Monday, August 29, 2011

Vinegar is For More Than Salad Dressing

I've always thought I was green, as in trying to implement all those environmentally friendly, good-for-you things to keep my family safe and healthy. But trying and doing are two different things. Take for example, cleaning projects. While I know most cleaning products are filled with a hodge-podge of chemicals that aren't good for anything, I still find myself buying them. I know there are alternatives, but I'm cheap and if a "green" product cost more than I'm already paying, well... it's ain't gonna happen.

Image: Sanja Gjenero @ sxc.hu


I know there are lots of natural products that are not only better and safer to use then those chemical filled ones -- and cheaper, too. That point was brought home to me while reading a piece by Susan over at Finding a Healthier More Vibrant & Beautiful You. She's trying to rid toxins from her life, too, and one way is using vinegar as a cleaner!

Vinegar, of course! I do use it to clean by coffee pot and to removed minerals from a few things around here (hard water). But there's so much more you can do with it, so I thought I'd put together a list of ways vinegar can be used for cleaning as a reminder for myself (and you, too). Now when I'm taking vinegar, for cleaning that usually means white vinegar.

Use vinegar to clean, remove, deodorize, disinfect...
  1. Coffee pots
  2. Microwave
  3. Carpet
  4. Bathroom fixtures
  5. Floors
  6. Windows
  7. Laundry as a fabric softener
  8. Dishwasher
  9. Trashcans, too.
  10. Stove top
  11. Hard water spots for glasses
  12. Sticky lablel and decals
  13. Mineral deposits on faucets
  14. Grout
  15. Toys
  16. Concrete
  17. Pennies (really shines them up nice)
  18. Pet accidents the carpet
  19. Mini blinds
  20. Plastic food containers
There's probably hundreds of more ways to use vinegar to clean. What about you? Do you use vinegar in you home for cleaning?






3 comments:

  1. I used it yesterday to clean pet stains from carpet. I used a little baking soda with it. It did a good job.

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  2. Great idea. I'm wondering how it will work on plywood. We've torn up all the carpeting to get ready for new floors, but the puppy is making messes everywhere. I try to get it up fast, but I'm not always fast enough. Maybe I'll try mixing up a spray bottle of vinegar and soda to spray on the spots and hope it takes away the smell.

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  3. Since I tossed out the clorox, I've been pre-soaking my whites in 2 cups of vinegar. They come out smelling fresh and clean.

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