With the weather being so yucky and the kids still feeling yucky, this weekend has been a bit sluggish. I decided to get a head start on my weekday chores and get the laundry started, dishes going and some surface cleaning tackled......hoping that the weather will be nice this week and I won't have sick kids keeping us housebound.
So, I realized that I use vinegar for a lot of my household cleaning as well as cooking. It has many versatile uses that I personally use it for and tons more that I have just discovered.
Surface cleaner
Mix equal parts vinegar and water ( and a couple of drops of tea tree oil ) in a spray bottle to use on any surface.
counter tops
windows
stove tops
appliances
chrome fixtures
floors (add vinegar to my steam mop to get floors really clean)
bathroom surfaces (use full strength to really disinfect)
toys (use full strength to disinfect)
To cut through grease on oven doors or surfaces, use full strength and let sit for a few minutes before wiping off.
Dishwasher Rinse
In place of a rinsing agent like "Jet Dry" in the dishwasher, use vinegar to get dishes spotless.
Use vinegar to clean dishwasher when you run it through an empty cycle.
Fabric Softener
Use it in the rinse cycle to make clothes soft, fresh, lint free and cling free.
Use vinegar to clean washing machine when you run through an empty cycle.
Odor remover
Put small amount in an open container in back of fridge to keep neutralized.
Spray equal parts water and vinegar onto pet (or kid) stains to remove odor and stain.
Spray equal parts water and vinegar into air to neutralize odors.
Other uses~~clean veggies, use in iron to prevent buildup, spray full strength on weeds or on pavement cracks to prevent weeds from growing, spray full strength where ants may come into the house, add a little bit to water to prevent shells from cracking when boiling eggs, add olive oil and herbs to make salad dressing, use as antiseptic on cuts, use on bug bites and bee stings, rinse in hair after shampoo for shine and healthy scalp, remove stickers and decals and rinse dog with vinegar for shiny coat.
Those are examples that I can attest to, lots more ideas here ........enjoy!
6 comments:
I've got to do more with vinegar! Melissa buys it in bulk! She has a great book that I am going to order from Amazon too.
Buy a gallon at the market, its like $2.50, you will be amazed at what you will use it for.
Then you will be amazed at the savings, simply because of the things that you won't need to buy!
What is the book called?
http://www.amazon.com/Naturally-Clean-Home-Non-Toxic-Cleansers/dp/158017194X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207565018&sr=8-1
I LOVE vinegar! If we don't have 3 huge things of it around the house, it stresses me out. It's great, too, because when ATticus wants to "clean", I can let him and feel okay about it (which I wouldn't with conventional cleaning products). It keeps him busy while I clean.
It's also great to put baking soda in the drain, pour vinegar over it and let it soak. After a while, flush it w/ hot water, and it unclogs your drain.
I think we could write another post about the benefits of baking soda!
The other bonus is that there are no worries about the kids getting into the cleaning products because they are not harmful to consume.
I love that Atticus likes to clean :)
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