3 Natural Glass Cleaners That Really Work (and won’t leave streaks!)

You don’t need harmful chemicals to get sparkling clean mirrors and windows. In fact, these natural glass cleaners give a streak-free shine every single time! Keep reading to see how you can use these green cleaning products to get your home clean the healthy way!

Best natural glass cleaners that really work

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Do you have pets with wet noses? Or kids with sticky fingers?

If so, then you know what a struggle it is to keep your windows sparkly and clean.

It seems like the lower parts of my windows are always covered in kitty nose prints, and no matter how often I clean them, my three fur babies just dirty them up hours later.

But while the lower parts of my windows are usually covered in kitty kisses, the upper parts are pretty darn clean, and my mirrors are usually SPOTLESS.

But that’s not even the best part. The best part is that I get a streak-free shine to my windows and mirrors every single time I clean them…without using any harmful chemicals!

I know, I’m pretty excited about it too.

I finally ditched my Windex a few years ago when I decided to start making my own natural cleaning products. Since then, I’ve tried a few different natural glass cleaner recipes but with mixed results.

After weeding through the recipes that just didn’t work, here are the three natural glass cleaners that gave me streak-free mirrors and windows with minimal effort.

Let me tell you all about them!

3 Ways to Clean Your Mirrors, Windows, and Glass Naturally

While there are all sorts of homemade glass cleaner recipes out there, not all of them work as well as they claim. I’ve tried several different DIY glass cleaners, and these are the ones that I find work the absolute best:

Option 1: Microfiber cloth and water
Option 2: White vinegar and water
Option 3: Thieves Household Cleaner and water

Let’s talk a little more about each of these options so you can pick the best natural glass and mirror cleaner for your particular needs.

Option 1: The Low-Maintenance Natural Glass, Window, and Mirror Cleaner

By far, the easiest way to clean your windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces is with a microfiber cloth and water. You don’t have to mix any ingredients together, and you don’t have to store a bottle of cleaner in your cleaning caddy.

All you have to do is dampen a microfiber cloth, wipe down your mirrors, windows, or other glass surfaces, and then dry them with another microfiber cloth. Easy peasy!

Of course, I know what you’re probably thinking right now: this method seems almost too good to be true. I mean, can you really get streak-free mirrors and windows with just a microfiber cloth and water??

I didn’t believe it at first either, but the first time I tried it, I immediately threw my Windex in the garbage. Honest to goodness, there wasn’t a single streak on my mirrors or windows! That’s how good these microfiber cloths work, and I can’t see myself ever going back to Windex after using them.

So if you’re looking for a low-maintenance option for cleaning your mirrors, windows, and other glass surfaces, then a set of microfiber cloths and some water might be all you need.

Option 2: The Easiest Vinegar-Based Homemade Window and Mirror Cleaning Solution

If you’d prefer to use a cleaning solution instead of plain water, then your next easiest option is a white vinegar and water mixture. I like using equal parts of each, so I typically make my recipe like this:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup filtered water

Add both ingredients to a 16 oz. spray bottle and swirl to combine.

All you have to do is spray this cleaner on your mirrors, windows, or other glass surfaces and then wipe them dry with a microfiber cloth.

I get a streak-free shine every time I use this glass cleaner both on my mirrors and windows, so it’s definitely a keeper in my house. But I should warn you that it does smell like vinegar as soon as you spray it.

I actually don’t mind the vinegar smell, and it does disappear within a few minutes. But if the vinegar smell bothers you, then you might prefer a glass cleaner without vinegar. Which brings me to the next option!

Option 3: The Best-Smelling Homemade Glass Cleaner Without Vinegar

Note: I don’t sell Young Living products, and I’m not brand-loyal to any essential oil company. I just happen to like the smell and cleaning power of Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner.

If you don’t want to deal with a vinegar smell, then Thieves Household Cleaner diluted in water is a nice alternative. It leaves a perfectly streak-free shine just like the other two natural glass cleaner options, but it also has a warm, spicy scent that smells clean and fresh.

To use Thieves Household Cleaner on glass, Young Living recommends using 50-100 parts water to 1 part Thieves Household Cleaner. If you want an easier-to-understand recipe, that dilution ratio roughly translates to:

½ capful of Thieves Household Cleaner
2 cups filtered water

Add both ingredients to a 16 oz. spray bottle and swirl to combine.

All you have to do is spray this cleaner on your mirrors, windows, or other glass surfaces and then wipe them dry with a microfiber cloth.

Notes for Using Thieves Household Cleaner to Clean Glass

Dilution Ratio: I don’t stress about exact measurements, so the recipe above is just an approximation.

I have used a full capful of Thieves Household Cleaner in a 16 oz. bottle of water before and it worked just fine on my mirrors and windows, so try to stay between ½ and 1 capful of Thieves Household Cleaner for every 2 cups of water when you make this natural glass cleaner.

Container: Thieves Household Cleaner does contain essential oils. Since essential oils are light-sensitive and can corrode plastic bottles, it’s a good practice to use amber or cobalt blue glass containers any time you mix up a product that contains essential oils.

On the other hand, Thieves Household Cleaner does come in a plastic jug when you buy it, so decide for yourself what kind of spray bottle you should use to store your glass cleaner.

The Verdict: What is the Best Natural Window and Mirror Cleaner?

Well, it really all depends on what you’re looking for:

If you’re looking for a low-maintenance natural glass cleaner for your windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces, then go with a microfiber cloth and plain water.
If you’re looking for an easy, vinegar-based glass cleaning solution, then go with equal parts white vinegar and water.
If you’re looking for a natural glass cleaner without vinegar, then go with Thieves Household Cleaner heavily diluted in water.

I’ve personally used all three of these options, and they all work perfectly on my glass surfaces. But I still think I prefer the microfiber cloth and water option because 1) it’s super low-maintenance and 2) I don’t have to store another bottle of cleaner in my cleaning caddy.

Troubleshooting Your Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipes

I’ve read testimonials of people who have mixed results with homemade glass cleaners. Some swear by vinegar, and others say vinegar doesn’t work. Some insist that using newspaper to dry the glass prevents streaks, while other people say newspaper doesn’t work at all.

I don’t have all the answers, but I can tell you why I think I’ve had such good results with these recipes.

The kind of cleaning cloth you use could make all the difference

See, I believe it all comes down to the kind of cloth I use to dry my mirrors and windows after I clean them.

I always use microfiber cloths to clean my mirrors and windows, and I like them for a variety of reasons.

They’re better than paper towels because they don’t leave lint behind
They’re eco-friendly because they’re washable and reusable
They do an excellent job of quickly absorbing and drying up whichever cleaner I happen to spray on my glass surfaces

I’m 100% convinced that my microfiber cloths are the ultimate reason why I don’t have any streaks or smudges or smears when I clean my glass surfaces with these natural glass cleaner recipes.

So if you have trouble with streaking or smearing when you use any of these natural cleaning options, it could be the kind of cleaning cloth you’re using. I do think the kind of cleaning cloth you use could make a difference in how well your natural glass cleaner works, so grab a set of microfiber cloths if you don’t already have some.

Oh, and to keep your microfiber cloths in tip-top shape, don’t use any fabric softener when you wash them. The softener could put an oily film on your cloths and cause them to not work as well (i.e. they might start leaving streaks on your windows and mirrors).

Also, let them air dry if you can. If you can’t, just be sure you don’t use a dryer sheet when you dry them.

Final Thoughts on Homemade and Natural Glass Cleaners

It is possible to clean your mirrors, windows, and other glass surfaces without using Windex. In fact, I think all three of these options work even better than the blue stuff!

So go ahead and give one or all of these natural glass cleaners a try. I know you won’t look back when you see how well they work!