This post has Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Straight vinegar will work fine to clean your interior windows, but for excellent results, mix 1 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap such as Dawn in a spray bottle and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Add essential oil if you’d like it scented. Newspaper works well to avoid streaks.
For exterior window washing here are 4 more recipes (1 with ammonia, 3 without):
- Combine 2 cups rubbing alcohol (70 percent isopropyl), 1/2 cup ammonia, 1 teaspoon dish detergent (liquid such as Dawn). Top off with water until you have 1 gallon of window cleaner. Mix and pour into your bottles.
- Mix 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 1 quart warm water. Mix well and put the solution in a trigger spray bottle. Spray on the windows, then wipe with a warm-water rinse. Rub with a dry paper towel or cloth. (Never mix ammonia and vinegar, or ammonia and bleach, in the same bucket.)
If your windows are thermal pane or have any type of insulated film or rubber type sealing/stripping, too much ammonia might discolor the windows and stripping. If you have thermal windows, I would avoid the ammonia and use either of these two recipes.
- Combine 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon dish detergent (liquid such as Dawn) and top off with 1 gallon water. Mix and pour into your bottles. Use a scrubber and squeegee if windows are really dirty.
- Mix 2 Tablespoons cornstarch in a bucket (2-gallon) of warm water. Apply to windows with the sponge side of a squeegee and remove with the squeegee side. Or use a microfiber cloth.