It’s the quintessential housecleaning conundrum: no one likes cleaning windows, but everyone wants to see through them.

Here’s a little secret: good old fashioned vinegar gets your glass squeaky clean.

Vinegar works well, is cheaper, and is not toxic. The first clue is that it’s not the color of a blue slushy. Once you try cleaning your glass windows with vinegar, we promise you’ll never go back to Windex.

The Recipe

• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar (your basic kitchen sort)
• 1 quart lukewarm water

You can use a spray bottle to spritz the windows and wipe them clean with a cloth, or, for very grimy glass, soak a cloth in the vinegar water and liberally scrub down the glass, following up with a dry cloth wipe.

A tip: A lint-free cloth works leagues better than paper towels, which can leave paper residue and, or course, kill trees. You can rip up an old t-shirt or buy utility rags (chamois works well) at your local hardware store.