Todd There are many eco-friendly glass cleaning products on the market. There are also many recipes for homemade window cleaning products on the internet. My hunt was to find the best eco-friendly window cleaner.
The issue with cleaning glass is streaks. It is very frustrating to clean a window and end up with streaks all over the window. There are some cleaning techniques that make it easier to have streak-free windows.
- One effective streak-free glass cleaning technique is to use a damp sponge to apply the cleaning agent. Then use a squeegee to remove any excess cleaning agent. Then rinse with clean water applied with a chamois. This is a labor-intensive, but effective cleaning technique
- If you are washing windows, wash it when it is not sunny out. The sun tends to dry the cleaners faster, before they are all wiped off of the windows. Dried on cleaner leads to streaks and spots.
- Make sure that you are using a lint-free cleaning cloth.
The two most common ingredients in conventional glass cleaners are ammonia and vinegar. Since one of the common ingredients is already a natural one, vinegar, there are some great natural eco-friendly glass cleaning products on the market.
When evaluating the best eco-friendly glass cleaners I took into account the ingredients, the material of the container, and unneeded ingredients like dyes and fragrances. I also look at the Environmental Working Group’s rating of the products.
Dazz Natural Glass Cleaning Tablets
Dazz Natural Cleaning Tablets are a novel glass cleaning product. The package comes with enough tablets for four 32 ounce bottles of glass cleaner. You simply add two tablets into a bottle with water and they dissolve.
There are some negatives with Dazz Natural Cleaning Tablets. I was unable to find a complete ingredient list, other than “naturally derived ingredients.” Since there is little regulation around the word “natural” in marketing, I want to be able to double-check the ingredients myself. The tablets also include fragrance and dye. I don’t see any need for these in a glass cleaner. Some of the reviews do mention users having a problem with streaks.
Earth Friendly Products Window Cleaner with Vinegar
Earth Friendly Products Window Cleaner with Vinegar does a great job listing all of its ingredients. All of the ingredients are plant-derived. Unfortunately, the Environmental Working Group did not review this product.
The reviews confirm that it does a great job cleaning windows without streaks. One negative is that it does evaporate quickly so it can be hard to clean large sections all at once. If it evaporates before you are able to wipe it off, it does streak. It does come in a recyclable plastic bottle.
Better Life Natural Streak Free Glass Cleaner
Better Life Natural Streak Free Glass Cleaner does a great job of listing its ingredients and the sources of them. They only get a C rating from the Environmental Working Group, primarily due to the synthetic preservative that they use.
The cleaner does a good job leaving streak-free windows, but like all cleaners, some reviews do mention streaks. The product comes in recyclable plastic bottles and they do not mention that the plastic bottles are made from recycled plastic or bioplastic.
Seventh Generation Professional Glass & Surface Cleaner
Seventh Generation Professional Glass & Surface Cleaner is USDA Certified Biobased 96%. It does not contain any fragrance or coloring. Even though it is 96% biobased, it only gets a C rating from the Environmental Working Group.
I would not buy Seventh Generation Professional Glass & Surface Cleaner as a dedicated glass cleaner. It does a better job at cleaning glass than most multipurpose cleaners, but if you want streak-free glass, you really need a dedicated cleaner that is formulated just for glass. What does a good job cleaning a countertop, often does not lead to streak-free glass.
Homemade Glass Cleaner
Homemade glass cleaner is easy to make and an effective glass cleaner. The recipe is simple and you probably have all of the ingredients at home.
- 1 Part vinegar
- 1 Part water
- 1 Part isopropyl alcohol
Simply mix the ingredients in a spray bottle that you already have. No extra ingredients and no wasted plastic bottles. The ingredients in this are very similar to the Earth Friendly Products Window Cleaner with Vinegar.
Conclusion
There is not a single natural eco-friendly glass cleaner on the market that does not have reviews that mention streaks. If you use correct cleaning techniques, there are several good eco-friendly glass cleaners. Glass cleaners are one cleaning product that you can make a pretty good product yourself.
Please check out our reviews on other eco-friendly cleaning products.
