The eco-friendly ingredient to clean windows and doors, which is also disinfectant 

Household duties are not the most fun in the world, nor are they the most interesting, yet they are very necessary. It’s no secret that seeing and feeling the hygiene in the home brings an almost indescribable peace, and noticing stained or smelly areas makes you despair and frustrated -at least for me, a bit of a cleanliness freak-.

However, several areas remain marked, even if they are cleaned regularly every week. One of them is glass, mirrors and crystals, which, with the passage of time, get dirty, dust accumulates and fingerprints -sometimes dirty-stain the surface, losing the charm of neatness and brightness.

Fortunately, their grooming is simple. All you need is a homemade product, very economical, harmless and, best of all: of organic origin. In this article, we tell you how to clean windows with white vinegar (food or cleaning vinegar) and get rid of stuck-on dirt and stains once and for all.

Why using vinegar to clean the windows is a great idea?

The white vinegar or cleaning vinegar, besides being very cheap and environmentally friendly, it has infallible qualities when cleaning, as it is very easy to use. Antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal, therefore, it fights bacteria, germs, and signs of moisture, fungus, or mold present on almost any surface.

This is the reason why it has become the most effective and practical resource if you find yourself in the battle of sanitizing the window panes -especially if they are outdoors-, the bathroom mirrors, the shower enclosures and shower doors, and even kitchen utensils made of glass.

And, in case you didn’t know, thanks to the fact that its compound contains acetic acid and its smell is quite strong and characteristic, it also works as a natural insect repellent, keeping away flies, mosquitoes or intrusive ants, so don’t hesitate to use it in the summer when cleaning kitchen countertops, the dining room table and even the refrigerator. You will notice the difference!

How to clean stained-glass with white vinegar

Glass brings a sense of spaciousness and light to the home, everyone sees them, and they attract positive attention as long as they are spotless and spotless, unfortunately. As a result, scale and dirt on glass panes ruin their appearance and lose their “charm”. This is the most practical way to remove stains:

1. In a spray bottle, add equal parts vinegar and water and shake well to combine.
2. Spray on the glass surface and wipe from top to bottom with a microfiber cloth (or other lint-free, non-residue cloth).
3. Dry with another microfiber cloth to prevent streaking.

How to clean glass with vinegar and baking soda?

If you don’t want to resort to toxic and environmentally unhealthy chemicals, consider this unbeatable household duo, with which you can make your own homemade window cleaner in two steps:

1. In a bowl, mix 2 cups of water, 4 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda.
2. Stir well and with a soft sponge dampened in the mixture, apply it on the crystals with movements oriented in the same direction (from left to right, from right to left, or from top to bottom).
3. Let it act for 5 minutes.
4. Finally, rinse to remove the product with a microfiber cloth dampened in warm water to remove the dirt and the remains of vinegar and baking soda.

Note: This last step should be repeated 2 or 3 times if necessary. Rinse the cloth each time to avoid stubborn stains.

How to clean very dirty glass with vinegar and lemon?

This is one of the most powerful techniques for cleaning glass and windows full of stubborn dirt and grease. Undoubtedly, the effectiveness of vinegar is multiplied when combined with the properties of the most popular natural grease remover: citric acid. Find out how to take advantage of its benefits:

1. In a bowl, mix the juice of two lemons with 3 oz of water and 3 oz of vinegar (if the glass is larger like a window or door, multiply the quantities as needed).
2. Pour this mixture into a spray bottle or sprayer.
3. Spray on the surface and spread with a microfiber cloth.
4. Wait a few minutes for the citric and acetic acid to take effect.
5. To finish, pick up the dirt, vinegar, and lemon residues with a cloth and clean water.

As a final recommendation: Do not forget that it is appropriate to clean in areas where the glass not exposed to direct sunlight, or, if windows are involved, do it on a cloudy day, at dawn or during the night, since the vinegar evaporates quickly and will dry out, causing stains and basically, the remedy will be worse than the disease.

What is the importance of using ecological cleaning products?

In the field of home cleaning, the use of ecological hygiene items will help eliminate waste and disinfect with compounds of natural origin, in addition to caring for people’s health and pampering the environment that surrounds us, hence the importance of using this type of product, but we also need the materials that store them (cans and other containers) to be biodegradable and non-polluting with biodegradable products we reduce the impact of waste on the environment, this means that it disintegrates in less time and does not release dangerous substances.

What are ecological cleaning products?

They are products that are composed of substances that are harmless to the environment, that is, the compounds must be biodegradable and cruelty free (not tested on animals). To identify if a cleaning product is ecological or not, we should only look at the components, if it contains any of these components it is not biodegradable or ecological: phenol, naphthalene, ethyl alcohol, creosol, ammonia, butoxyethanol, among others.

On the contrary, the ecological components for cleaning products are usually: oils of vegetable origin, sulfates of alcohols from coconut fat, silicates or flavorings from vegetable origin.

Acetic acid (a.k.a. white vinegar) can also work as a disinfectant that can destroy some bacteria and viruses. Studies confirming vinegar’s antibacterial properties says that household natural sanitizers, like lemon juice and vinegar, reduced the number of pathogens to undetectable levels. I just clarify that you must not just relay in vinegar, but combine it with other disinfectants like cleaning alcohol.