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DIY Streak-Free Window Cleaner

April 7 // 19 Comments // 3 Minute Read

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Say goodbye to Windex—this homemade window cleaner with vinegar works so much better than store brands, and costs just $.12 per bottle!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

You guys!!! I was SO skeptical of this homemade window cleaner, but it actually works! I've been wanting to make over my cleaning supplies for a long time, and this recipe make it super easy to start. Can you believe it costs less than a quarter to make!? I'm never going back to the store-brand stuff again.

I’m definitely not someone who makes a ton of her own cleaning products (I talk more about this where I share my favorite household cleaners!).

I’ve experimented with different recipes in the past—I use my multi-purpose cleaner for just about everything—but there’s certain brands I stick with because they work, and work really well. Why mess with a good thing, right?

Well, a couple months ago when I ran out of Windex, I decided to try my hand at a homemade solution. Not because it was cheaper, necessarily {although it totally is}, more so because I was simply lazy. I didn’t want to drive to the store just so I could finish cleaning the bathrooms!

This recipe uses just three ingredients, and all of them are found right at home. It also cleans MUCH better than Windex. Whereas the blue liquid left me with streaky windows, this one leaves absolute nothing but sparkling glass panes behind. It goes on a little cloudy, but then magically wipes clear—it’s pretty amazing stuff!

I guarantee that once you try it, you’ll never go back to the store-bought window cleaners again. I mean…why would you even want to when they’re this cheap, and this good??

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Supplies Needed:

  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp rubbing alcohol
  • Approximately 1 1/2 cups water
  • 16oz bottle {I am in love with the glass bottles from Grove Collaborative right now}

The Project:

Step 1: Pour vinegar and rubbing alcohol into 16oz spray bottle using a funnel. Otherwise it gets a little messy!

Step 2: Fill bottle with water and shake to mix.

Step 3: Clean those dirty windows and mirrors!

Print
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DIY Streak-Free Window Cleaner


★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
Print Recipe
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Ingredients

  • 16oz Spray Bottle
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp rubbing alcohol
  • Approximately 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Pour vinegar and rubbing alcohol into 16oz bottle.
  2. Fill bottle with water, cover, and shake to mix.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @KalynBrookeCo on Instagram

window-cleaner-4

Total Cost: $0.12/16oz bottle

It is CRAZY how dirt cheap this stuff is. Granted, a $3.00 bottle every few months won’t set anyone back, but still, how can you pass up a such a good, inexpensive product? I certainly can’t—at least not anymore!

If you liked this post, I have even more cleaning and organizing goodies for you:

  • 31 Household Hacks to Clean, Streamline and Organize Your Home
  • Every household is different, which means every homemaking style can be different too. The Modern Girl's Guide to Homemaking is all about household management YOUR way, and is now available for individual purchase at the super low price of $4.99!5 Tools I Use to Organize My Entire Life
  • How to Get Mildew Smell Out of Clothes – a super easy trick!

I also wrote a workbook called, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, which shows you how to run a successful home in the 21st century. It’s the resource I WISH I had when I first learned how to manage a home!

Have you ever tried making homemade cleaners before?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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Comments

  1. Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says

    April 29 at 2:04 pm

    Hmm. That’s so interesting! I’ve used regular vinegar to clean my windows before, but never diluted and with rubbing alcohol! I’m going to have to give this a try.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      May 2 at 11:27 pm

      I don’t think you’ll be dissapointed, Kristen. I still can’t get over how well it works!

      I’ve never used straight vinegar before, does it work really well?

      Reply
  2. Ramona @ Personal Finance Today says

    May 2 at 6:10 am

    Most importantly, it’s ‘chemical’ free, compared to a lot of the stuff we buy from the store. I’m not that into natural stuff, but it makes sense to create your own solution, when it’s that simple and inexpensive.

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      May 2 at 11:29 pm

      Totally agree, Ramona. So often the natural stuff ends up being so expensive {although I’ve found some things through Grove that I’m liking}. Simple and inexpensive are two of my favorite words. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Fahim Ahsan says

    May 9 at 5:25 pm

    Amazing work. I love chemical free staffs. Let me try this, I guess it will work for me better

    Reply
  4. Peggy Flowers says

    September 5 at 2:36 am

    I would like to add lavender oil to the mix. Would that work?

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      September 6 at 3:49 pm

      I don’t know if that would work or not. I’m not sure how it would interact with the other ingredients.

      Reply
  5. Lina says

    September 18 at 9:11 pm

    I’ve been using vinegar for years … but just straight, no water or alcohol. Windows, wood floors (I attach a damp cloth to my swiffer head mop and spray the vinegar on the cloth), counter-tops (most ants and bugs hate it — bonus!), tile floors, mirrors, glass patio tables, and especially cutting boards in the kitchen. Cleans and disinfects, plus it dries in a flash. I also wipe off my patio chairs with vinegar – helps keep spiders and ants away 😊

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      September 20 at 3:20 pm

      Keeping bugs away is definitely a bonus!

      Reply
  6. Jen says

    June 6 at 5:31 pm

    Used Windex for years. Finally, I realized the result was a mess. I had streaked, cloudy windows after all my effort. Tried the first ‘recipe’ here and love it. You don’t mind cleaning windows so much, when the result is so great.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      June 12 at 10:08 am

      So glad you love it!

      Reply
  7. Elizabeth says

    September 4 at 7:10 pm

    Thank you so much for this homemade window cleaner!!! So happy with my windows. Literally squeaky clean. They’ve never looked this good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      September 4 at 9:33 pm

      So glad you loved it!

      Reply
  8. Ahisha says

    April 15 at 9:30 am

    This Is great. Never buying windex again. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 15 at 1:52 pm

      Glad you like it!

      Reply
  9. Paul says

    July 17 at 8:07 pm

    Neat, I’ve mixed vinegar, baking soda and water for cleaning but haven’t tried rubbing alcohol yet, will give this a whirl tomorrow because I’ve got some pretty dirty windows to attend to. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      July 22 at 3:46 pm

      Hope it worked out really well! We just used it this morning on our RV windows. 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

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  2. The Best Green Cleaning Products That Are Actually Green - Mommy Thrives says:
    March 25 at 12:00 pm

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
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I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣ ⁣ I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣ ⁣ But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣ ⁣ As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣ ⁣ Why? ⁣ ⁣ No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣ ⁣ And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣ ⁣ There are too many good ones out there anyway. Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣ ⁣ This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣ ⁣ What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
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My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣ ⁣ These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣ 2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣ 3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣ ⁣ That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣ ⁣ What planners/journals are you using for 2021?

Self-care is just as important as making your famo
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I know you’re ready for this year to be over. 🙋‍♀️ The last twelve months brought so many hard things into our lives—relationships were lost, our country became more broken and divided than ever, and oh yeah, we walked through a pandemic too. 🦠 🤯 No biggie, right? Ha! 😅 And while it’s easy to look back and wish we could skip 2020 altogether (or at least insist on a do-over), I don’t want this year to be the one where the hard overcame the good. 💕 Just as hard days don’t mean ruined days, hard years don’t mean ruined years. 2020 can still be good. 💪 For me, I want to remember the fun and exciting things we did. The adventures we had. The new shows we watched, and the books we read. The new life hacks and things I discovered that made my life easier or just brought me joy. 💞 You’ll find it all in my latest blog post (link in profile). If you still need to buy a gift for a loved one (or for yourself!), you’ll find plenty of fun and affordable ideas to fill up the rest of your gifting list. 📦 Otherwise, enjoy a stroll down the good side of 2020’s memory lane and leave your favorite things in the comments so I can try them. 👋


Pro minimalism tip: Use double-duty appliances. 🤯⁣ ⁣ With limited kitchen space, I have to be super careful about what appliances we invite into the RV. We already had an Instant Pot, Ninja Blender, and a Food Processor. But I really wanted an air-fryer! ⁣ ⁣ With no place to put it, I discovered that Instant Pot made a dual instant pot/air-fryer product. So I gave my instant pot away, and my mom bought me this one for an early Christmas present. I’ve only played with it a couple of times but I’m already in love! 💕⁣ ⁣ Kale chips...sweet potato fries...broccoli. I’m basically an air-frying queen now. And I can easily switch back to the instant pot whenever I want. Yay for two appliances in one! 🥳⁣ ⁣ Q: What is your favorite appliance to use? Is it double duty? 🤔


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