Homemade Glass Cleaner Easy DIY Recipe

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Make your own homemade glass cleaner with this easy recipe. All you need are four simple ingredients and a spray bottle. It’s really that easy and works well for cleaning all types of windows and glass surfaces!

Ditch the store-bought glass cleaner and try this easy recipe instead. It literally only takes a couple of minutes to make, and I’ve found it to be just as effective. Once you start making your own cleaners (like my all-purpose cleaning spray, toilet spray, foaming hand soap, and fruit and veggie wash), you’ll never want to go back to store-bought!

Why Make Your Own Homemade Glass Cleaner?

I always prefer to make my own homemade cleaners using natural ingredients like vinegar and essential oils. And there are so many reasons why I love making my own! (And if you’re not a fan of the scent of vinegar, I also have a non-vinegar cleaning spray recipe.)

I started making my own homemade cleaning products years ago, as our family was working toward living a more natural lifestyle. 

We wanted to avoid the toxic chemicals that are in so many store-bought cleaners. Whenever I have a choice, I prefer natural options with non-toxic ingredients. But so often, the more natural cleaners are expensive. That’s when I decided to start making my own. It’s so much cheaper!

One of the great things about making your own cleaning products is that you know what’s in the ingredients. And another bonus is that natural cleaning products are safer to use with and around children. 

I felt so much better about handing my child a bottle of glass cleaner that I knew was made with safer ingredients.

So, the reasons why I think it’s worth it to make your own glass cleaner is because the ingredients are better, it’s cheaper, and it’s just so easy to make!

Why You’ll Love This DIY Glass Cleaner

After making my own DIY all-purpose cleaner, fruit and veggie wash, and other homemade cleaner recipes, I made my own homemade glass cleaner and loved it.

Some DIY cleaning products use complicated recipes or ingredients that are expensive or hard to find. Not this recipe! It uses only simple ingredients like vinegar and rubbing alcohol. Things you probably already have in your pantry or cleaning closet. 

It’s so easy to mix up a batch of this homemade glass cleaning solution. I’ve found that it works just as well as store-bought cleaner. And, I use it regularly to clean the bathroom mirror.

Once you’ve made your cleaner, just take your glass spray bottle and spray exterior windows, shower doors, or mirrors and wipe with a clean microfiber cloth or paper towels. 

It also works great on car windows and other glass surfaces.

So if you enjoy streak-free windows but don’t want to use commercial glass cleaners, give this homemade glass cleaner recipe a try! 

Affiliate links included below, which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclosure here.

DIY Glass Cleaner Notes

• You can use this glass cleaner just like any other glass cleaner. 
• Simply spray onto any glass surface (or onto a cleaning cloth) and wipe.
• Using a lint-free cloth or paper towel will give you the best results. I have found that regular microfiber cloths don’t work as well as this specific glass cleaning cloth. This is all I use for cleaning glass surfaces now!
• It’s best to shake the bottle before using each time to make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. 

Supplies Needed to Make Glass Cleaner

In order to make this easy DIY window cleaner, all you need are these supplies:

• 16 ounce glass spray bottle
• Label maker (not required, but fun to use!)
• Funnel (optional, but makes it easier to fill the bottle—I love this mini funnel)
• Two-cup measuring cup
• Glass cleaning cloth (optional—but this cloth makes all the difference in getting streak-free glass!)

DIY Glass Cleaner Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you will need to mix up a batch of homemade glass cleaner. The full recipe amounts are in the recipe card below.

• Water
• White vinegar
• Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol 70%)
• Essential oil (optional—some of my favorite cleaning oils are lemon, lavender, and peppermint.)

How to Make Homemade Glass Cleaner

I wasn’t kidding when I said this glass cleaner is so easy to make! Here are the steps:

1. Add ingredients to spray bottle.
2. Shake to mix.
3. Label your bottle.

Homemade Window Cleaner Recipe

For really dirty windows that need a deeper cleaning, I sometimes use a slightly different combination of ingredients. 

This is what I use to clean the outside windows when I do a deep cleaning or spring cleaning. (The full recipe is in the recipe card below.)

• Vodka or rubbing alcohol
• Vinegar
• Corn starch
• Warm water 

Combine the ingredients for this natural glass cleaner and shake well. Shake before each use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of water should be used to make this cleaner?

You can use regular tap water but distilled water may be best. That’s because hard water contains minerals that may keep the cleaner from working as well. 

​Can I use apple cider vinegar?

I have only used distilled white vinegar in this glass cleaner recipe, buy you could definitely try apple cider vinegar if you prefer. If you decide to try this, let me know how it turns out!

What about using ethyl alcohol in place of isopropyl alcohol?

Yes, you can substitute rubbing ethyl alcohol for isopropyl alcohol. 

Are the essential oils necessary in this recipe? 

The essential oils in the recipe are optional. If you decide to leave them out, the recipe will still be just as effective. If you decide to add the optional essential oils, I recommend trying lemon, lavender, or peppermint essential oils. These are great essential oil choices for cleaning recipes!

Will this work with really dirty glass or windows?

Yes! I have had so much success with this glass cleaner to clean windows and mirrors. For really dirty exterior windows, try the deep cleaning version of this recipe included in the recipe card below. 

More DIY Cleaning Inspiration

• DIY Homemade Natural All Purpose Cleaner
• DIY Toilet Spray Recipe
• How to Make Foaming Hand Soap
• DIY Fruit and Vegetable Wash
• Lavender Linen Spray DIY Recipe
• How to Create a Cleaning Routine

DIY Glass Cleaner