52 Weeks to Toxin Free Glass Surface Cleaner

Growing up I remember my mother using vinegar for everything in our home. Bug bite? Apple cider vinegar. Ants and weeds in the yard? White vinegar. Vinegar seemed to be a staple in our home. Recalling when my mom put my childhood home on the market for us to move, my grandmother (her mother) came over to help power clean the house and paint. The smell seemed very pungent for me as a child, but looking back I realize this was more about the paint and not the chemicals they were using to clean the house. You see, these two ladies went to town scrubbing the entire house in vinegar. Not ammonia. Not bleach. So I am going to break down an awesome toxin free glass surface cleaner for you to use in your home that is cheaper, safer, healthier and smells better than any other glass and surface cleaner in your home.

My home has a LOT of windows. Living in the desert, these windows get rather cruddy, dusty and unsightly with our dust storms and the fact that I have three children. I love to look out my windows to enjoy the beautiful Arizona sunsets and mountain views free of distortion, dog schmegma and kid size hand prints. Glass cleaner was just too expensive and too harsh. Ammonia is just nasty stuff and reminds me of my elderly relative’s homes that would clean with ammonia and or Pine Sol, the smell is just rancid to me. Cleaning these glass surfaces tended to be cumbersome to try to cut through the grime and the dust for streak free results, even with the traditional chemical cleaners.

Until I remembered my mother and grandmother’s recipe to a clean and fresh home. My husband balked a bit at the use until he realized that our home would not smell like a salad bar. The air felt light, fresh, and clean without the after taste and after scent of chemicals lingering in our home. A side note, most homes and indoor environments have greater levels of pollution and toxicity due to the amount of chemicals, fumes and free radicals coupled with poor ventilation. Reducing the levels of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) and other factors help with reducing air contaminants and improve the overall indoor environment.

What’s the great recipe for streak free glass and clean surfaces?

Old fashioned white vinegar.

In fact, I use vinegar for more than just clean windows, glass and surfaces, but more to come on that! Vinegar is inexpensive and affordable, you can find vinegar anywhere from Home Depot to your local grocer to the dollar store. I, personally, buy two gallons of vinegar every 45-60 days from Costco. At $3.59 for two gallons, the price is cheaper than milk and goes a long way. From my All Purpose cleaner, to softener to my glass and surface cleaner, vinegar is a HUGE staple in our home and I am saving money by not having to buy commercial softener or other cleaners that are loaded with chemicals, toxins, alcohol, perfumes, dyes and who knows what else since they do not publish the ingredients.

We know what is in vinegar and the process, albeit commercialized these days, the ingredients are basic and render the same results, fermenting natural sugars beyond the point of wine into a second fermentation to achieve vinegar.

For the perfect streak free shine on your electronics, appliances, windows, mirrors and stainless steel, mix one parts vinegar to one parts water in your favorite spray bottle. I prefer to use the vinegar in a greater ratio when cleaning my windows to ensure I have that perfect gleam. Experiment, play around and see which ratio works for you in your home.

What else do you use white vinegar for? We make some wicked pickled onions that are just to die for on a pulled pork sandwich. I’d love to hear how you use vinegar in your home and for what simple remedies that have been carried on throughout the years.