There’s nothing I love more than a clean, clear, window. Natural light really transforms a space. But dirty, smudgy windows and glass can really make a room look sloppy! Even if you do clean them regularly, it’s hard to find a good smudge-free glass cleaner. Well, I’ve found it, and it’s green, easy, and costs less than $2 to make.

Windex does work really well, but I’m generally wary of any cleaning products that are a color and have a strong scent. Windex scores a D on the EWG’s guide to healthy cleaning– at minimum it causes skin and respiratory irritation, and its ingredients are terrible for aquatic life. It has two of my least favorite things in a cleaner- dye and artificial fragrance. I think we can agree that it’s just not something I feel comfortable using in my home- and with such a good alternative, why would you?

With only three ingredients, this homemade glass cleaner is so easy to make. It works on any type of glass- windows, mirrors, glass doors, etc. It’s super effective and streak free, every time. And it’s not causing you any negative health effects and you know EXACTLY what’s in it. Plus, it’s way cheaper than windex!

If you like this green cleaning recipe for homemade glass cleaner- check out my other recipes for green cleaning month!

I like to explain why I use each ingredient in my cleaning recipes. After all, if you know what’s in your cleaners, you should also know why they are there!

Ingredients:

• Rubbing alcohol: Disinfects and evaporates quickly for that streak free shine
• Vinegar: Great at removing dirt and smudges
• Dish soap: For just a little extra kick to remove dirt and smudges
• Essential oils (optional): for scent (I used lemon in this recipe)

Ready for the recipe?

Want to see just how great it is? My dog loves pressing his nose right on the sliding glass windows to watch passerby and always leaves smudges. I used this glass cleaner and the smudges were gone! At least until he put his nose up on the glass again 10 minutes later…

I just love a good green cleaning recipe that is super effective. You may not believe how great this cleaner is, but the alcohol really does make it streak free every time. I just love it!

I can’t get enough of my shiny clean windows and mirrors!

Let me know how making your own homemade glass cleaner goes for you!

supplies used in this post

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It’s been two months now since I’ve moved into our home that has granite countertops. I love them SO MUCH- and I want to take great care of them so they can last as long as possible. I did a lot of research on the kinds of things that can damage granite, and I’ve found this to be the best homemade green granite cleaner. It’s super simple, inexpensive, and effective. It costs less than a dollar to make!

A lot of the homemade granite cleaner recipes have vinegar in them. Vinegar is one of my favorite green cleaning ingredients, but as with anything, it isn’t perfect. Vinegar is acidic, which will dull the shine of the granite. And I don’t know about you, but I want my granite to keep its fabulous shine!

So that’s why this granite cleaner is perfect. It cleans effectively, won’t damage your granite, and keeps them shining! I thought it was perfect for green cleaning month!

Ingredients:

• Rubbing alcohol: Cleans and disinfects while leaving a streak free shine
• Dish soap: Cleans and cuts through grease and food stains
• Water: Makes up the body of the cleaner
• Essential oil: I chose peppermint because I love the smell, and it doesn’t come from an acidic fruit.

Pretty effective right? I love a good before and after. Almost as much as I love a good shine on my granite counters.

This cleaner is so simple and effective. My favorite part about this picture is how you can see the reflection of the cleaner in the granite. That’s how you know it’s effective. For a minute I thought there was a smudge on my lens in this picture, but then I realized it’s the reflection of the oven clock.

I used an awesome glass spray bottle. We try to use as little plastic as possible, so these glass spray bottles are perfect for that.

So there you have it. This simple and easy to make granite cleaner is my new favorite. I can’t stop staring at my counters!

Let me know how making your own granite cleaner goes for you!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of my green cleaning month recipes here!

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Happy March! As you may already know, I’ve made March a green cleaning month for the blog! That means every week I’ll be sharing two green cleaning recipes with you. By the end of the month, you will be more than ready for spring cleaning. I hope you’re excited. It only makes sense to start with a homemade all purpose cleaner. It’s so versatile and easy, but better than that, it only costs 50 cents to make!

After all, you need a cleaner you can grab in a pinch and use to clean any little (and sometimes big!) messes. Sure, you need specific cleaners for different things, but my all purpose cleaner is one of my cleaning staples, and the perfect cleaner to start out with.

I’ve made an all purpose cleaner before- and I loved it! But for green cleaning month I’ve done a lot of research- and I wanted to update my homemade all purpose cleaner to make it even more effective. Plus that was one of my earliest posts, and I like to update my pictures and style anyways. So I hope you like the new and improved recipe!

Ingredients:

• Baking soda: dissolves dirt and grease, gentle and non-toxic, deodorizes
• Borax: all natural and sustainable cleaner, disinfects, anti-fungal and keeps away bugs
• Dish soap or liquid castile soap: surfactant, dissolves dirt and grease
• Essential oils: for scent, and depending on the oil, can have different properties like being antibacterial, anti-fungal, etc. (I used lemongrass)

I’ve been trying to keep my cleaners more pH neutral. This cleaner has both baking soda and borax, so it is mildly alkaline, with a pH of about 8.5. This is approximate and based on the pH strips I used to test it.

And it is super effective! Just check out the picture below:

I’m always embarrassed to show before and afters like this… my baseboard was so grimy before! But it looks clean and great now. I don’t know where all that grease and grime came from, but it looks so much better cleaned up now. And it was persistent kitchen grease, so this stuff really packs a punch!

Seriously, you can’t get much better than that for 50 cents. And I recycled an old spray bottle for it, which I always love to do. This cleaner is my new favorite!

Let me know how making your homemade all purpose cleaner goes for you!

Want more green cleaning recipes? Check out all of my green cleaning month recipes here!

Supplies Used in this post:

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Having a good looking sink area really elevates a kitchen. A fun and good looking dish soap dispenser really makes a difference! I was getting sick of leaving out the dish soap bottle on the sink, but I didn’t want to spend a crazy amount of time making something complicated. Luckily this project was inexpensive and easy- and it only takes about 10 minutes to complete!

We were just about to run out of dish soap, so I figured it was a good time to make a new dish soap dispenser! I was also planning to make our own dish soap- but that ended up being a huge failure and unfortunate waste of ingredients. I guess that’s the risk you run when you try/ tweak recipes from pinterest. (But I’m not giving up yet!)

I’ve seen tutorials on how to make all kinds of etched glass things- monogrammed glasses, mason jars, glass decorations, you name it. Well, a glass olive oil bottle makes a perfect canvas for an adorable dish soap dispenser.

And seriously, you won’t believe how easy it is! Even the craft-challenged can take this craft on.

Supplies:

• A glass dispenser (olive oil bottle or mason jar with a pump work well)
• Etching stencils (these are the best, in my opinion)
• Armour Etch Cream (I recommend buying this in a craft store rather than online- it was more inexpensive for me and easy to use a coupon)
• Masking Tape
• A cheap paintbrush or sponge brush

Step One: Apply Stencil and Tape

Make sure any fingerprints or dirt are washed off the surface you want to etch. Dish soap works fine.

The Martha Stewart Stencils are my favorite because they stick to your glass and they are reusable. Pretty awesome.

Lay out the design you want to etch, making sure the stencils overlap each other slightly. Then, surround the design with masking tape, overlapping the stencil. I decided I wanted my bottle to say Suds because it is more fun and adorable than Dishes or Soap. You don’t need to limit yourself to letters- you can do any kind of design you like.

Step Two: Apply Armour Etch Cream

Using a cheap paintbrush or sponge brush, apply a thick layer of armour etch cream. Make it thick enough so you can’t see the design through it. Even thicker than in the picture above.

Let the cream sit on the bottle for a minute or two, and then….

Step Three: Rinse Cream

Simply rinse the cream off under a stream of lukewarm water. The stencil may get displaced, but it’s fine, because the etching is already done! If you want, you can use a glass cleaner after rinsing the cream off to get that extra shine.

Step Four: Admire!

Check it out- you made that! And it was super easy. Now show it off to your friends and let them think you are an expert etcher…

I think these would make a great DIY gift! Don’t you?

Even though I don’t have any homemade dish soap to fill it with, I still think it is adorable. I’m still gonna keep trying homemade dish soap recipes- don’t you worry. And I will only post one if it is successful.

I challenge those of you who think you are bad at crafts to try this one out! Send me a picture of the results, and I will post them on the blog! Seriously, this craft is so easy- anyone can do it!

If you liked this post, you should check these out too:

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