Glass cleaner, results #1b

Since I am cleaning my bathroom and my scale is glass, I decided to test the glass cleaner recipe on the scale.  Here are the before (left) and after (right) pictures:

I will admit this took a bit more elbow grease than the mirrors and window, but the results are very nice.  If I wasn't sold on this recipe before, I am now.  Two other things I have learned doing this project:  It is very hard to photograph glass, and wear gloves when cleaning with newspaper.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.

Cost of making glass cleaner

One purpose of making products at home is the potential for saving money.&nbps; Is making glass cleaner at home worth the effort?

The ingredients, again, are:

• 16 fluid ounces of distilled water
• 2 fluid ounces of vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. liquid dish soap

The distilled water is 89¢ for 128 fluid ounces, so that comes to 11.125¢.
The vinegar is $2.59 for 128 fluid ounces, so that comes to 4.046875¢
The liquid dish soap is 99¢ for 25 fluid ounces, and 1/2 tsp. is 1/6 fluid ounce, so that comes to 00.66¢.
The total to make 18 fluid ounces of window cleaner is 15.831875¢

The current price for Windex on Amazon.com is $2.48 for a 26 fluid ounces.  The equivalent price for 18 ounces would be $1.72.  Even with paying $1 for the bottle, this window cleaner recipe is $1.16 compared to $1.72 for the same amount of Windex.  The Windex 1-gallon refill is $9.26.  Making 18 ounces and putting it in my Dollar Tree bottle is 16¢, while 18 ounces of Windex refill is $1.30.  Simply put, buying glass cleaner is a waste of money!

With those numbers and acceptable results, I don't think I will test any of the other recipes.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.

Glass cleaner, results #1

The first thing I noticed upon making my glass cleaner was the liquid soap sunk to the bottom of the bottle.  I had to shake it up to get the soap to mix in.  This, of course, created suds; so if you follow a recipe with liquid soap in it, make sure to shake the container slowly to mix it.

Here is a picture of the spray.  It looks a bit “lumpy” to me.&nbps; In other words, I prefer a finer mist than what was generated by my Dollar Tree bottle.  Next time I pay a little more for the bottle.  But how does the formula perform?

What I learned is having streak-free clean windows is more about the equipment than the technique.  I started by using a microfiber cloth that had been previously washed.  Wow, was that an eye-opener.  The cloth left all kinds of lint on the bathroom mirror.  I spent more time getting the lint off than cleaning the mirror.  As the cloth gets wet, I also discovered, the performance diminishes, leaving tracks of cleaner rather than wiping it off.  This was also the result when I moved to my outside window.  I decided to give the newspaper technique a try.  I can see why people use newspaper (and apparently have since Victorian times), but technique is still key here.  Always wipe with a dry spot on the paper and never re-wipe with wet paper; that is sure to leave streaks on your window.  Ultimately, I did end up with streak-free glass on the mirrors and on the window.  This formula seems to be enough to do the job for me.

Here are before and after pictures of the mirror.  My attempts to take pictures of the window were unsuccessful.

The out-of-focus white spots are the crud on the mirror.  The left column is before, and the right is after.  You can tell the crud is gone.  What you can't really tell is how streak-free the glass is.  I am personally very pleased with this formula.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.

Glass Cleaner, recipe #1

After searching many websites, I have decided on the following formula for my initial window cleaner:

• 16 fluid ounces of distilled water
• 2 fluid ounces of vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. liquid dish soap

The bottle (for $1 from Dollar Tree) has ounce marks up to 22 but is a 28-ounce bottle.  I think for this first test I will use the original measurements.  So, 16 ounces is 2 cups, and 2 ounces is 1/4 cup.  Now, on to the testing.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.

Glass cleaner, the research

While searching for a recipe for a home-made glass cleaner, I discovered there is a very basic formula:  Water and vinegar with liquid soap optional.  The quantities of each change depending on recipe, and the liquid soap can apparently be dish soap or laundry detergent, but a basic pattern has emerged.  Start with 2 cups of water, add 3-4 tablespoons (the measure, not the flatware!), then add a dash of liquid soap.

Of course, there are several deviations from this routine.  While Martha Stewart uses the most simple recipe of 1 part vinegar to 1 part water, the Heloise website has a more complex formula that includes alcohol, food coloring, and essential oil for scent.  There is one website (Katie) that simply replaces the soap with essential oils, although she does recommend adding “a couple drops of liquid castille [her spelling, not mine] soap or liquid dish soap in some of this mixture the first time you clean the windows to remove detergent residue”.  There is also one website (johnson) that gives a slightly different window cleaning technique.  Here, one is to use a soft bristle brush to scrub the window with the solution and then rinse the window using clean water; thus, no rags are involved, making this an even greener method.  Frontier presents an interesting formula that includes cream of tartar instead of the soap and uses lemongrass tea instead of water.  I am going to try this recipe once I place an order with them.  Lastly, I came across another website (Martin) that actually did tests on various natural recipes.  This author swears by vinegar, alcohol, and cornstarch.

Some of you may be questioning why I don't list any ammonia-based recipe, which can be found in volume on the Internet and are often highly recommended.  Ammonia is toxic to the human body.  According to the New York State Department of Health, “When ammonia enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide. This chemical is very corrosive and damages cells in the body on contact.”  For this toxic reason, I will not entertain using ammonia.

I decided to see if there were any Victorian window cleaning recipes.  According to a blog by scotslass, there were two Victorian glass cleaning methods.  One method is a variation on the above formula using 2 cups water, 3 tbsp. vinegar, and 1/2 tsp. liquid vegetable-oil based soap.  That raises another question for future research:  Did Victorians have liquid soap?  This formula is sprayed onto glass and wiped off using crumpled newspaper.  The second method sounds more Victoria.  One is to put “methylated spirits” on a cloth to wipe the window and then polish the window using leather.  &ldquoMethylated spirits&rdquo is another name for denatured alcohol.  This is ethanol with poisons added so it cannot be ingested.  This blog seems to be the only mention on the Internet of Victorian-era glass cleaners/methods.  If you find any others, please drop me an e-mail with the URL so I can check it out.

Since the liquid soap recipe is part of a Victorian website, I have decided to proceed using that formulation with a slightly different recipe.  See the next post for details. As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.

References:

Bond, Annie B. "The Best Window Cleaner." Care2. Care2.com, Inc., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Cleaning with Herbs." Frontier Natural Products Co-op. Frontier Natural Products Co-op, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Denatured Alcohol." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Facts About Ammonia, The." Department of Health. New York State, Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Heloise Hints." Heloise. Heloise, Inc., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Huffstetler, Erin. "Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe - Make Your Own Glass Cleaner." Frugal Living. About.com, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Johnson, Amy. "The Best Window Cleaner Ever … like Ever." She Wears Many Hats. She Wears Many Hats, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Katie. "Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe." Wellness Mama. Wellness Mama, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Martin, Leslie. "Battle of the Homemade Glass Cleaners." Crunchy Betty. CrunchyBetty, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Scotslass. "Victorian Cleaning Methods." HubPages. HubPages Inc., 8 Sept. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Washing Windows." Martha Stewart. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

Glass Cleaner, an introduction

Those who know me know one thing I am grateful for from my failed marriage is an appreciation for natural alternatives to all the chemicals we have come to know and love.  This appreciation, I am discovering, actually fits in well with my developing Victorianesque persona/lifestyle.  In the spirit of these influences, I have decided to work on a home-made glass cleaner.  Therefore, this is the beginning of the glass cleaner experiment.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.