The best homemade window cleaning solution is to just mix two gallons of water and about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid together in your bucket. Some people also opt to use vinegar and water to clean windows. In warm weather, you'll get a little more working time by using cool water.
If you're all about the DIY life, we've got just the thing for you. Combine two parts water with one part white vinegar in a spray bottle and you'll be all set with a homemade window cleaner. You can also combine warm water with a few drops of dishwashing soap if you prefer.
In a spray bottle, combine ¼ cup of white vinegar with ½ teaspoon of liquid dish soap. Dilute the solution with 2 cups of water, then shake the bottle vigorously to mix the components. If you don't have white vinegar on hand, you can substitute it with lemon juice.
The most common professional window cleaning solution recipe is filtered or distilled water and dish soap. Just a few spoonfuls of dish soap is all that's needed to create foam for gliding and to help break up any grease and dirt on the glass during cleaning.
You can also make an all-natural window cleaning solution using a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and hot water. Adding a touch of liquid soap to the vinegar solution will help remove any streak-causing wax left on the window from commercial cleaners used in the past.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
Mix up your window-cleaning solution: In a plastic spray bottle, mix together 2 cups of warm water with 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn. Sweep away dirt: Using a broom, sweep away the cobwebs and debris from the windows and sills.
For this reason, you should use purified water when cleaning your windows to avoid stains. Secondly, purified water makes your windows look immaculately clean and prolongs their durability and resistance to cracking.
While you might spare your windows from some random chemicals often present in regular water, using distilled water does not eliminate the water spot issue. If you're cleaning your windows yourself and you want to use a fancy water for your final rinse, we recommend using deionized water over distilled water.
Spray a stronger mix of 1:1 water and vinegar (or Windex, or glass cleaner) at your window, so that the solution covers most of the glass. (I found Windex to work better, but if you have pets—or kids—who frequently lick outdoor windows, vinegar may be the best route for you.)
In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups of white vinegar, 2 cups of water, and 5 drops of concentrated dish soap. Give it a good shake to thoroughly mix the ingredients. The vinegar is an acid and will help break up any mineral or hard water deposits. The dish soap helps to soften up the grime and gently remove dirt.
Dish Soap and Water
Dish soap is perfect for cleaning windows with residue and buildup, and you only need a few drops of dish soap to get the job done. If you're cleaning inside windows, use a spray bottle and if you're washing exterior windows, use a bucket.
Professional window cleaners like Window Genie are trained and experienced in this battle. Window Genie uses a polishing paste specifically designed to fight the minerals that create these stains. The paste is applied to a non-abrasive cleaning pad and the window is lightly scrubbed.
DIY Glass Cleaner Recipe
Beginning with your empty plastic spray bottle, add in the cup of distilled water. Then combine with one cup rubbing alcohol and two tablespoons of distilled white vinegar. Once everything is in the bottle, please give it a good shake to mix the solution up. That's it - super easy, right?
Window Washing Tips
If you want to take an environmentally friendly route (which we recommend), then a solution of warm water and vinegar will do the trick and get your windows clean. Some brands and types of windows are much easier to clean than others.
If streaky windows are a big issue in your home, try cleaning them with vinegar and warm water, which should leave them sparkling and streak-free. Another option is wiping them down with a newspaper, which cuts down on streaks and produces maximum shine.
To make the solution is simple and easy on the wallet! Pour equal parts of vinegar and Dawn into a spray bottle. Gently shake, then spray liberally onto the surface to be cleaned. I have found the best results is when I use it to clean chrome shower and sink fixtures.
Not only does rubbing alcohol polish mirrors, but it's also useful for cleaning windows and glass crystal too, according to Stephanie Cooper of Energy Cleaning.
The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. They're both excellent at breaking down tough grease and grime, but vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, and dish soap is too thick to use on its own.