going to affect you right away. The people who will be really affected are those who have asthma, and elderly people with lung issues and breathing problems. It’s almost always inhaled. People who get a lot of ammonia exposure, like housekeepers, will often develop chronic bronchitis and asthma.” Ammonia can also create a poisonous gas if it’s mixed with bleach.

There is another choice.  You can make your own homemade cleaner with safe natural ingredients, and it works even better than the commercial stuff!  Better yet, you can do all this for a mere 18¢ rather than the $4 you'll spend on a bottle of Windex.

Here's how to make your own natural ultra glass cleaner:

Start With Infused Vinegar -

Distilled white vinegar  is dirt cheap, is acidic, and it makes a great household cleaner but it has a downside--it makes your house smell like vinegar.  However, you can make it smell better, and actually improve it's cleaning ability by infusing it with natural oils from citrus peels and pine needles.  These not only smell good and mask the vinegar smell, but they contain compounds that make effective solvents and even have antimicrobial properties.

 

Both citrus and pines (along with other plants such as garlic, onion, tea-tree etc.) make their own phytoncides.  A phytoncide is a natural antimicrobial substance made by plants as their defense against bacteria, fungi, insects, and diseases.  Many of these phytoncides (such as the ones in citrus and pine) are members of a class of substances known as terpenes.  Terpenes are used widely as natural flavor additives for food, as fragrances in perfumery, and in traditional and alternative medicines such as aromatherapy.  They also have chemical properties that make them effective as solvents in cleaning products.  Citrus peels contain a terpene called limonene, while pines contains alpha-pinene, carene, myrcene and several other terpenes which are used to make everything from household cleaners to turpentine.

Here is how to make infused vinegar which can be used in many household cleaning applications by itself, and as an ingredient in several other very effective household cleaners.

• Distilled White Vinegar
• Citrus peels (don't throw away your orange, lemon, or lime peels--make a natural cleaner)
• Pine Sprigs - cut some small fresh sprigs with plenty of needles
• Canning Jar with a lid

Drop the citrus peels into the canning jar.  Cut the pine sprigs into small lengths of 2 to 3 inches.  Place in a pile on a cutting board and crush repeatedly with the side of a hammer until it smells like Christmas.  Put the pine sprigs into the jar with the citrus peels.  Fill the jar with vinegar.  Screw the lid on tightly.  Place the jar in a pot on the stove with water up to the top of the jar.  Bring the water to a boil and keep it boiling for 20 minutes.  Take the jar out of the hot water and let it cool until you can handle it.  Then pour the liquid through a colander to strain out any large particles and again through a cheesecloth or coffee filter to strain out the small particles.  Store this infused vinegar in a labeled container for later use--it should store indefinitely though some settling may occur (just shake it up when you're ready to use it).

Now Make Your Own Natural Glass Cleaner -

• 1 cup Infused Vinegar (see recipe above)
• 1/2 cup Rubbing Alchohol
• 2 tsp Citric Acid (this is optional but the extra acid acts as a water softener and helps break down hard water spots on glass)
• 2 cup Water

Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle (I got mine for $1 at the Dollar Store) and shake it well.  Spray it on the glass surface you want to clean and wipe off with a microfiber cloth (I got 2 for $1 at the Dollar Store).

Forget the Windex or other Commercial Glass Cleaner!  You'll pay $3.99 for a 26 ounce bottle and it will pollute the air in your house.  Now you can make your own glass cleaner for just pennies that works even better and has all natural ingredients that you probably already have around your home.  Here's the cost breakdown:

• Citrus peels - FREE (you were going to throw them in the trash anyway)
• Pine sprigs - FREE (don't get caught snipping them from your neighbor's tree though)
• 1 cup Vinegar - 12¢ (I got 2 gallons at Costco for $3.85)
• 2 tsp Citric Acid - 6¢ (you can get it in canning sections of your local store or online--I got mine here or you can also get it here)
• 2 cups Water - FREE (you can save way more than that much by turning the tap off while you brush your teeth)

That means you can make your own super glass cleaner for 18¢ in place of that bottle of Windex that costs $4...Windex costs over 22X what you can make your own for!  Still wondering whether you should make your own Natural Ultra Glass Cleaner?    The answer is as clear as my newly cleaned glass-top table...um, YES!