Most glass cleaners contain chemicals that are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because they are considered a hazardous substance (as in your health), a hazardous waste or a pollutant in the environment. And don’t kid yourself, that blue color is not natural and neither is the fragrance. Here’s some of the ingredients you may be getting in your glass cleaner:
- 2-Butoxyethanol (Americas Home Value, Champion Sprayon, Easy Off, Glass Plus, NuArc, SOS, Sparkle, SprayPAK, Sprayway, Windex, Zep) -Â People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours have reported nose and eye irritation, headaches, vomiting and a metallic taste in their mouths. In addition to inhaling 2-butoxyethanol vapor, research has shown that skin can also absorb 2-butoxyethanol vapor from the air, making skin a major pathway of exposure to this chemical. Not regulated by the U.S. EPA.
- Ammonia (Safeway, SOS) – Strong irritant to eyes, skin, respiratory tract. Pungent odor. Liquid produces severe burns. Inhalation of high concentrations causes violent coughing, severe lung irritation, and pulmonary edema. Death can result if rapid escape is not possible. Swallowing liquid is corrosive to mouth, throat, stomach.
- Ammonium hydroxide (Americas Home Value, Champion Sprayon, Crystal Care, PAR) -Â Strong irritant to eyes, skin, respiratory tract.
- Ethanol/SD Alcohol 40 (Glass Mates, Glass Plus) -Volatile. The substance irritates the eyes. Inhalation of high concentration of vapour may cause irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract. The substance may cause effects on the central nervous system.
- Ethylene glycol n-hexyl ether (Windex) – The substance irritates the eyes and the respiratory tract. The substance may cause effects on the kidneys and central nervous system , resulting in renal failure and brain injury. Exposure could cause lowering of consciousness
- Isobutane (Americas Home Value, Champion Sprayon, Glass Plus, SprayPAK, Sprayway, Zep) – Highly volative, colorless gas with a gasoline-like or natural gas odor. Rapid evaporation of the liquid may cause frostbite. The substance may cause effects on the cardiovascular system, resulting in impaired functions and respiratory failure. Exposure at high level may result in death.
- Isopropanol or Isopropyl alcohol (Cinch, Concentrated Glass Cleaner, Crystal Care, Easy Off, Glass Plus, SOS, Windex, Zep) - Colorless, volatile organic compound (VOC) that can be irritating to breathe.
- Monoethanolamine (MEA) (Cinch) – The substance is corrosive to the respiratory tract the skin and the eyes. Corrosive on ingestion. The vapour is irritating to the eyes the skin and the respiratory tract The substance may cause effects on the central nervous system Exposure could cause lowering of consciousness.
- Propane (Americas Home Value, Champion Sprayon, Glass Plus, NuArc, SprayPAC, Sprayway, Zep) – Highly volatile compound. Monitoring data indicates that it is a widely occurring atmospheric pollutant.
Ready for a greener alternative? For commercially available products, see The Green Guide’s Product Comparisons of Glass Cleaners. It’s a comprehensive evaluation of 17 alternatives. Now magazine tested a small number of glass cleaners with an equally small number of testers. My favorite is Holy Cow Glass Cleaner. I recently had the occasion to clean just about every glass object in my house and found it didn’t streak or run and was pleasant smelling to boot.
For a homemade alternative, here are several recipes from which to choose:
1. Glass Cleaner – The Green Guide
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1/4 cup vinegar or 1 Tbsp lemon juice
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2Â cups water
Fill a clean spray bottle with water and either white vinegar or lemon juice. Rub with a lint-free cloth.
2. Glass Cleaner- Washington Toxics Coalition
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1/2 cup vinegar
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1 quart warm water (4 cups)
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1-2Â drops of liquid castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s)
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle and use on glass surfaces. Rub with a lint-free cloth.
3. Glass Cleaner – Manderson’s Bubble
- 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (normal over-the-counter 3% stuff)
- 1-2 drops liquid castile soap (Dr. Bronner’s)
- 1Â quart water (4 cups)
Resources:
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This article is great! Doctors advise to not use cleaners when you are pregnant because the chemicals can be so harmful. Why wouldn’t it be any different even if you weren’t pregnant? Doesn’t make too much sense that they don’t advise everyone to not use those chemicals. Thanks for posting the home remedies I will have to try one out
I think you’re right on. Pregnant or not, we should all limit our exposure to chemicals. The more I read and research, the more I realize all we can do is reduce our exposure. Chemicals are present in everything we touch, eat and drink. If you have a chance, watch the “Future of Food Video” in the sidebar.
CORRECTION: You have Simple Green listed as containing Isopropyl alcohol. That is false. Simple Green does not contain isopropyl alcohol. At one time we manufactured a ready-to-use multi-surface cleaning product that did contain a trace amount of that ingedient, but it was almost immediately discontinued and replaced with a glass cleaning product (Simple Green Pro Series GLASS) that does not contain isolpropyl alcohol.
Denise, Thank you for the correction. I have updated the post to delete the reference to Simple Green. My apologies for picking up and reporting on a product that was discontinued.
This is excellent. I use ammonia / rubbing alcohol / vinegar to make cleaning supplies. No matter – they’re all chemicals and it’s good to know what you’re dealing with, right?
Thanks for the comment. Personally, I won’t touch ammonia after I sniffed an unmarked bottle (like a dope) and burned my sinuses. It was years ago but it left a lasting impression. I recently tried the following solution on my ceramic floors and loved the result:
– 1/2 cup lemon juice
– 3 1/2 cups water
– 3-4 drops Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap
“Chemical-free” is always an incorrect statement. Dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) is also a chemical, and we can’t live without it! It’s also a huge part of those “green” products.
Dihydrogen monoxide — H2O for short — is the scientific term for water, so technically speaking you are correct. However, I don’t think most people think of water as being a “chemical” when it is included as an ingredient in any product.
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You know, reading this post again and again has got me more and more scared. I must confess, I’m a clean freak here and I use liberal amounts of glass cleaner on my glass-top table and procelain-tiled floor in my room. Reading how many glass cleaners contain chemicals that – among other things – can cause effects on the nervous system and death – has me worried that I may have caused some kind of permanent damage on my body simply by using too much of them.
The scariest part is that the glass cleaner I use doesn’t list any ingredients at all, though it does contain precautions against swallowing it or spilling it on your skin (the latter which I do quite often, unfortunately) – all I know is that it’s a blue liquid that has a smell that is vaguely like rubbing alcohol, and seems to evarporate pretty quickly.
I do really hope no permanent damage is being done here to my health, but in any case, once I run out of my current glass cleaner I’m definitely switching to a vinegar solution instead.
eX.A.K.R. – Glad to hear you’re switching to a vinegar solution. We simply don’t need to douse ourselves and our homes with chemicals. It is not necessary from a clean standpoint – and trust me, I’m a clean freak! ~ Daryl