Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Glass Half Full and Squeaky Clean

When I was a young pup, my mom made her own window and glass cleaner, among other (almost every) things.

As soon as I was old enough to realize that the blue liquid advertised on television was the "correct" thing to use for glass, I grumbled as I washed windows. Who makes their own cleaner? That's just weird, right? It was to me and my "everyone else's lives are beautiful and perfect just like t.v., and if we only had store-bought glass cleaner (and white bread...), mine would be, too" way of thinking. I was convinced that homemade = inferior.

I swore that when I had my own house to keep, it would be nothing but the best, most expensive cleaning supplies for me! None of this two-bit, makes-your-life-boring-and-keeps-you-all-repressed homemade crap.

No, Ma'am. I had things to prove!

It took me 11 years of dissatisfied washing, and countless bottles of every brand of glass cleaner on the market to finally break down and call my mom for her recipe.

I whipped it up and washed my mirrors. Then I washed them again the next day. And the next. I was hooked. I kept directing my husband's attention to the mirrors and exclaiming things like, "Look at that!" and "Holy Moly, that's clean!"

I mean, they were cleaner than they had ever been. No streaks, no residue.

Just pure, unadulterated, boring old clean.

I felt sheepish. And thrilled. Enough more thrilled than sheepish to swear allegiance to home-concocted glass cleaner forever more.

And so, I present to you today, the glass cleaner that dreams are made of:

(and, again, I always just make enough for my bottlesworth (1 quart), so I have revised the recipe to reflect that)

In a large (at least 1 quart) measuring cup, mix the following:
1/2 C. rubbing alcohol
1 TB. ammonia
1/2 TB. liquid dish soap (Joy is supposedly the best to use)
Enough water to make 1 quart

Pour the solution into your spray bottle (again, it must be a heavy duty one, or it will stop working after a while), and clean like the cleaning lady you always aspired to be!

Also, the Friday Reader Recipes theme is SANDWICHES. Got that? SANDWICHES.


(No peanut butter and jelly or processed lunch meat allowed)


p.s. Today is pi day (3.14 - I know it's kinda nerdy, but who doesn't love an excuse to eat pie?), so if you find a healthy pie recipe to make for your family, let me know!

p.p.s. Last Saturday when Ty was cleaning his car, he noticed for the first time the corrections I had made to the Great Value Glass Cleaner bottle that I have been using for my homemade cleaner for the last 3 years. He asked (as he chuckled), "Did you do that completely for your own benefit?" And I replied, "Yep." Because I believe in doing little things for my own benefit. My own benefit is a worthy cause.

(Also, knowing me, I would otherwise forget that it was homemade and that I had ever made my own cleaning solution)

5 comments:

  1. Yay! Im excited to try all your amazing cleaners. I actually LOVE my glass cleaner. But if I can save some money and have cleaner that is just as great, then Im all for it!
    I love the corrections you made on your spray bottle:) And I love that it took Ty 3 years to notice! So funny:)

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    1. Amy, this is actually the exact same one as your mom's in the Walker Family Cookbook. What is the glass cleaner that you love? Maybe I was buying all the wrong ones.

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  2. Wow. You're a good salesman. I must've had a different homemade glass cleaner recipe because I finally gave in and bought store-bought (Glass-Plus) 10 years ago or so and couldn't believe how much cleaner and easier it made my life. You know I'm going to have to give your recipe a go though. You sold me.

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    1. Shar, now I'm afraid it won't live up to your expectations. Maybe mine were just really low or something. I don't know. Maybe my glass is dirty. It looks clean to me, so why mess with that kind of ignorant bliss?

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  3. maybe your neighbor's laundry really isn't dirty!?! Your husband really ought to be teaching you lessons more often. it sounds like he can't teach you that one until you get this glass cleaner thing sorted out.

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