The inexplicable magic of using newspapers to clean mirrors

Ever since I found a recipe for DIY glass cleaner and a hack to use newspapers instead of paper towels, I’ve not let anything else touch my mirrors.

Hold on, two things:

1. I do not like the word ‘hack.’ It feels too high-tech-company for me. I don’t know why I even used that word, other than that it’s pervaded my subconscious somehow. If you hadn’t noticed, I am not a high-tech company. (But I did go down a rabbit hole trying to understand its origins!)
2. I realize that what I’m about to write about is not new: newspapers as a cleaning agent is surely something we’ve been doing since we started printing newspapers. This is just me waxing poetic about a crazy awesome cleaning solution! 😇

So let’s try that opening statement again…

Ever since I found a recipe for DIY glass cleaner online, along with an idea to use newspapers instead of paper towels, I’ve not let anything else touch my mirrors.

Much better. Moving on!

The DIY solution that started it all

OK, so that aforementioned statement may sound strong, but it’s really true. I haven’t stopped using newspapers to clean my mirrors and it’s the weirdest, coolest, most fun thing about cleaning.

This all started a few years ago when I was trying to figure out if I could make a homemade glass cleaner. I can’t recall the details but what likely happened is that I ran out of my Seventh Generation glass cleaner and forgot to buy a new one. So, I was in a bind: I needed to clean my bathroom mirrors but my good-ole-standby all-purpose cleaner (which was amazing for surfaces and floors) kept leaving streaks. Why is it always so streaky?? 😭

Because I love a good, DIY project, I turned to Google and lo and behold, there was a solution. Crunch Betty came in with the save! She did all the hard work of figuring out which simple ingredients made the best glass cleaners. And honestly, her post is worth a read because it is hilarious!

Battle of the Homemade Glass Cleaners

I opted for the “Alvin Corn homemade glass cleaner” and I’m still trying to figure out how it worked so well. It’s not even blue! Cornstarch?! Rubbing alcohol?! Can someone explain what chemistry is involved that makes this magic happen? 🤯

The newspaper effect

It wasn’t just the cleaner that blew me away. What really got me going was how effective the newspapers worked at cleaning my mirrors! A few squirts of glass cleaner, a wipe with a balled-up piece of newspaper and voila: clean! Again, not super clear on why this works. If any of you know the answer (or, answers?) please divulge it! 

Every time I clean my mirrors now, I use newspapers and the magic never gets old. Plus, it’s a great way to use up old newspapers. Once I’m done cleaning, I toss the soggy paper into my compost bin. Done!

Switching up the cleaners but not the newspaper

Eventually, after months of using Alvin Corn, I discovered a locally-made, earth-friendly glass cleaner that’s a bit more homogenized than my DIY version. It works just as well and I can buy it in bulk at both of the amazing refilleries in my city. Alvin Corn is still there though, as a backup. I think it’s pretty neat to have not one, but two environmentally-friendly glass cleaning products in my cleaning kit! The classic blue Windex is totally a thing of the past in our house.

However, the newspapers are still my go-to for cleaning mirrors!

Why earth friendly?

This post was mostly an ode to newspapers as a cleaning agent and (hopefully) a conversation starter for you to share your favourite, magical cleaning strategies.

But, it’s worth mentioning that switching to less-toxic cleaning products is generally just a good thing to do, for your health and that of the planet. Those scents we know and love – from Pine Sol to laundry detergent and yes, Windex – are not great! In many cases, they are pretty toxic, which seems so wild to me because we all buy them and use them a lot! You would think this wouldn’t be allowed, but then again I think that about a lot of things…

I first learned about weird, toxic chemicals in cleaning products while I was interning at Seventh Generation in 2011. As it turns out, scents and other chemicals are often added to products but have no actual efficacy. They are literally there to make you think things are “clean.” These days, I opt for cleaning products that are scent-free. It took some getting used to, but after a while, I started to realize how absurdly potent something like Tide (or even Windex!) was.

Nothing new under the sun

This idea of stinky chemicals is the subject of a really good documentary called Stink. I would highly recommend giving it a watch! As with all of these kinds of documentaries, it’s a reminder to be mindful of the things we bring into our homes.

And through all of this, I just keep thinking, as I mentioned at the start of this post: none of this is new! Using newspapers to clean and making basic, simple cleaners seems like something people have been doing for a Very Long Time. So how did we fall into such a trap of needing all kinds of accessories and smelly cleaners to feel like things are “clean?” Have you used newspapers to clean before? Do you have memories of family members doing this, too? What about earth-friendly cleaning products? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🙂