Vinegar - Your moms best cleaning secret

Much can be said about how hard our grandparents had to work to keep their home stocked with food and even harder for them to clean. With today's technologies and the blessings of many electronic appliances / gadgets, what once took our grandma's days in the home to accomplish we can now do with little effort. Days long forgotten, a simpler time with simple remedies. A well stocked pantry was not what it is today. There was very little spent on cleaning supplies, or at least what we now would expect to see. The wisdom that they had on what worked and what did not was tried and proven, handed down through the generations. If we could look back in time the one thing that we would notice is it would be hard to tell the difference between cleaning supplies and cooking / baking supplies! Vinegar, whether white or apple cider were the staples that every home needed, and it is no wonder when you see what they can do!


Did you know that Vinegar is naturally disinfecting and antibacterial? Apple Cider Vinegar helps with digestive problems, fighting off colds with honey and lemon -it literally has been used for thousands of years. But that is for another post / another time.

Here is my top 12 list of ways I use Vinegar for green cleaning in my home.

1. White Vinegar can be mixed in a 1-1 ratio with water to create an all-purpose cleaner for mirrors, glass and counter tops.
2. Add a cup of white vinegar to a half-full bucket of water and use the mixture to mop ceramic floors.
3.  Removing grease and food particles is one of the handiest uses for vinegar. Use it for cleaning the top of your refrigerator, your stove top or inside of the oven.
4.  Add 2 cups of white vinegar in place of water to the coffeemaker, remove the filter and start the machine as usual. Repeat the process with plain water one time before brewing a regular pot of coffee. You can also do this to your vaporizer to remove the build up of minerals.
   
5. Apple Cider Vinegar is an effective hair rinse, stripping hair of the residue built up from shampoo and conditioner. The rinse also leaves you hair shinier. You can mix a few drops of rosemary essential oil with a cup of vinegar to cut the pungent scent and stimulate your scalp. Do you have lighter colored hair? Use Lemon Essential oil to make your blonde highlights pop! Let the rosemary, lemon or EO of your choice marinate for a few days in the vinegar. Take 3 TBSP of Vinegar and add 1 cup of water to the mix and pour over washed hair. Rub through hair and let sit for a few minutes like you would any conditioner then rinse and dry as normal.
6. Washing fresh fruit and vegetables - Did you know that a study in 2003 and published in the Journal of Food Protection showed that using a white vinegar soak killed up to 98% of bacteria found on the outer skins of the fruit & veggies that we eat, including reducing Salmonella more than just washing with water alone? Whether it is apples to zucchini wash with vinegar water, even if it is a food that you will peel as the bacteria can be transferred to the inside flesh from the skin by the knife. Fill sink or large bowl with cold water, just enough to cover your items, add 1 cup* of vinegar and let soak for a few minutes. Drain and rinse in cold running water. *always use white vinegar and make the ratio 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water.
7. Washing clothes - especially babies clothing / diapers to remove the uric acid. Add 1 Cup of white Vinegar* to your rinse water to help aid in removing soap residue. Your clothes will feel softer and look cleaner. Are your towels not so "absorbent" anymore? Wash in Warm water and 1 cup of baking soda, followed by the rinse cycle adding in the 1 cup of vinegar. Let soak for 10-15 minutes, then let the washer complete the cycle. Your towels will be fluffy and more absorbent just like they were when they were new. * you can infuse your vinegar with Essential Oils such as Lavender, Rose or Tea Tree for scenting your clothes. Just add 10-15 drops of your favorite Eo to a gallon of your vinegar - make sure to mark it "FOR LAUNDRY USE ONLY" then shake well each time before using. Wallah great smelling clean clothes.
8. Fleas / Ticks on Pets - use White vinegar mixed into your pets drinking water to help them repel the fleas and ticks. For animals over 40 lb use 1 Tsp per Qt of water, for 10 - 39 lbs use 1/2 Tsp, and all under 10 lbs use 1/4 Tsp
9. Furniture Polish - mix in a 1:1 ratio White vinegar and Olive oil, shake well and spray / wipe clean all of your wood furniture. A few drops of Lemon Essential oil makes it smell heavenly! You will be amazed at how your furniture looks like it has just received a new lease on life.
10. Microwave cleaner - Place a bowl with 1 cup water and 1/4 cup of white vinegar in microwave, heat up for 1-2 minutes (depending on the size and power of your oven) let sit in there for a few minutes steaming. The steam will loosen the dirt and help to sanitize the interior. Wipe clean with a dry towel. Don't just pour the water/ vinegar down the drain, take the hot liquid and you can use that once it cools to wipe down your refrigerator or pour it in your toilet to freshen / kill germs!
11. Unclog drains - Pour 2-3 TBSP of baking soda in the drain, have your plug nearby - now pour in about a cup of vinegar and plug the drain quickly! The reaction will in most instances remove what is lodged in and blocking the water from freely draining. The nice thing I have discovered is that since I have transformed my lifestyle to a greener / cleaner way of life I very seldom have clogged drains! I use baking soda and vinegar both in my cleaning regimens and possibly that is keeping things clean before they become a problem. 
12. Soft scrub for Tubs, sinks and dishes - in a large bowl mix together 1/2 Cup Liquid Castille soap or green soap of your choice - I use my homemade soap, and in the past have made it with Dawn as well. 1/4 Cup baking soda and 1/4 cup Vinegar. Mix together, once the reaction stops and the bubbles have stopped pour into a re purposed dish soap bottle. This is also a great pumice like soap for the hands after the hubby works on vehicles or you come in from the garden. It not only removes the dirt and grime from your hands it exfoliates the dead skin off!

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