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| I know I read somewhere, but can not find in a search....a window cleaner with, water, vinegar...and I am sure someone posted one that was supposed to be very good using cornstarch in it....can anyone help? Also need the amount per water etc. I appreciate it. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I remember seeing it on the cleaning tips forum, but do not recall the ratio. |
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- Posted by mrsmortarmixer (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 2:35
| The recipe I use is: 1/4 c. white vinegar 1 Tbsp cornstarch 2 c. warm water I love it, and it does an amazing job! |
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| Why would you add cornstarch? That seems it would make it gritty and cloudy, although I've never tried it. I use vinegar and water (with a coffee filter) only. I'm not saying it's wrong - I'm asking because it doesn't make sense in my head! |
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- Posted by measure_twice (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 11:38
| Why would you add cornstarch? Yeh, I wondered about that too, so I Googled. Many people actually tested mixes with and without cornstarch and found that a mix with corn starch works best. Also black and white newspapers beat any other cleaning tool. Nowhere did I find a reason why. I'm thinkin' the solids of the corn starch help scrub the surface. Cleaning windows with vinegar and water solution with newspaper was suggested to me by a man who used that combination in 1910. |
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- Posted by writersblock (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 12:16
| Yes, I use newspapers, but alas they aren't what they used to be, probably because of the finish they put on now to protect color (all pages get the finish, although not all pages have color--very different from the way they used to print). |
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- Posted by measure_twice (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 12:17
| OK, so I got all inspired and followed the recipe and tried it with black-and-white newspaper on the two worst glass panes in the house - the kitchen window over the sink and on the bathroom mirror. The exact mix varies a bit, here is the one I used from Battle of the Homemade Glass Cleaners: 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup 70 percent rubbing alcohol 1 tablespoon corn starch 2 cups warm water Spray. Scrub. Wipe. And... Holy toothpaste, Batman! The window is so clear it looks like it evaporated, like it does not exist. Open air. You could put your hand through. The mirror is eerie. It shows no surface dust to give you a clue it exists. It really looks like there is an opening into another room and there's a strange guy standing in that room. Oh crud, do I really look like that? |
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| I like the mix with the vinegar, alcohol and cornstarch. The trick is, to keep rubbing - if you stop too soon, there will be a cornstarch film. If you rub until all clear, boy is it clear! Also, be sure to shake well every time you're going to use. The cornstarch does settle to the bottom. |
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- Posted by catbuilder (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 13:38
| So what do us poor folks that can't use newspaper (because a newspaper does not exist anywhere around here) use? |
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| I gotta try this. Corn starch is a trip. I can remember when I was a kid experimenting with corn starch and water in a cup, the way it was smooth until you drag something through it and it gets all hard and weird. I wonder if it's there not so much as an abrasive as a gunk eater/absorbent. Maybe someone with a science background can comment. As I was looking for why the corn starch works, someone did mention that you don't want to save the mixture as it will get funky with the starch, which is food. I think I'm gonna try this on my shower doors. |
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- Posted by michoumonster (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 14:11
| that is so interesting! would the cornstarch cause mold though if you don't rinse it off? |
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| Mild abrasive that dissolves away as it is used. Probably pretty close in cost to baking soda, but mixing that with vinegar would just make CO2 and foam. |
This post was edited by brickeyee on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 14:47
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| I didn't use newspaper - paper towels and microfiber. Paper towels to get the first scrub (gunk off) then kept wiping with microfiber until dry. I use the water, vinegar and alcohol on everything now. I'm often too lazy to mess with the cornstarch, and it still works better than any of the commercial cleaners I've used. I add drops of lavender and chamomile oil to make it smell lovely - the whole family likes it. |
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- Posted by gitananoel (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 15:42
| bump |
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| Wow, will look forward to trying! Can anyone recommend a source for lavender drops or other nice smelling additives? Thanks. |
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- Posted by writersblock (My Page) on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 18:23
| Most independent health food stores sell essential oils, oldbat2be. EDIT For lavender, your local greenmarket may also have a booth. Ours is pretty small, but there's always a woman selling dried lavender, lavender bunches, and various lotions in addition to lavender oil, and she for sure didn't grow the lavender herself anywhere around here. |
This post was edited by writersblock on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 18:25
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| Sounds intriguing - what is a newspaper - LOL - our local paper folded years ago.... |
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| Have any of y'all used this cleaner to clean your outside windows? Obviously the portions would need to be increased. |
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| I use it on everything - inside and out. |
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| If you don't have newspaper, try coffee filters. I have been using them for years. Cheap and easy to store, too. |
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- Posted by writersblock (My Page) on Thu, Mar 7, 13 at 11:21
| For bathroom mirrors, there's nothing like a used dryer sheet, if you happen to use those. Much better for getting off toothpaste than newspaper is. |
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