If there's one thing you can confidently never buy ever again, it's glass cleaner. You already have ingredients around the house that will clean glass, windows and mirrors — from vinegar to vodka (true!) to warm, soapy water. The problem is that these items have significant drawbacks when used as single ingredients.

Vinegar will do a fairly decent job if your windows have water spots, but it's not that great if they have any kind of stubborn dirt and sticky residue. Used on its own, you'll end up with annoying streaks.

Rubbing alcohol works well to clean glass because it acts as a solvent. But when used straight up, it's harsh and so strong-smelling. You'd be well-advised to wear a face mask.

Vodka works similarly to rubbing alcohol but is way more expensive. Unless you're about to throw it out anyway, let's go ahead and eliminate it as a reasonable option.

The secret to making your own glass cleaner is in your pantry: ordinary ingredients to create a highly effective, super-cheap cleaner that easily cuts through dirt, dust and greasy, sticky residue and then wipes away easily without leaving streaks.

Start with a new, empty spray bottle with a high-quality sprayer top. Label the bottle clearly so you use it exclusively for glass cleaner in the future. This eliminates the possibility of a toxic chemical reaction between the new ingredients and whatever mystery thing was in the bottle previously. Always keep cleaning products out of the reach of children and pets.

ALL-PURPOSE HOMEMADE GLASS CLEANER

2 cups isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol

2 cups water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

4 drops dishwashing liquid, like Blue Dawn

Pour ingredients into a new bottle, and attach the sprayer top. Label and keep out of reach of children.

There's nothing like high-quality microfiber for cleaning just about any surface in and about the house, especially glass. If you've never used a microfiber cloth, you're going to be amazed by how fast and efficiently you can clean!

The best microfiber cloths are made of 70 percent polyester and 30 percent polyamide (70/30), and they can be pricey. For glass and window cleaning, I find a good-quality 80/20 cloth works just great.

For me, microfiber cloths need to be easy to use and able to stand up to my extreme laundry habits. (Note: Never use laundry softeners when laundering microfiber.) I don't want cloths that fray around the edges, give off lint, stain easily or shrink over time. I'm hard on household linens because I demand so much from them.

VibraWipe 80/20 microfiber cloths (EverydayCheapskate.com/microfiber) are fabulous for just about any household cleaning job and excellent for cleaning glass. A pack of eight cloths has lasted me for years now, and I see no signs of them wearing out anytime soon.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: at Pixabay