Cleaning may not be the hippest topic, but for many of us, it’s part of #everydaylife.
If you’ve looked at the ingredients in commercial cleaning products, you may have felt sick to the stomach. Even the ‘natural’ ones are difficult to decipher. I’ve had asthma since childhood, and unfortunately my oldest son has mild asthma too, so it’s very important for us to use natural ingredients that don’t agitate our respiratory systems.
But even if you don’t have asthma, you will love how your space feels and smells after cleaning with natural ingredients. There really is a big difference.
We did a lot of research and testing when developing the Wyld Glass Cleaner. The formula is so simple that you can easily make it at home yourself. No weird chemicals or fragrances – just ingredients you can recognize and likely have on hand already!
Most importantly, this glass cleaning spray gets the job done. Effective, ecological and economical – boom.
Besides glass and mirrors, it also works on stainless steel. So go on and polish those knobs and faucets if you want some shine. Oh, and it’s great for getting rid of fingerprints on the refrigerator!
Here’s what you need:
60 ml white vinegar (apple cider vinegar will work too, but smells stronger) – a versatile cleaning agent that picks up dirt, grime, fingerprints, etc.
60 ml vodka (or isopropyl rubbing alcohol also works) – further sanitizes and helps get rid of streaks.
1 Tablespoon arrowroot starch (you can sub cornstarch) – provides a streak-free clean. Without this ingredient you will have clean glass, mirrors and surfaces, but there may be streaks.
10 drops essential oils of lemon, orange and grapefruit essential oils – beyond their lovely fresh scent, citrus essential oils have antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral properties that not only aid in breaking down grease and grime, but they can actually destroy microbes. Other essential oils that are good for cleaning: lavender, thyme, rosemary, clove, cedarwood and pine.
300 ml glass bottle with spray top – it doesn’t have to be glass, but I prefer glass over plastic. Glass lasts longer, it looks and feels better, and is an easy way of avoiding plastic in the cleaning closet.
To make:
In a medium sized jar, mix together 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), 4 drops lemon essential oil, 3 drops orange essential oil and 3 drops grapefruit essential oil until thoroughly mixed together. This helps create an emulsion so the ingredients won’t separate later.
Next stir in 60 ml vinegar and 60 ml vodka or alcohol.
Pour this mixture in a 300ml spray bottle, making sure to scrape all of the powder and essential oils into the bottle too. I use a small silicone spatula for this.
Now fill the bottle with water, leaving a couple centimeters of space at the top.
Screw on the top, give the bottle a good gentle shake and it’s done!
To use:
Spray onto glass and use a microfiber cloth to rub away. You don’t need a ton of spray. In fact, the more you spray on, the more you’ll have to work with it. If you see smudges or streaks, let it dry for a second and then wipe some more. The streaks will disappear!
If you’re tackling windows that are very grungy, I recommend first washing them off with soapy water. Then use the glass cleaner as usual.
Note: careful using this on marble. Or that’s what people say. We have marble in our kitchen, however, and this spray does absolutely no damage to it. But please proceed with caution on marble.
Want to know how to make your own pine infused wood and surface cleaner too? Yep it’s infused with local, wildcrafted pine needles, and it’s wonderful. Get it here!
We also have plans to take you on a tour of our humble little cleaning closet, sharing our tips for avoiding chemicals and plastics, plus how to find natural materials and products that elevate the everyday humdrum tasks of cleaning.
