Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Amazing Possabilities of Vinegar!

OK, so some of you may consider this to be a weird second post but stick with me here. I was just working in the kitchen and couldn't find my vinegar spray bottle which, for a split second, sorta unnerved me. Yes, wierd, but let me explain.
Whether you consider yourself environmentally conscious or frugal the uses for vinegar will make you a happy camper.
Yes, I said "vinegar spray bottle". I have a large spray bottle in my kitchen filled with a vinegar solution. It is comprised of half white vinegar and half water. (Ok. sorta, I never measure it) I use this bottle to spray down my counters, stove, sink, refrigerator, table, you name it! Vinegar cuts grease, removes hard water stains and even deodorizes which makes it my very best friend in the kitchen!
Many years ago, when I was in the "baby stage" (both two and four legged) I discovered that a quick spray of white vinegar on a pet stain would prevent our little four legged, not quite housebroken babies from returning to that spot to repeat their offense. (The acid in the vinegar neutralizes the scent of urine.)
At the time we were using cloth diapers and so I naturally thought I'd dump a slug or two into the diaper pail/washing machine with the diapers. Voila! It worked!
Somewhere along the line I read a "Dear Heloise" column that suggested setting small bowls of white vinegar out after a party to absorb cigarette smoke smells etc. Well, if it will absorb and neutralize the smell cigarette smoke why not any other smells that might invade your house on occasion? (Just one word of warning: Humans don't enjoy being sprayed with vinegar. Just sayin'!)
You're probably thinking... "But Sue, vinegar isn't the best smelling stuff!" Well, true, it isn't, however, the vinegar smell quickly dissipates once you've used it. I don't think I've ever had someone say my house smelled like vinegar and I use it ALL the time!
Another perk of vinegar is that it is amazingly cheap! I typically pay $1.85 for a gallon which will last me about a month. I've eliminated almost every other cleaning product which, if you haven't noticed will run you a LOT of money these days!
Below is a list of all the ways I've used vinegar over the years. Give a couple of them a try and let me know what you think!

1. Spray or blot equal amounts of white vinegar/water on a pet stain and let sit for about 10 minutes. Blot excess.
2. Mix equal amounts (approximately, I never measure) water/white vinegar in a spray bottle to clean: mirrors, windows, counters, stoves, floors, refrigerators etc. (Anything in the kitchen that is safe to spray liquids on)
3. Pour 1C. vinegar into your tea pot. (The stove top kind) and bring to a boil. Turn off and let sit for 5 minutes and wash with hot water and dish soap. All of the mineral deposits will disappear!
4.If your coffee maker is running slow fill the water reservoir with white vinegar and run it through a brew cycle. Follow with clean, clear water. Replace water filtering system if applicable (some machines have a charcoal filter that can be replaced periodically.) Your machine should run like new!
5. To clean a garbage disposal, Heat 1 quart white vinegar to almost boiling. Turn on your garbage disposal and pour the hot vinegar slowly down the drain. The heat and acid from the vinegar will clean out all that nasty gunk.
6. To clean hard water spots and etching off glassware spray each glass with white vinegar solution. Let sit for a few minutes if etching is bad. Wash by hand with hot sudsy water.
7. Use vinegar to deodorize trash cans. Just spray with vinegar solution and wipe down.
8. Remove hard water and mineral deposits from tubs, showers, toilets etc.
9. Deodorize toilet areas with a liberal spray of white vinegar.
10. Clean washing machines and dishwashers with white vinegar. Set the machine to the rinse cycle. Pour approximately a half gallon into the dishwasher and an entire gallon into the washing machine. I know this sounds like a lot but you should only have to do this a couple of times a year with the washing machine and once every three or four months with the dishwasher.
11. Sour smelling laundry? Add a cup or two of vinegar to the load. Wash as usual.
12. Vinegar will also work as a great substitute in a recipe that calls for buttermilk. Just put a TBSP of vinegar in a 1 cup measure. Fill the cup with enough milk to make an even cup. Let sit for just a minute or two and use as called for in the recipe.
Ok! There you have it. Why I love vinegar. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

1 comment:

  1. I had a housekeeper once who used 1 cup white vinegar, 3 cups water, and 2 t. of cornstarch in a spray bottle for window cleaner. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Works GREAT!

    I love you, Sue!
    Great Blog!
    Brenda

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