Our kitchen table is about 35 years old and was given to me by my mom when I bought my first home. I broke the glass top she had made for it and promptly purchased a new one to keep the wood pristine. I really adore this table but I was getting so tired of constantly wiping down the glass.
It wasn’t the wiping itself so much as it was having to grab the spray bottle and tear off just enough paper towel to get the job done without wasting any. It sounds so small and simple, and normally it is because I only have to do it twice a day – after breakfast and after dinner. But when everyone is home like last week when the baby was out of school AND the oldest “baby” is home from college, I find myself constantly wiping behind them. Even after they have already cleaned up behind themselves.
Add to that a coffee table and a side table (which I also adore and have had for at least 15 years now) that also have glass tops, it sometimes gets to be just a bit much. So in an effort to streamline things I decided to make wipes specifically for this purpose. At the same time, I had the brilliant idea that perhaps I could use something other than paper towels – this made me think about the fabric softener “sheets” I use.
And I came up with these sweet little things to make my life a little bit easier – glass cleaner wipes! (I’ll admit, I am probably way behind the “green” curve on this one but hey… all things in due time right?)
It didn’t take much effort since the cleaner is so easy to make and there’s always a batch or 2 or 3 of my all purpose cleaner already made up, I just tweaked it a little.
The Steps:
- I cut up some of my toddler’s old pj’s (super soft cloth) so that they perfectly fit into this cute little box from Ikea ($3.99 for a pack of 3) and
- poured in just enough all purpose cleaner to soak the cloth (if I omit the vinegar, I could use this on the glass AND the counters!)
AND THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
The box is small and cute enough to keep out on the counter so when its time to wipe up, just flip the lid grab a cloth and give everything a good swipe. Done! Gotta love frugal simplicity!
Update
Lots of folks like to use microfiber cloths with plain water to clean glass. And while I agree that it’s great for shining things up, water alone doesn’t actually clean things, kill germs, or disinfect. So for me, that method would be great for mirrors and such; but for the kitchen table and counters, I can’t stand the thought of not truly cleaning areas where we eat and prepare food.
