Homemade Car Windshield Cleaner

One of the essential steps in keeping your car clean is ensuring the windshield is free and clear of dirt and debris. Not only is keeping your view of the road a matter of safety, but grimy fingerprints and smears on your windshield are unattractive and embarrassing. Instead of using commercial cleaners with toxic chemicals, you may want to try a homemade car windshield cleaner for your next car wash routine.

Most store-bought windshield washer fluid cleaners contain alcohol, known as methanol or ethylene glycol. Both are highly toxic ingredients that are unsafe for consumption, which can be especially worrisome if you have small children or pets. As a result, many car owners opt for a natural cleaner for a car windshield, made with ingredients often found in your pantry.

When it comes to making a DIY car windshield cleaner, many of these easy-to-follow recipes require little prep work and just a few key ingredients and supplies. If you’re ready to find the homemade windshield fluid cleaning solution of your dreams, look no further than these spectacular cleaning tips.

Fantastic and Easy to Use DIY Car Windshield Cleaner Recipes

When deciding on the best car washing method for your windshield, ensure you take into account how you plan to use it and the weather conditions.

Some glass cleaner ingredients are more suited for warmer weather than cold, while others work better as a spot treatment rather than a windshield wiper fluid you can add to the reservoir. Luckily, we’ve added a few tips on how and when to use each one to make your decision-making process even easier.

Use a Homemade Vinegar Windshield Cleaner

When it comes to leaving behind a streak-free shine on your windshield, one of the best products to use is vinegar. Not only can you use vinegar to make your own windshield washer fluid, but it’s also one of the best homemade car wash soap ingredients for cleaning your car.

While there are many ways to incorporate vinegar into a windshield washer fluid, the following recipe is one of the most straightforward variations.

To make this simple mixture for the best way to clean windshield on your car, mix the ingredients in your spray bottle. The vinegar clears away the dirt and grime, while the one-half tablespoon of dish soap breaks up the surface tension and allows the diluted vinegar solution to soak easier into the glass rather than just beading off of it.

This formula works better for handwashing the windshield or as a home remedy to clean headlights. Though, in areas with warm weather, this is fine to use as a windshield washer fluid. Don’t apply it and leave it on the window for long periods while your car is in direct sunlight, however, as you will have ugly streaks that obstruct visibility.

For stray bug guts on the windows, use a rag or paper towel with a little of this cleaner on it for scrubbing as the best way to clean bugs off windshield or the back glass or side windows.

Natural Cleaner for a Car Windshield Using Lemon Juice

Another great way to make windshield washer fluid is by using a vinegar substitute like lemon juice. Similar to vinegar, lemon juice uses a mildly acidic solution to clean dirt and mineral deposits without damaging the tint on your windows.

When used together, this cleaning solution is even better. This method is also the best way to clean car windows inside using an ammonia-free solution.

Mix the above ingredients in a small spray bottle and shake well. Spray the surface of your windshield, then wipe down using a microfiber cleaning cloth.

When cleaning your car’s windshield, avoid using tap water whenever possible. Distilled water works best for preventing a buildup of minerals and streaks on the glass or headliner. You can use household products to clean a car dashboard to keep the interior smelling fresh and citrusy.

Best Homemade Car Windshield Cleaner with Alcohol

For a different variation on the vinegar window cleaner recipe, adding rubbing alcohol to the mixture works amazingly! Not only is it an excellent disinfectant, just like vinegar, but rubbing alcohol is the best cleaner to use in colder climates.

This recipe only makes a small portion of the solution, but you can multiply the quantities to make more and store the excess cleaner in an empty laundry detergent jug.

After you’ve added the ingredients to your empty jug, shake them up and add them to your fluid reservoir, or spray them on the car using a spray bottle.

Wipe the windows down using a microfiber or lint-free cloth. If you want to add the blue food coloring to give your windshield cleaner that extra-official look, then go for it! Otherwise, it’s completely optional.

Use a bit of rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab or old rag to remove a registration sticker from the windshield or to take off a sticker from the bumper. If that doesn’t get the results you want, spritz a little WD-40 on the sticker for easier removal.

Ammonia-Based DIY Car Windshield Cleaner

Another wonderful DIY windshield washer fluid recipe includes creating an ammonia-based cleaner. This method is incredible for removing hard water spots from your car windows. For best results, dilute it with plenty of water and add some helpful ingredients.

While this is a great way to clean rims at home and eliminate hard water stains, use this method more as a spot cleaner, rather than a solution that resides in your washer reservoir.

Ammonia damages your car’s paint over time and also ruins tinting on windows. Avoid using it on the inside of windshields, too, as this may cause streaks, which in turn create glares when driving.

Car Windshield Cleaner for Cold Climates

When creating a homemade washer fluid, it’s important to note the weather conditions. If your washer fluid freezes quickly, then it is more likely to develop a clog in cold weather, rendering your solution useless. One way to combat this problem is by using a product with a high freezing point, such as 99% rubbing alcohol.

For added antifreeze protection, double the amount of alcohol added to the mixture. This ingredient makes it an excellent de-icer, giving you two reasons to add this solution to your fluid reservoir.

While water freezes at 32°F and vinegar freezes at a slightly lower temperature of 28.4°F, isopropyl alcohol freezes at about -128°F, ensuring that your windshield wiper cleaner is less likely to freeze up in the washer reservoir. If you don’t have Castile soap handy, substitute it with regular dish soap with no additives.

You are now on your way to a spectacularly clean windshield. All you need to do now is choose your preferred cleaning solution, and the best one based on your area and season. If you still notice streaks on your windshield after cleaning, make sure you check your wiper blade to see if it needs replacing.

Recipe for Homemade Car Windshield Cleaner

Hopefully, you found the DIY car windshield cleaner recipe that works for your needs. If these car cleaning solutions help you keep your car squeaky clean, then don’t forget to share your favorite homemade car windshield cleaner with all the car owners in your life on Pinterest and Facebook.