| Vinegar & Cleaning When
it comes to cleaning and taking care of all kinds of tasks around the house, try vinegar
before you reach for any toxic, dangerous chemicals such as bleach or ammonia.
Vinegar is safe, low-cost alternative that's proven effective over
the years. In fact, many cleaning products for sale today proudly announce that they
contain vinegar. Why pay for it twice?
Here are some helpful tips for the Kitchen...
How to get rid of grease and grime inside your oven...
- Make a paste of one cup vinegar and 1/4 cup powdered laundry
detergent.
- Heat your oven for five minutes at 350 degrees and turn off.
- Spread the paste around the oven, applying it more heavily to very
greasy areas.
- Leave paste on for an hour, then use a plastic spatula to gently
scrape the dirt away.
To prevent greasy buildup in the first place, dip a sponge in
full-strength vinegar and wipe down all sides of the oven
Unpleasant Odors...
To stop unpleasant cooking odors from permeating throughout the
entire house, boil a cup or two of vinegar in a pot in the stove. The odors will be
absorbed by the vinegar.
When cooking cabbage, add a few drops of vinegar to prevent the
unpleasant odors in the first place.
Accidentally burnt the pot roast? soak a towel in vinegar,
wring it out, and wave it around the room. No one will know what you did to their
dinner.
Prefer using the microwave? Boil 1/4 cup of vinegar in a bowl
of water to keep it grease free and smelling as fresh as the day you bought it.
Small Appliances...
Get rid of the sludge in your automatic drip coffee maker by running
full-strength vinegar through a normal brew cycle. Rinse by running plain water
through the cycle two or three times.
Remove the lime coating on your tea kettle by filling it with water
and adding a half cup of vinegar. Let it stand overnight, then rinse with clean
water and dry.
Here are some helpful tips for the Bathroom...
Clean sink and tub with full-strength vinegar. Simply apply
with a sponge, wipe clean to a sparkly shine.
Clean you ceramic tiles with a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar to one
gallon warm water.
If the grout between your tiles is looking hard, dip a toothbrush in
full strength vinegar and gently scrub.
Get rid of that nasty, grimy dirt that builds up around the faucets
by soaking paper towels in full strength vinegar and wrapping them around the fixtures.
Let sit for one hour, then clean as usual.
Soap scum & hard water spots on the tub and shower stall?
Soak a sponge in full strength vinegar, wipe, let stand for five minutes then rinse
with clean water.
Water spots on sliding shower doors disappear after cleaning with a
half water and half vinegar solution.
Here are some helpful tips for the Living Room, Bedroom
& Beyond
A solution of equal amounts of vinegar and water is a well-known
window washing trick. Dip black and white newspaper pages into the solution and wipe
the glass until it's almost dry. Finish wiping with a dry newspaper page. The
streaks will disappear and the window will shine.
Stains on your carpet? Combine 2 tablespoons of detergent,
three tablespoons of vinegar and one quart of warm water. Work mixture into the
stain, but don't soak. Blot with clean cloth.
Accidentally spilled white glue on rug or sofa? Remove it with
white vinegar.
Clean up a puppy accident on your carpet by blotting up as much of
the liquid as possible. Dab the spot with equal parts vinegar and warm, soapy water.
Blot again with a clean, white cloth until no more liquid is absorbed.
If your animal continues to stain the place, try spraying vinegar on
the spot. The smell should turn him off.
Here are some helpful tips for the Garage, Garden &
Outside
Clean car windshields with full-strength vinegar. Rinse with
clean water and wipe dry.
Keep the windshield free of ice and frost by mixing three parts
vinegar to one part water. Spray it on the glass. If you do this at night,
you'll have no problems in the morning.
Revive an old paintbrush by soaking it in hot vinegar for a few
minutes, then wash in soapy water.
Deodorize your smelly car by soaking a piece of bread in vinegar and
leaving it in the car overnight.
Old rusty tools? Soak them in pure white vinegar for a few
hours. If needed, change the vinegar as it becomes cloudy.
Plaster won't harden as quickly if you add white vinegar while
your mixing it up.
Sagging cane chairs can be revived if you sponge them with a
solution of half vinegar, half water. Let them dry in the sun and they'll soon be
back on shape.
Here are some helpful tips for the Laundry...(never
mix vinegar & bleach)
Stains...
Antiperspirant - Blot the spot with paper towel dampened with
a solution of baking soda and vinegar. Wash as usual in the hottest water that's
safe for the fabric.
Glue - Loosen the dried on glue by soaking a clean cloth in
vinegar and saturating the spot until it's gone.
Grass - Mix one-third cup vinegar and two-thirds cup water.
Apply the solutions to the stain and blot. Repeat the process as needed, then
wash as usual.
Lint Remover - Keep lint from clinging to your dark clothes
by adding 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Mildew - Dab vinegar on the soiled areas to kill the mildew.
Let the item sit in the sun for a few hours. Wash separately from other
items. |
