Glasses spray is one of those magic liquids that I thought could never be reproduced. I am the queen of dirty glasses, so I certainly need a spray. I didn’t want to keep buying new spray bottles, though, since they get used up so quickly. So, I’ve tried several different formulas and think I’ve found a winner.

Glasses spray that haven’t worked

Water alone

I thought this would possibly work. Why add all this extra stuff when water should be enough, right? No. Back to the drawing board.

Water + witch hazel

I saw an article that insinuated witch hazel was the perfect ingredient for cleaning eye glasses. However, in my experience, I found the opposite. I tried several times, but all I got was glare and smudges. Next.

Water + rubbing alcohol

This was the exact same as witch hazel. I gave it one try and moved on.

My glasses spray recipe

Initially, I wanted to use as few ingredients as I possibly could. I stayed away from soap, and hoped water and an astringent liquid would be enough to clean my glasses. Sadly, this was not the case. However, once I expanded my options, I found a spray that works for me. These are the ingredients I use, as well as why I chose them.

Water

Even though all the recipes that didn’t work included water, water itself is definitely not the problem. Perhaps it doesn’t work on its own, but combined with the right ingredients, it does wonders.

Rubbing alcohol

Again, just because the rubbing alcohol didn’t work alone with water, it is an important part of keeping the glare away and getting that streak-free finish.

Liquid soap

This was the ingredient I was avoiding the most. I felt like it wouldn’t dissolve, would be streaky, and would leave residue on my lens wipes. However, none of these things came true. I soon realized that this was exactly what was necessary to break down the greasy fingerprints and smudges that I didn’t find in my initial attempts. Personally, I use a tiny bit of my liquid black soap, but I think a variety of liquid soaps would work.