Well, it has now been about a year and a half since we started using vinegar to clean the house, rather than chemical cleaners. Before the vinegar, we were using 7th Generation products (which are terrific btw!). But when we switched to vinegar, it was basically an economics thing. So now, we are cleaning our house with something that is non-toxic AND super cheap! There are so many uses for vinegar and so far, everything we have tried it in/on has worked! So, I thought I'd list a few uses for vinegar that we use around here for you:
1. Use it in your dishwasher. You can either use your regular dishwasher detergent and dump a cup or so of white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher before you run it (this is what we do) or you can use just the vinegar in place of the dishwasher soap. Again, we use 7th Generation (I swear I have NO connections to them other than loving their products!) dishwasher soap so the whole process is non-toxic.
2. Put it in your Downy ball! We now fill the Downy ball to the 'Fill' line with a mixture of white vinegar and a few drops of essential oil (whatever scent you love!). Just don't go overboard on the oil - it is oil after all and can stain. Just 3 drops of a strong scent like lavender or sweet orange works! Once the clothes are dry, there is NO trace of a vinegar smell and you really can't smell the essential oil either. I am longing to move to a house with my own yard so I can put up a clothes line and dry things out there (just like my mama used to!)
3. Clean your bathroom!! Dump some white vinegar (a cup or so - I don't really measure the vinegar out every time I use it. As my Nursing instructor says 'Give it a wag'). Let it sit (overnight if you can) for a while and it will neutralize any odors that might be lingering. When we clean (the bathroom is my chore), I start by dumping the vinegar in the toilet and go around and clean the rest of the areas in the house and I finish up in the bathroom. But, if you have a house full of boys or if you just need to deodorize your bathroom, let this vinegar sit all night and it will really work! Also, I use a 1:1 vinegar:tap water ratio with a few drops of essential oil to clean the rest of the bathroom.
4. Use it in the microwave. Dump some vinegar into a microwave-safe bowl and let it steam all that gunk off the inside of your microwave. Set the timer for 2 minutes to start and once it is done, check to see if the gunk has loosened off of the microwave. If not, just do it again. The steam the bowl of vinegar creates will loosen all that gunk and make the awkward job of cleaning that cooking box much easier!
5. Use it as a pet stain odor remover. Trust me, I know all to well that this works! I just dump a little vinegar/water mixture onto the carpet if (when!) my dogs have an accident or vomit. Blot it with a rag and repeat until the color (of the stain) is removed. Depending on the type of carpet you have, you may want to test this in a hidden area first. Our carpet is beige and it doesn't bleach out the carpet color when we use it. But test it to be safe (always do this, please!).
6. When I clean the kitchen, I just fill the sink up with really warm water (as warm as I can stand it) and dump some vinegar in. Not only is it easy to clean the entire kitchen with the water from the sink, but it is cleaning the sink at the same time!
7. Clean the windows with it. I remember from back when I worked at A&W that cleaning windows with vinegar and newspaper is the best way to get a clean, streak-free window. Now, I have to say that we don't get the newspaper because we read it online (I'm not into the waste of a daily/weekly newspaper) but we do clean the windows with a vinegar/water mixture (give it a wag!) and a cloth. I just use any old rag but definitely one with less lint is the best.
8. Clean up your grill. Spring is on its way (FINALLY!) and we found that a really easy way to clean up the grill and get it looking nice for all those summer nights of grilling, is to clean it like we clean things inside. Put some vinegar and water in a bucket and grab a few rags (or more, if your grill is really dirty). We clean the outside of the grill first by just wiping the entire thing with the vinegar/water. Then, get your grill brush out, dip it in the solution, and scrub the inside. Bonus: when you're finished, let that grill brush soak in the vinegar/water for a while and you'll be amazed at the amount of that black crap that comes off!! Double bonus: This is outside so we're not dumping a bunch of Windex or grease-cutting toxic crap into our yard.
9. Unclog your drain. Get out your teapot, fill it with white vinegar and boil it then dump that down your clogged drain. Let it sit for a while and rinse. Should help clear out the blockage! Cleans the teapot too!
10. Your coffee maker is a hot mess of crap if it is anything like ours. About once a month, I 'brew' vinegar through it and it helps clean it up. I just fill up the maker to the 12 cup line and let it brew as if it were coffee. We have one of those where you put your cup underneath the spout, rather than pulling the pot out to pour the coffee. So, once the vinegar is 'brewed', I then run water through it a couple times to get the vinegar smell/taste out. Coffee always tastes better then next morning!
Okay, for the summary: These are things we actually use vinegar for. I'm sure we've tried it on other things, but these are the 'regulars'. I have heard of TONS of other uses for vinegar and in fact, if you google it, I'm sure you'll find a million more uses (GO FOR IT!!) I'm by no means an expert and I'm just stating these things from my experiences. If you decide to switch to vinegar: YES, the smell is a lot at first (I get asked that all the time). But, trust me, it isn't burning the nose hairs right out of your nose like bleach, ammonia, or all those name-brand chemicals out there. PLUS as soon as it dries, the smell is gone. Our clothes never smell like vinegar. (I have friends who would tell me if they did, trust me!).
GOOD LUCK if you decide to switch and let me know if you have any other suggestions or great uses for vinegar!!
--K&M
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