Sip
Above: A tablespoon of cornstarch is the secret ingredient. Add it to a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar to produce the shiny, streak-free result that is everyone’s goal when it comes to cleaning windows.
Here's what you'll need:
Materials:
1 16-oz. bottle, such as the Ultimate Glass Spray Bottle ($8.43 from Olive Cart).
1 liquid measuring cup (at least 8 ounces).
Small sieve; a 6-inch Stainless Steel Mesh Sieve is $19.95 from Sur La Table.
Small whisk; a Profi Plus Mini Ball Whisk is $20 from Williams-Sonoma.
1/2 lemon, juiced.
1 tablespoon cornstarch.
1/2 cup white vinegar.
1/2 cup water.
Crumpled newspaper.
To make my glass cleaner, I began by juicing half a lemon into a liquid measuring cup. I used a sieve to keep the lemon seeds and pulp out of my cleaner. Because lemon is naturally acidic and excellent at cutting through grease and grime, it's sometimes used with success to clean glass all on its own. I added it to my solution as a way to freshen the scent.
Next, I added half a cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of cornstarch. I used a small whisk to combine the cornstarch into the vinegar. The result is a milky substance with a beguiling ability to get windows to sparkle.
After I thoroughly mixed my cornstarch, vinegar, and lemon juice, I added it to my empty vinegar bottle and poured in another 1/2 cup of tap water. Reusing an old plastic container is another laudable solution, but I like the look of a glass vinegar bottle even better (label removed, of course). The threaded glass top on a Heinz vinegar bottle (in both 16-ounce and 32-ounce sizes) is a standard 1-inch diameter and will fit most plastic nozzles that come with store-bought cleaners. I took my nozzle from an old Biokleen bottle I had been saving under the kitchen sink.
To clean the windows, I crumpled up a bit of newspaper. Soy-based inks won't rub off onto the window (though you might need to wash your hands afterward), and the newspaper doesn't leave behind flecks of fiber
Here's what you'll need:
Materials:
1 16-oz. bottle, such as the Ultimate Glass Spray Bottle ($8.43 from Olive Cart).
1 liquid measuring cup (at least 8 ounces).
Small sieve; a 6-inch Stainless Steel Mesh Sieve is $19.95 from Sur La Table.
Small whisk; a Profi Plus Mini Ball Whisk is $20 from Williams-Sonoma.
1/2 lemon, juiced.
1 tablespoon cornstarch.
1/2 cup white vinegar.
1/2 cup water.
Crumpled newspaper.
To make my glass cleaner, I began by juicing half a lemon into a liquid measuring cup. I used a sieve to keep the lemon seeds and pulp out of my cleaner. Because lemon is naturally acidic and excellent at cutting through grease and grime, it's sometimes used with success to clean glass all on its own. I added it to my solution as a way to freshen the scent.
Next, I added half a cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of cornstarch. I used a small whisk to combine the cornstarch into the vinegar. The result is a milky substance with a beguiling ability to get windows to sparkle.
After I thoroughly mixed my cornstarch, vinegar, and lemon juice, I added it to my empty vinegar bottle and poured in another 1/2 cup of tap water. Reusing an old plastic container is another laudable solution, but I like the look of a glass vinegar bottle even better (label removed, of course). The threaded glass top on a Heinz vinegar bottle (in both 16-ounce and 32-ounce sizes) is a standard 1-inch diameter and will fit most plastic nozzles that come with store-bought cleaners. I took my nozzle from an old Biokleen bottle I had been saving under the kitchen sink.
To clean the windows, I crumpled up a bit of newspaper. Soy-based inks won't rub off onto the window (though you might need to wash your hands afterward), and the newspaper doesn't leave behind flecks of fiber