Last year, I tried to make my own glass cleaner with black tea and vinegar. It was disastrous.
A black film clung to my bathroom mirror for weeks. It looked like you were brushing your teeth in an old Bela Lugosi film.
Finally, when I got tired of pretending I was a vampire, I scrubbed it down with some old dry newspaper (paper towels were like, “Um, no. You made this mess. YOU clean it up”) and things got back to normal.
Tip time: For extra-shiny, streak-free mirrors, do a final wipe with (black and white) newspaper. It’s kinda awesome.
In any case, I haven’t had the courage to venture back into the realm of homemade glass cleaners until this moment – when I happen to be out of my 7th Generation. Remember how running out of store-bought things works when you want the impetus to try making something at home?
In all the searching I did for glass cleaners, I found three options I wanted to try. And then I came up with an award-winning fourth.
I mean, I gave myself the award. It was covered in white chocolate.
So, here we have:
Battle for the Title of Best Homemade Glass Cleaner!
Really, these are just recipes that use almost the same ingredients – plus or minus a few.
To prepare for the epic showdown, I splattered toothpaste all over my bathroom mirror, and then topped it off with a few healthy spritzes of Fiance’s icky hairspray. Then, I divided up sections with fancy blue painter’s tape.
It was a scientifically controlled masterpiece. Someone alert the people who give out the sciency awards for masterpieces.
My initial plan was to show the results of the sectioned off pieces of mirror so you could see which recipe worked the best.
There was a snag. It was completely impossible to tell, via pictures, how well each formulation worked. They were all relatively successful, but one was a stand-out winner. So instead of a true-life picture, I’m giving you my artist’s rendering of what each section of the mirror looked like. Again, alert the sciency awards people (and let them know I like white chocolate).
Homemade Glass Cleaner 1: Vinegar
That’s right. I put straight white vinegar on the first section of mirror, and it worked surprisingly well, though it wasn’t fantastic. It wiped off the toothpaste like a charm, but the hairspray pretty much stayed put. Also, there were more streaks with this formulation.
Judgment: If you’re out of glass cleaner and don’t have any of the ingredients for the ones below, use vinegar. It’s not bad. Just don’t expect anyone to want to lick your mirrors after using it. I assume you all have friends who like to lick mirrors. You just seem like those sorts of people.
Mirror-licking aside, this probably isn’t going to satisfy you like your old glass cleaner does. So move on.
Homemade Glass Cleaner 2: Vinegar, Alcohol, Water
- 1/2 c. rubbing alcohol
- 1/2 c. water
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
This was the most widely spread recipe I found online. And at first, I thought it was great. I had to use a bit of elbow grease to get the hairspray droplets off the mirror, and it left behind a few streaks.
Initially I thought it was comparable to store-bought glass cleaners – until I saw the results from the next two recipes.
Judgment: Eh. Not bad. It’ll do in a pinch, and the alcohol does give it more oomph than just using vinegar. But it’s not, like, to die for. You know, like you want your glass cleaner to be.
Would your friends lick your mirror after this? Probably, but you have weird friends.
Homemade Glass Cleaner 3: Vinegar, Water, Cornstarch
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 c. warm water
“What the …. cornstarch?” you ask.
“Yes,” I reply. “Cornstarch.”
It’s absolutely, without a doubt the secret ingredient to clean, shiny, amazing mirrors (and windows, I’m sure). I kinda freaked out a little at the effectiveness of this one.
But, alas, it was still a bit difficult to get the hairspray off, and although there were no streaks, I was pretty sure we could do one better – by combining all the ideas here into one gargantuan, massively effective glass cleaner. Before we do that, let’s see what the judge says.
Judgment: Freakin’ awesome. Seriously. Really good stuff. HIGHLY recommended, if you don’t have rubbing alcohol. Compared to the other two “testing panels,” this one was clearer, sparklier, and showed me every single one of my pores when I looked close up. That may not sound like a good thing. But it is.
Your friends would lick off of this. Heck, my friends would lick off of this. Who am I kidding? I would lick my mirror after using this.
THE WINNER!
Homemade Glass Cleaner 4: Vinegar, Alcohol, Cornstarch, Water
This, my dearest crunchistas, is what I like to call:
Alvin Corn Glass Cleaner
Which, of course, stands for alcohol, vinegar, and cornstarch. I’m good at naming things, right? Any expectant mothers want some ideas?
Okay. So this stuff, it makes your mirrors look like they were just born. Fresh from the mirror womb. Seriously. I haven’t met a Windex or Glass Plus that could produce this kind of streak-free, clean and clear shine.
If I could somehow make my hand as big as my wall, and fashion a band around the mirror, it could double as an engagement ring.
Like a diamond.
Here’s the recipe:
Alvin Corn Homemade Glass Cleaner
- 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
- 1/4 c. white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 c. warm water
Combine everything in a spray bottle, and shake well. Shake well before using, too, as the cornstarch might settle at the bottom (and subsequently plug the spray mechanism if it’s not mixed in well).
Judgment: It’s the best. It wins. We’ve covered this. But let’s look at one more VERY important thing: Cost.
This is all approximate (and I’m erring on the side of expensiveness, so it’s probably less than this), but I think we can agree that I’m probably close on my estimations:
1/4 c. vinegar = $0.20
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol = $0.25
1 Tbsp cornstarch = $0.03
2 c. water = virtually free, except for the water bill part, so let’s say $0.000001
Grand Total: $0.48
For an entire bottle of glass cleaner.
Not to mention, it’s completely nontoxic, you can simply reuse your old glass cleaner bottle over and over and over again (or you could paint a bottle, like I did mine, because it’s tres chic), and you’re not spraying nasty things all up in the air for your kids, spouses, and pets to breathe.
Go you!
Go Alvin Corn!
Yay!
What’s the word from you people? Think you might want to try this? Or do you have any other tried-and-true glass cleaner tips to share with the Betties?
This is Not Beautiful, But It Could Be
There are voc’s in lemon or lime skins known as pyrethrin, which also create an excellent pesticide. Unfortunately they are also particularly harmful to kitties.
you are a life-saver!! I was cleaning windows (a chore that I had grown to dispise and only do in spring and in Fall because I have always had problems cleaning my mirrors and windows since I moved into our home 12yrs ago. they never got streak-free clean no matter what I used to clean them or wipe them with-newspaper/microfiber,etc. Even my bathroom mirror that always looked liked it had a streaky-smeary film on it is sparkling. This cleaner is FANTASTIC. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! Thank you so much!
I added normal cheap vinager to my soap nut solution and cleaned all the greasy toddler finger prints off the window. Came up with a beautiful shine. Must admit didn’t do such a heavy scientific experiment. I will give the toothpast/hairspray test a try with it. (Although I can’t remember when my windows were ever that dirty) lol. Thanks for the tips.
I am a professional cleaner, I look after a large luxury high-rise. I have had mixed results. The cleaner DOES leave a residue. On mirrors it looks perfect and even some of the windows I did looked pretty good.. Until the light changed. THEN the streaks showed up and plenty of them. For large windows, interior/exterior the best method IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE.. a window mop and a squeegee. Once you get the squeegee down you’ll never go back.. Now again, this is for windows that see a lot of changing light (and we have a lot of windows in this building *sigh*). I keep using the product in the bathroom though it’s good for that once well mixed and shaken during use.
Saw a cleaning program on the telly last night, they say to only use cornflour made from CORN some “cornflour” is made from WHEAT, it is not cornflour at all and it will leave streaks.
Will never buy glass cleaner again! My French doors leading onto my deck were covered with dog nose prints on the outside and handprints from my 10 month old grandson on the inside. So I got out my Windex Sunglasses Required and went at them. They looked awful. So I found my Windex with vinegar for round two. If possible they looked worse. Frustrated I went online and found this. I had all of the ingredients but no spray bottle so I emptied one of the Windex bottles, mixed up this potion and tried again. HOLY MOLY! It’s a good thing there are panes in those doors or someone would try to walk into them thinking they’re open! Positively sparkling! THANK YOU!
I admit it, I was skeptical, but DANG. I figured I’d test it out on my kitchen window, and it made them look so incredible (invisible, really), that I ended up doing the rest of the windows in my home. HAPPILY, I might add. Thank you so much for this recipe — I thought I had seen all the DIY recipe, and NEVER would’ve thought of using cornstarch. Good stuff!
I just made it and used it on everything glass, and I really want to bounce around and hug you and I’m so happy I’m apparently squeaking. My boyfriend has this THING for glass furniture and glass tables and his 6 year old has this thing about licking and touching and wiping hands and other body parts on said glass things. And I have this thing about finger prints or smudges on glass that makes me twitch and I can’t sleep at night. I thank you, from the bottom of my twitchy heart.
Does the water have to be warm? When using after the first time do you microwave it?
thank you for this!! Worked like a charm on my disgusting glass coffee table top. Have 3 children under 5 and have never had it this clean no matter what I tried. lol. Thank you!!!
O yes, simple supply – my grandma, my mom and now my cleaning lady uses it along with microfiber cloth – professional cleaning service I would say- in my home city Clifton, NJ.
pfft i tried the second one (water, vinegar and cornstarch) and it was crap. the cleaner left a relatively sticky film of slightly translucent cornstarch, and the cleaner itself worked only half as well as store bought cleaner
thanks for the recipe! My science project is now complete!
thanks for the recipe! My science project is now complete!
Okay it’s official I’m stupid. I just couldn’t figure why everyone liked this recipe so much if you had to bother warming it up first. (Then it finally dawned on me: it’s 2 cups WARM water to mix it up initially, not every freakin’ time you use it!!!) I’d better just stick with Windex; at least I won’t try to put that on my salad.
LOVE LOVE LOve this glass cleaner! My miorrors are beautiful, no streaks and not too much rubbing either! THANKS SO MUCH!
Thanks for the tips! I only know about lime and vinegar for cleaning glasses and mirrors. I never thought about using alcohol. I believe baking soda also works.
I’ve been using this for about a year now and I am in love with it. I use it to clean windows, appliances, mirrors, etc. Just a tip—use coffee filters (clean ones……) and there will be no lint at all. PRISTINE and cheap!
DO NOT CLEAN YOUR WINDOWS WITH THIS RECIPE! It is very very dangerous!! It makes windows and glass appear almost invisible!! This is a huge hazard especially on sliding glass doors! You will end up walking into them thinking there is no glass there!! Or hurting your hands punching windows trying to reach through them because the glass is so clean you can’t even see it! It even gets those old hardwater spots to vanish… so be warned! 😉
I’ve been wanting to try a home made glass cleaner for awhile. I finally ran completely out of store bought and hit to the internet for the best recipe. I came upon this site and last night made the Alvin Corn recipe – it works beautifully! I would suggest the newspaper or micro fiber cloths as I just grabbed a couple paper towels for a quick test drive on some bathroom mirrors, and a perpetually dirty stainless steel garbage can. Does not smell offensive in any way to me, and brought up a great shine. Will continue to use! Thanks for the testing to save me the trouble 🙂
Don’t use hard water! That may be why some people are having bad thoughts after using this recipe. Tap water is either hard or soft because of minerals. Use soft water if that is what you have, or buy distilled water. You will get a much better window cleaner and lest complants. Distilled water should be in the recipe because of the differant types of tap water out there.
Very good point about the source of water–warm hard water will have even more sediment in it! I have a filter tap, and have no issues.
Just whipped up a batch of this window cleaner and tried it out on my bathroom mirrors. I gotta tell ya…. I’m pretty much amazed w/ it! After I cleaned them, I shined them with my Norwex shine cloth and WOWZERS! I wouldn’t change a thing about this cleaner. It’s a real keeper in my book! Thanks so much for sharing such an inexpensive cleaner recipe with us! One more area where I can cut the budget!! WooHoo!
Soooo….I thought I would make this on one of my “Midnight-I-Can’t-Sleep-So-Let-Me-Start-a-Project” kicks. Didn’t have any cornstarch so I thought, “Hey, baking soda, it’s white, about the same consistency, maybe I can just substitute it.” After all, we all know that baking soda is a great cleaning aid. Guess what? NOOOOOOOOO!!! Don’t try to substitute. Cornstarch and baking soda are NOT interchangeable. Stop laughing smart people. Now I know. My little project turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. The baking soda combo left a white film on everything I sprayed it on – and I sprayed it on EVERYTHING! Ugggggg….I’ll be getting cornstarch on the double.
This is great. I am 81 years old and have never found a window cleaner that didn’t leave a waxy streak. Don’t chenge a thing to the recipe. I am forwarding to friends.
Been using this for approximately a year. I use it on my kitchen counters, my appliances, my mirrors and my sink. No more SOB when I clean, nobody has tried to drink it since it smells like vinegar and alcohol and my son and husband have had fewer illnesses (I have had about the same due to mold allergies, which is unavoidable at work) than usual. I have no trouble with streaking on windows/mirrors but do notice a white resideue on black appliances if miss an area while wiping. No one in the family has tried to drink it and no difficulty with etching or pitting. All good results! Conicidence? Maybe, but at .43 cents a bottle, I’m sticking with it!
I just made this and it is WONDERFUL! I may try and add a few drops of tea tree oil or lavender. Do you think it would streak if I did that?
This works wonderful! 2 thumbs up 🙂
I work as housecleaner and have been looking for a good recipe for homemade glass cleaner for a while now and I just made and tryed yours, I have to say it actually works as well or even better than certain name brand cleaners. Who knew corn starch would actually be a great ingredient for it. I’m so happy, thanks for sharing it, will be a great money saver for me since I use around 5 bottles a week for work.
There is a reason why Windex chose ammonia for their formula and not acetic acid. Please don’t use white vinegar to clean glass…it begins etching glass on contact! It will eventually pit the glass.
I once tested it for removing metallic coatings from optical glass–not only did it remove the coating, but it ate through half of the glass in three days.
I use warm water and cornstarch on my windows for spring cleaning. Wipe window with mixture, then dry paper towel to dry window -so clean the birds ran into my windows !!
This one really is a winner. I’ve been super happy with the results I’m getting—and glad not to be poisoning myself everytime I want a clean mirror 🙂 Thanks!
worked like a charm yay thanks
I thought that Alvin Corn was great for awhile, until I realized that it leaves behind a powdery residue.
Thanks for this – I have been using the Alvin Corn now for a few months – on windows and stainless steel appliances – it is fabulous! I have just mentioned it in my blog and linked to here – http://grtescp.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/black-soap-for-black-sheep/
Lady, You Rock!!!
Alvin Corn Homemade Glass Cleaner
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 c. warm water
Just made the second batch. I suspect that I’ll need a third to complete the outside.
Yesterday, I decided to clean the outside windows. They needed it. It had been about 10 years. I used dishwashing detergent, water and a sponge. It left residue, streaks and a haze. The follow up with Alvin is the best that I’ve seen in nearly 63 years.
At first I thought Alvin was not working. Turns out, I’ll be doing the inside windows next. My wife will love me. Hopefully, even more. 🙂
My mother (Betty, Elizabeth) would have thanked you.
Muchas Gracias, mi amiga.
Art
I use basically the same recipe and every time I clean my sliding glass doors…or even my fridge…I’m in awe. It’s a wonderful combo of ingredients. I think the cornstarch is the secret ingredient!
Just tried this with arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch on my shower door. Cleaned much better than straight vinegar. Not a miracle but at least its not toxic or polluting! Thanks 🙂
I use a spray bottle full of club soda to clean my mirrors, screens, and windows. Works like a charm – no streaks and completely clear!
WOW.. works amazing. I will never buy glass cleaner again.
This is awesome. I made it yesterday and went on a glass cleaning frenzy. I also used it on stainless steel and my countertops. No streaks!
I substituted half the warm water for club soda and added a few drops of scented oil. Now my windows are extremley clean, and they smell nice too!
I use lemon infused vinegar, water and a teensy bit of Castile soap. Works great and smells good too! I’ve heard that the reason some natural window cleaners don’t work at first is because of all the waxy buildup from previous cleaners. My husband and I had a “clean off Olympics” tonight. He used crappy store bought window cleaner. I used the above concoction. We cleaned the dog drool infested windows of his car. I won! He sprayed me with chemically infused cleaner in a sore loser frame of mind…
Wow, I got so excited after using this, I cleaned EVERY glass surface in the house. I can actually see my self in the mirror again (Need to put make-up on) and they were so clean and shiny it actually brightened up the room!
I just wanted to say, alcohol can cause chemical pneumonia in very young children or immuno-comprimised people, so beware. Don’t spray up the house when you’ve got your infant in the Mobi wrap 😉
Loved the final window cleaner! The corn starch Does appear to make a shiny difference!TY!
Betty..for more non-toxic products such as candles/wickless,Body Melts(TM)/scruibs/washes,etc)please visit me at http://www.eclipsecandleco.com/fernmarie If you’d like some samples,please contact me at fernmarie@knology.net
ps-The owners are my son & DIL,so I wouldn’t dream of not sharing thier faith-based,family company!God Bless!
i would not have believed it, if i had not seen it! Great results with the Alvin Corn cleaner!!!!!!!! Thank you! http://bisozozo.blogspot.com/
This may sound really silly, but it WORKS! One day while struggling with my sliding glass doors, cleaning with vinegar. My husband suggested I use news paper instead of paper towel. I thought he was insane, until he threw the paper at me and told me to try it, and it works! My work does all eco-friendly cleaning too, and they use un printed newspaper to clean all the windows that can be done by hand. So, it may not be the ingredient, but what you’re using. I use just vinegar and newspaper and it works great!
Oh My Gosh! this stuff IS mirror lickin’ good!! Love it.. BTW my DH thinks you should call it *Alvin Corn Star* (shortening “starch”) It really is the Rock Star of all window cleaners!!
alvin corn,love it.trying later today1!!
I made some today and Tried it in the bathroom mirror . Looks beautiful. Ill try it on shower doors tomorrow . Thanks
you have my official nobel cleaning prize! God Bless you
i never liked the smell. i wouldn’t suggest adding cornstarch as it left a bit of a residue for me. i personally tried Powglass, supposedly it uses essential oils to clean glass, but anyways, it does a great job, and love the fact that i do my electronics with it – definitely saves money here.
Funny you picked on the cornstarch, I made a mistake and used 1Tbsp. Baking Soda instead. The resulting Glass Cleaner works better than anything I’ve ever tried. I think way back there someone wrote cornstarch by mistake and meant Soda. I have a recipe for Soap Scum Remover which calls for: 1/2 c Soda 6 cups Water 1/3 c Amonia 1/4 c Vinegar. Which works wonderfully on the bathroom fixtures. If you use Soda instead of cornstarch, The Vinegar disipates the Soda and won’t clog your sprayer and no unusual smell. Try the recipe with Soda and see if it isn’t great. Rr
I raised the quantities for bucket washing outside. 1 qt Vin, 1 qt Alc, 12 cup starch, 2 gal water. Really pretty close to orignal formula.
I cleaned my lower backyard windows with this. Not successful; what a MESS, when ever any water hits the windows from watering hanging pots. It reativates the cornstarch, which runs down the windows. Surprise, surprise! Anyone else have this happen? I haven’t even tried it on mirrors yet, because I was so surprised to see the results of my exterior windows. I shook the bottle before I sprayed every time too! [Just sayin’.]
I know this post is old, but I just tried it and it’s amazing! It cleaned the smudges left over from cleaning the window markers off our front window. I have cleaned it 3 times with windex and it was still streaky, I had pretty much given up. After it made that sparkly I cleaned my closet doors (full mirrors), my shower doors (didn’t get all the hard water build up, but it was more awesome than anything else I tried and smelled way better too) and cleaned my giant bathroom mirror. I added a couple of drops of Rosemary EO because hubs doesn’t like the smell of vinegar. Thank you!
The ALVIN worked great! Just made a batch and my bathroom mirror looks great.
I will definetely try this – since you made me laugh with your description about the birth of mirrors (-^_^-)
I made #2 and am really pleased with results. I clean with b & w newspaper, then recycle the used 🙂 Thanks for the recipes!!
I found your blog today after googling best mirror cleaner. Just yesterday I hung two OLD mirrors – one from the attic and one from a garage sale…now the attic one I know has been up there at least 15 years! And the garage sale one – was even dirtier. I could NOT get them clean. They had years of filth on them and I started to think that the haze and streaking was permanent…now there is some “age” to them – especially the big garage sale one – but after using your concoction – they are CLEAN! YEA! I’m a believer now! (and a follower) Oh, and I tried store bought cleaner and vinegar both – this was a HUGE difference. 🙂 This is the worse of the two after Alvin Corn.
I didn’t personally care for it. I thought that leaving out the cornstarch was the better method as I had a film on my bathroom mirror after using the mixture with the cornstarch.
I am perplexed at how many people seem to have good results with this. I just tried it and my bathroom mirrors were very streaky. I thought maybe I just needed to get the residue from previous cleaners off, but even after three cleanings it still streaks.
An okay recipe, but I found that it left behind extra dust from my paper towel. I think it’s the cornstarch that does that, but whatever.
But paper towels leave their own dust. Try newspaper or a microfibre cloth with it!
I just made Alvin… I hate vinegar. Don’t even have it in my house because of the smell. I DO however have Apple Cider Vinegar because it smells a little better. It world beautifully in place of white vinegar and I assume smells nicer too!!
Love this solution!! Thanks for sharing.
One-up it by using coffee filters instead of paper towels…wonderful and super cheap. I have white trim on my windows and I have problems with the newspaper ink staining them streaky black. I can use one filter on each pane of my sliding glass door, so roughly $.02 to clean that…I’m guessing that’s cheaper than paper towels — at least the amount I seem to have to use to get all the streaks off (but not as cheap as newspaper if that works for you…). Read this somewhere, but WISH I was the genius who came up with it. 🙂
Non Toxic? have you tried feeding denatured alcohol to yourself, your children, your pets?
Were you planning on licking the windows?
I can’t believe it!! This stuff really works, and no streaks … you are awesome!
Alvin Corn… I’m in love with Alvin Corn. Yep, there it is. Kind of like a twelve step program. “Hi, my name is Bebe and I am an addict. An Alvin Corn addict.” I just want to run around the house with my spray bottle in one hand and a microfiber cloth in the other, looking for anything that might benefit from a nice spray and wipe. Not only that, but I am trying my best to get others addicted. Especially if they inhabit the same house as me. Does that make me a pusher too?
I really just want to make my world a cleaner, safer place and I urge you to make the switch from rubbing (wood) alcohol to grain alcohol too. For everything. I honestly have no idea why rubbing alcohol is so popular but it has nothing to show for itself other than cheapness. Buy a pint of Everclear, store it where your littles can’t get into it, and just try it! I even tried making an alcohol swab, with a tiny corner of paper toweling, then I pinched the folded and alcohol dipped swab in the end of my kitchen shears and lit it. It burned a long time before the edges of the paper toweling began to brown. Alcohol swabs are what acupuncturists use for cupping, or gua sha, and I just wanted to try it for the “cool” factor.
FANTASTIC! I just tried this and I am thrilled at the results. thanks so much!
I love the glass cleaner recipe! Worked like a charm; way better than any others I have tried. Thank you!
You are hilarious. I hope you get a book deal someday. I’d read it.
Actually, it’s even cheaper than 48 cents… At least in Canada.
Cost breakdown:
.05 for white vinegar
.13 for rubbing alcohol
.08 for cornstarch
.01 for expensive tap water
For a grand total of 27 cents. 😉
I’m impressed. Good quality cleaner for sure. I love the corn starch, and Looking forward to sharing this reciepe, I’m thinking the reaction to this will be amusing.
Store window cleaner, Windex that is, aggravating in my expierence. It causes build up and streaks, way to much work and not a job done right at all. Well, to be fair as of 15 years ago.
I was using a similiar method with an additional step, this is the only cleaner that has ever come close. Not Close, It’s better.
Thank You so much.
Has anyone used this on lcd screens…laptops, flat screen tv’s, etc? I’ve been using an alcohol/water mixture but I’m thinking I probably should not use this….
While I have no first hand knowledge, I would suggest going with what you know for your electronics. Could work, I suppose, but not sure I’d be willing to be the one who found out it didn’t, or mucked things up. I’d be suspicious of the cornstarch here, but, again, I have no knowledge.
On electronics – you’re not supposed to use any cleaner with alcohol in it!
A couple of things – lemon juice will go bad in the bottle and get moldy. Vinegar will not. 1/4 cup of vinegar shouldn’t be stinky, but if it bothers you, just throw in 10 drops of your favorite high grade essential oil – which will not leave streaks. And orange peels soaked in water are GREAT… if you don’t have cats. There are voc’s in citrus peels called pyrethrin, which also make a great insecticide. Unfortunately they are also particularly toxic to cats.
Orange peels do NOT contain pyrethrin (which is from chrysanthemums, and is no more toxic to cats than other pesticides, but it DOE S have toxic effects, and should not be considered “safe”). But the peels do contain the VOC Limonene, which can be a respiratory and skin irritant. Cats don’t like the scent very much, but it’s not toxic. DO check about toleration if residents have asthma!
– Dion – PA Integrated Pest Management Program
Hi, Betty —
Just tried your winner on my dusty bedroom floor-to-ceiling closet mirrored doors (in an apartment, so I’m stuck with the 70s disco doors). I’d still be at it if I were just using Windex or the first vinegar/alcohol recipe you tried. Took me maybe three minutes to do both! 🙂
It also worked smashingly on my stainless steel appliances and de-streaked my black stovetop. I have a homemade granite cleaner I like, but as you’re not supposed to use vinegar on them, I chose to add cornstarch to that bottle to see if I could polish up my counters better. Yes!
I did add some essential oils to your winner to cover the alcohol and vinegar and my place smells terrific. No lingering Eau de Vinegar.
Many thanks! Can’t wait to use it on my sliding glass doors which are always a real —- to clean, especially on the outside where the grime is.
— Heather S.
Just pinned this ~ this stuff is UN~FREAKIN’~BELIEVABLE! We have a crew that “cleans” our office using industrial strength products. Alvin Corn removed the streaks that Professional Strength Windex would not!
I have been using just a mix of vinegar and water on my glass for years. WOW, your Alvin Corn recipe is amazing! It’s kinda sick, in a way, that I wanna clean every glass thing in my house now!!!
I love Alvin Corn! Works great! I’m about to make up another batch.
I made your alvin corn recipe and it works great! I like it so much I reposted the recipe on my own blog. Thanks for the post!
I just made this today for spring cleaning — working on windows inside and out! It is amazing — did a great job even on the outside of the windows — I can’t believe how much light is coming in through them now! Wish I had found this a long time ago! I have a couple bottles of Windex around and I keep yelling at my husband for taking them out in the garage and not bringing them back in (he uses them for cleaning some car parts and tools) — he can have them!!!
Ok I used potato starch and seemed to work just fine!! Next time at whole foods gonna splurge on a yummy essential oil to add a nice scent to the mixture!
Think I can sub potato starch. I have no corn but do have potato. Thought?
oh we will definitely be making this! If for nothing else, the cool name. We love giving thins creative names (my husband loves ‘Farmer John’ cheese {aka ‘Parmesan’ in classier circles}, and he calls salmonella, Sam and Ella. Not that we’ve ever met them personally. that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Today is bathroom cleaning day, so the kids can have a contest of their own. But I think it will just be who can clean fastest. We will take your word about which cleaner works best…
I like creative names too, and this one helps me remember the ingredients. My husband named our current dog ISSE = It Sleeps Shits and Eats! Several years ago I let him name our dog and it ended up being CK = Cat Killer! I have learned my lesson and he is never naming another pet!!!
Which is better than DOG–pronounced, “DEEohgee” all run together.
have tried this and couldnt believe how well it works. i tried it just because it sounded crazy. used regular tap water but will try with distilled. it is hard to describe , the mirrors are just extra shiny. didnt realize it could go bad. how can you tell if its bad?
the best glass cleaner i’ve ever tried was Powglass. i can clean all my glass, mirrors and electronics: like my plasma tv, and computer screens at the same time, and it’s all natural. highly recommend it. also heard Bruce Willis production company is using it.
Haha I had some soap scum on the glass in my shower that I have never been able to get off so thought that it was just the way it was and I would have to get new doors ( like that when we bought the house…OMG hahahahha thank you…Nothing has worked but I tweaked you best a bit with some clear rum ( I did not have rubbing alcohol soooo I grabbed my hubby’s rum and got to cleaning and OMG sparkly and beautiful now. Thank you!!
Wow! Commercial cleaner on my glass kitchen table has been streaking horribly…..but this works. I love my table again…..and for those of us in the cold, I just cleaned the patio door and the cleaner didn’t freeze. Thank-you!!!!
Used this for the first time today. All I can say is WOW! Absolutely brilliant! Thanks so much Crunchy Betty! My windows and mirrors have never EVER looked this clean! My daughter nearly walked straight through the sliding door window because she couldn’t see it! Not Good! eeek! But great at the same time! lol I will be recommending your recipe & blog to everyone!
btw…the smell was just fine..I actually quite liked it. Not vinegary.
I did add double qauntity of alcohol…only cos I like it to dry quicker (YES I am impatient!!)
AND…please do not change the name. I like it just the way it is. It’s quirky…but like another lady on here said…it helps you remember the combination of ingredients too. It will always be Alvin Corn to me!
xxxx
I LUFF it!!!! I just cleaned the glass in my doors with generic windex knockoff stuff. Dried with newspaper…and they are just as dirty as they were before I cleaned them. So I went to Pintrest, typed in glass cleaner and this popped up. I read the hillarious blog, and then ran to the convenient store for vinegar. I used it on my bathroom mirror first and it is UH-MAZING. I really can see every pore…( not a fan of that by the way). Anyway I am about to start on my glass panes in the doors again. I did add the drop of dishsoap ( lemon Dawn). So far, so good!
I have used this recipe but with ammonia instead of alcohol. I always mixed it in a bucket for serious window cleaning but love the idea of keeping it in a spray bottle. Thanks!
Oh. My. God. I LOVED THIS ENTRY!!!! SOOO entertaining, this is the best thing I’ve read in any blog ever. I love you, and I love Alvin Corn Homemade Glass Cleaner. hehehehehe. I’m going to try it with apple cider vinegar, or some other fruit-based one, and maybe fruit alcohol just to be extra sensational and fruity, because in Norway there is a natural non-toxic glass cleaner that is based on ‘fruit acids’. A ‘hei og hopp’ from Norway, keep being green & keep the awesome blogs coming!
I have been totally entertained and am going to try some next time I need to. Thanks so much!
wiz
OH MY GOSH where has your blog been all my life?! i just found you via a google search (because I ran out of my beloved Method glass cleaner and Target is 30 miles away)…but of course i can’t clean NOW because i have to read a bunch of your old posts! =)
Thrilled with the results~ Thanks!
I made this 4 days ago & already have to make another bottle. Today I used it to wash my best friends van. Lets just say that her kids were starting to use it as a finger drawing board…. It was awesome! I also found that all that nasty break powder build up that sticks to your wheels came off with one swipe of a microfiber cloth. Amazing!!!
I love the Alvin Corn Homemade glass cleaner! It cleans the mirror so well…no streaks! I’m using it all over the house now…the microwave, toaster oven, bathroom sink..it makes everything look so shiny! I cleaned my car windows with it…they are crystal clear now! Thanks for sharing this formula! (and I love that it’s so inexpensive to make)!
I forgot I add one drop of dishsoap!
I am a residential housekeeper. I am crunchy, too! So, I have developed a marvelous all-purpose cleaner I love! and I scent it wit lemongrass EO, which is one of the most tested EOs out there. It kills staph, MERSA, etc. and smells like a lemon tart, which is one reason I don’t like commercial green products, a lot of them smell funky, or have no smell. Anyway, in my quest for a greener cheap windex replacement, I stumbled here. YOU ROCK!! I have been using Alvin corn now for several weeks, and I can say it is THE BEST window cleaner yet!! Love it! It’s a *tiny* pain to shake the bottle every time, but not so much. By the way, love LOVE LOVE your blog!
This cleaner rocks! I had to take a quick run over to the dollar store to grab some rubbing alcohol & vinegar so I could make it. Not only did it clean my glass kitchen table (that wasn’t wiped down after my 2 yr old ate dinner @ it 5 hours ago) it also cleaned my not so bad bathroom mirror & awful sink & tub faucets. I know you said you liked to use black & white newspaper to clean glass with. I used to too. I read recently that coffee filters work better & leave no streaks. I tried this with a coffee filter. At first I was skeptical because it looked like it was going to streak but once it was dry there were no streaks. I’m definitely using Alvin Corn Glass Cleaner again & I’ll be using it with coffee filters!
I realized today when I went to clean my bathroom that I was out of Windex. I whipped up a batch and can’t believe how well it works! I’m sharing this with my readers. Thank you so much for posting this!
I just tried this and had to run back in here and let everyone know it IS REALLY FABULOUS! Thank you so much! I love it and I’m NEVER buying commercial glass cleaner again..seriously!
For a minty fresh smell, try using wintergreen rubbing alchohol. The liquid is green!
Just tried this, love it. Simple and easy to use. Thank you.
I found this post after my Windex ran out in the middle of a job and I didn’t want to bother going to the store to get more. I’m so glad I did. This is the BEST window cleaner I’ve ever used! After I cleaned my bedroom window with it my husband couldn’t even tell if the window was open or closed. It was super clean and there were no streaks. Plus the ingredients are a lot better. I will definitely use this from now on.
P.S. I love this site! I’m so glad there are alternatives out there for the yucky chemicals I used to think were necessary to get my house clean. Thank you!
Nice! Will have to try! Thanks for your research! 🙂
I need to tell you how GREAT this cleaner is!!!
I love it!
If you want the easiest, Best Tortilla Soup Recipe, I can e-mail it
to you….I feel like it is a small price to pay for the money I will
save, not buying window cleaner!
Thank you!
BEST. CLEANER. EVER.
OMG Alvin Corn cleaner works AWESOME!!!! I have to say besides my mirrors and windows looking cleaner, my eye glasses look crisp and clear as if I just went and got them from the eye dr.. Highly, Highly recommend this cleaner.
Just mixed this up and gave it a whirl on my boys’ gunked-up bathroom mirror, and our dirty basement sliding glass door. Worked surprisingly well on both. I don’t think I’ve ever really tried a home-made glass cleaner, just the nasty, chemical-filled ones commonly found on store shelves. Well, this concoction worked just as well, if not better than any I’ve ever tried before! Definitely a keeper. And Crunchy Betty, you have earned yourself a loyal reader/follower here. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I just use a wet microfibre cloth and then dry it with a glass polishing cloth. Very shiny! But my Mom still wants a spray on cleaner so I will pass this along to her (and anyone else who so desires!)
Haven’t used or made a glass cleaner since the microfibre cloths have come out. Always sparkling mirrors in my house – but then I don’t have kids anymore who mess up the mirrors. Love my microfibre cloths for everything! I buy a huge package at Costco in the automotive dept.
hey, Just letting you know that I linked back to your site from my DIY Green blog. he post is schedule to appear in January, but thanks for the info! Especially the break down of the pricing! Keep up the good work! http://consumerimnot.blogspot.com/
Love it love it love it! I’ve been searching the interwebs for cleaner cleaning products and this glass cleaner rocks. Thanks for sharing!
I can’t get plain white vinegar anywhere here in Spain. The closest thing I found was apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Are they interchangeable?
This stuff ROCKS! Sinceriously, the best my mirrors have ever looked. I’m beginning to think Windex left a film. Thanks so much!
I’ve been using homemade cleaners for year, but always looking for something better and cheaper. Found you through Pinterest. Going to try this the next time I need to make more window cleaner.
I tried it without cornstarch because I knew a teenager and husband would not shake it up, causing a bigger mess for me in the long run. But instead used a couple of drops of Mrs. Meyers dish soap. This stuff rocks!!!!!!!!
This is working for me, but I’ve had to do a couple of things. First off, my glass was nasty with smoking (I’ve quit, yeah!) and animal nose prints (gotta live with it cuz I’m not giving up animals in my life), and not really being cleaned for a time that I will not share. I found that I needed to step through the cleaning. First I used straight vinegar to get it manageable, then went over with the vinegar & alcohol mix. Once having done those two steps I worked with the final product & very pleased with the result. Now that they are clean, it will be easy (a matter of minutes) to keep this up. I’m pleased, even though I had to work a little harder, but then I’m a lot lazier 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Maybe I’m just not wiping the glass dry enough, but I found that some cornstarch was left behind as a thin layer of fine powder that I could see and feel. I still used the whole batch, but omitted the cornstarch when it was time to make more, and have been happy with that. I especially like that neither of these recipes leave anything behind (because my young children probably do lick the slider on occasion) and I can clean our glass kitchen table with no worries about the little guys eating food directly off of it, as they have also been known to do. So, thank you! I would stop short of saying that it is completely nontoxic and safe for kids, spouses, and pets to breathe, though, because of the rubbing alcohol. I try not to spray a lot of that into the air when my kids are in the room, and I definitely keep that out of reach of little hands because, like most cleaners, it’s not safe for them to ingest. But the bottom line is that I want to thank you for this homemade cleaner. I plan to keep using this!
I was just going to post a new comment but instead I’ll make it a reply to yours: rubbing alcohol is actually very toxic (and supposedly parasites love it?) so I started using grain alcohol (180 proof Everclear, to be exact) in place of rubbing (wood) alcohol and it works just as well. Obviously ANY alcohol is going to be toxic if you ingest enough but I would have zero worries about the spray in the air or glass licking or… anything really, when using grain alcohol.
In addition I want to add a second to another commenter’s testimonial about using it on stainless steel appliances: it makes them look brand spanking new! I use a microfiber cloth for almost all cleaning jobs and they seriously do a damn good job with just plain water but the results are nothing short of spectacular with Alvin Corn!
My boys (12 and 14) have a chore list most days after school (well, after food, after school!) and yesterday’s list included window cleaning but I was away from home till dinnertime and forgot to make up some window cleaner for them so they got to slide… until today. They are so silly: “Why do WE always have to clean the windows?” Uh, ’cause you are the only ones who put your hands on the windows when you look through them? Cause and effect, baby.
rubbing alcohol is not “wood” alcohol it is isopropyl alcohol – the kind the doctor or nurse rubs on your skin before giving you an injection. Methanol (“wood” alcohol) is poisonous, but why would anyone drink it?
This stuff is awesome! Seriously awesome. I don’t get that awful ammonia spray in my face and I can give that nasty blue stuff away while admiring my fabulously crystal clear windows and mirrors. LOVE IT, thanks!
Just used your recipie and am thrilled with the results. The true test will be what my MIL says when she comes over tonight.
If you add some lemon juice instead of vinegar it won’t smell as bad!
It’s interesting to read this recipe as I wouldn’t have thought of cornstarch! But tomodea, you make a good point, although I think the cleaning power of vinegar would be more potent than lemon juice. I tried a recipe that uses just vinegar that has been soaking orange peels and water. It seriously works as well as any other household cleaner I have ever used and it is completely non-toxic! You can see the step by step here http://poppyjuice-poppy.blogspot.com/2012/03/vinegar-orange-peel-homemade-cleaning.html
I tried this and it is WONDERFUL. Better than any store bought cleaner I have ever made!! I used the Alvin Corn recipe. I will never buy store bought cleaner again. Seriously.
I don’t have rubbing alcohol. I can totally buy some, of course, but just out of curiosity… would subbing in witch hazel work?
Seriously lady from another continent it is like you read my mind! I made the mistake of inviting people over and implying there would be food. Food cooked by me. So if I can manage to clean my uncleanable glass showers doors it will be great. Sparkly showers make guests less hungry, right?
I take it you used this and your guests spent the evening licking the mirror, never even noticing that you didn’t have food. Ha.
I really would love your feedback, if you do make it/use it. I’m pretty convinced this is the best glass cleaner in the world – store bought or homemade.
Now I just need other people to tell me how right I am. (Ha!)
I’ve tried a few of your tips and I really can’t wait until I’m in my own place so I can start replacing all my chemical products with natural ones.
I just want to point out after reading about all your glass-licking that the French word for window shopping is lèche-vitrine which literally means “window licking.” Figured you would appreciate that.
Keep up the good work! Love your ideas.
Haha! I love this! (Especially in context with your French literature paper.)
Writing this down so I don’t forget, because from this moment forward, whenever I write about this glass cleaner, I am SO going to use leche-vitrine in the description. Somewhere. Somehow.
Mwah!
I just use vinegar and water, so I’m all over this recipe!!
Okay. If you try this, I really do want (NEED) to know what you think.
I’m pretty convinced it’s the best glass cleaner ever – store bought or homemade.
And I’d LOVE feedback that I could use whenever I write about it in the future. And I will be writing about it. Somewhere. Maybe.
Mwah, lady!
Have been using 50% water and 50% vinegar and have been quite happy. Perhaps I’ve just gotten used to the “clean” that this mixture supplies. Afterall, minutes after I clean, a dog nose is on my window or little people have their little hands on my mirrors. Not sure I would know “clean” anymore. I’ll give this a try. Maybe the sparkliness will blind the little ones so they cannot see to touch the mirror!
Ohh… just remembered a little tip from a green cleaning book I borrowed: when beginning to use vinegar (plain or 50/50) to clean windows and mirrors after having used commercial glass cleaners, it may be necessary to add several drops of dish washing liquid to your vinegar solution for the first few cleanings as commerical cleaners contain a wax like substance (I think this is right… this is all from memory). Once the wax is removed from the surface, the plain vinegar or vinegar/water solution should work just fine. Maybe this is why the cornstarch addition did such a bang up job? Still going to try solution #4 to check it out though.
Oooh. I want to find this green cleaning book!
I’m curious now – after using this glass cleaner, I’ll have to try the vinegar/water solution and see if I get different results.
It’s amazing how freakin’ easy it is to make your own cleaners, isn’t it? This, after years and years and years of spending WAY too much money on toxic ones.
Yay us!
I’m SO GLAD you have saved me the trouble of figuring this out myself. I have been using my homemade all purpose, and it’s okay – and I still have a tiny bit of Method left that I save for before important peeps come over, like MIL. I’m going to make some this week!
That’s what I’m here for!
Just don’t forget to keep the Method bottle when you use the insides up, so you can put your new glass cleaner in it.
I have to mention this one more time, because I’m AMAZED at how effective this is. Fiance cleaned our back windows (which were COVERED in red mud from the mountain behind us) yesterday and they’re so, so, so, so clean now. Cleaner than I’ve ever seen them.
This stuff is even better than I thought.
Will do! I’ve been just using water from my Activion, which works pretty well actually, with a little elbow grease, but, I would like diamond sparkly. And, my kids do lick my mirrors. All the time. It’s why I have to clean them in the first place. Maybe the vinegar taste will deter them.
I don’t know what an Activion is, but it sounds really fancy!
Seriously, if you can get your mirrors happily clean with just water, you’re a rockstar. (I immediately thought of blogging that, but then I was, like, “What would I say?” “Clean your mirrors with water. The end.”)
Heh.
Annnnnnd yet again, I do have to mention that Fiance used it yesterday to clean our horrible, horrible, horrible windows in back, which were caked with red mud from the mountains above. And they look AMAZING.
But, y’know, I was just thinking about kids and licking windows, and isn’t it SO nice to be using something (whether it’s this or just straight water) to clean with? Knowing they’re not licking yuck instead?
You provide a safe-licking environment, Jessica. You’re a cool mom.
Oh. My. God. This stuff is amazing! I just used it and I’m running around trying to find more glass to clean! I may lick my mirrors myself now!
Question: could I use arrowroot powder in place of cornstarch? Would it be as effective? I bought some from Mountain Rose herbs for my own homemade deodorant experiment…and I will have a LOT to use after my deodorant is made. Just wondering…
Honestly, I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t see why not. You could be a tester and let me know how it goes!
Good for you for having arrowroot! I’ve been trying to work up a post about homemade body powder (which includes a bunch of arrowroot). So be sure to keep some extra for that!
Oh and BTW, LOVE the name!
Quick question. How vinegar-y does it smell? I ask because I know vinegar is the be-all, end-all magic elixir for cleaning, but I literally gag when I smell it. Coating my glass and mirrors in it would probably kill me. But seeing that this has other ingredients, I’m wondering if it’s as potent?
Hmm. It’s a little vinegary smelling. Fiance said it smells like glass cleaner to him. Until he saw the cloudy color, he thought I’d just dumped some regular glass cleaner in a different bottle.
I would’t call it overwhelming, but it’s definitely there (the alcohol masks it somewhat). The smell doesn’t linger, though. Once you’ve sprayed and wiped, it’s gone.
Hmmm, well if it doesn’t linger, I might be able to pull it off. I could hold my breath or breathe through my mouth or something while cleaning, and just do one room at a time. I’ve bought some eco-friendly glass cleaners, and quite frankly, they suck. Thanks for the scoop!
The more you use vinegar the less you smell it. I can’t smell it hardly anymore. 🙂 I use it for just about everything.
Lol! You have become resistant to the smell of vinegar! Hmm.. I could get resistant to a lot of smells… But thats good to hear!
there is a new glass cleaner on the market called Powglass – smells like fresh garden flowers. i love the fact that it cleans the glass + all sensitive electronics such as tv and computers screens with amazing results; all natural; also heard Bruce Willis production firm is using it . highly recommend it.
It smells a little bit, but it helps if you use scented oils. I’ve heard that some people use lemon juice instead of vinegar, or just stir some in. Of course, the vinegar will always smell when you’re pouring it in! Good Luck!
Good to keep in mind that a classic “odor eliminator” (mom used it!) was simply pouring some vinegar in a bowl in the room that had an odor. The room wouldn’t smell of vinegar afterward whatsoever–just more fresh.
Yea! I love my homemade all purpose cleaner but it’s not the best on glass. I am definitely trying this!
You gotta! I was just telling Gigi above that Fiance cleaned what can only be the most disgusting windows in the history of the world (caked with red mud from top to bottom) with it yesterday, and they’re cleaner than they’ve ever been – EVER. Probably cleaner than when they came out of the mirror womb.
Hehe.
Ok, do you know often I comb through these things going….”There was something for this on Crunchy Betty….”
I should just print these things out.
I’ve been trying to find a plugin that works (and is, like, NOT time consuming) to make each recipe print directly from the blog post, but I haven’t found anything yet. Let me know if you run across anything, k?
In the meantime, I’m seriously considering throwing up a PDF of the 20-30 recipe cards I gave out for Christmas to my family last year. It has most of the household stuff on it.
Motivate me.
You definitely need a “Print This” button or PDF or something! Pleeeeeeeez!
Did you ever do the printable recipe cards?
I will try. I will do the Test of My Ancient Glass Shower Door That Won’t Rid Itself of Buildup.
Because the chemicals aren’t working and I will try anything.
It’s like my arch nemesis.
\BTW: I heard back from Martha’s Circle (I emailed them to ask WHY they don’t love me. They said they are taking few sites now and most have over 100,000 monthly page views. Alrighty then).
I got the big N-O yesterday, too. Thanks for letting me know why.
Pretty soon, the entire world will be visiting both of our blogs (yes, the entire world), and they’ll be begging for us, right? Yeah. That’s the ticket.
Definitely try it on the buildup, but if it doesn’t work (it may be a little mild) you could try a mixture of vinegar, tea tree oil, and lemon juice with some washing soda (or baking soda) dumped in for abrasiveness.
Fiance cleaned our HORRIBLY dirty windows with it yesterday (we live up against a mountain that likes to spray down thick red dirt) and I swear on everything that’s cheese, the windows look brand new.
Thanks for sharing…will try!
I put together a international version for our Eurpopean friends.
62.5 ml, white vinegar62.5 ml, rubbing alcohol, also known as surgical spirit15 ml, corn flour, also known as corn flour in UK.500 ml, warm water
Add and mix thoroughly the 15 ml corn flour/corn starch to the 500 ml warm water. Add in the 62.5 ml white vinegar and rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit.
I am adding recipe for larger batches.
Makes 20 oz of window cleaner (original)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups warm water
Makes 40 oz of window cleaner
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 cups warm water
Makes 76 oz of window cleaner
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup rubbing alcohol
3 Tbsp cornstarch
8 cups warm water
Makes 144 oz of window cleaner
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup rubbing alcohol
4 Tbsp cornstarch
16 cups warm water
thank you for the translation !!! xxxx from Wales UK