My Favorite uses for Vinegar in the Home

It goes without saying that vinegar may be used in cooking and salad dressings but my dear friend there are soo many more uses for it and the longer I use vinegar the more ways I find to use it.  The mere fact that it is safe to use on all surfaces makes a difference. I use vinegar everyday in cleaning here.




(yes I have an ugly toilet)

• Cleaning Toilets- one of my favorite uses – use with a little baking soda for some natural scrubbing action.
  
• Add to Laundry – Vinegar has mild bleaching properties, it is also antiseptic. But did you know that if  you add it to your laundry it also acts like a fabric softener?  If you line dry your clothes then after rinsing with vinegar they will not be stiff. Vinegar also will remove any detergent residue from your clothing.
• Clean the Windows- put a little in a spray bottle, use straight for really dirty windows or dilute with water.
• Make your Own Natural Cleaner -
• Clean Your Teapot or Coffee Maker – pour about a cup in your coffee maker add enough water to run a cycle.
• Wash the Floor  - Distilled white vinegar does a great job of washing  the floor
• Remove Mildew Stains – great alternative to bleach. Use equal parts vinegar to water.(wish I have known this when we had 5 inches of rain in one week and mildew started to "bloom" in the basement)
• Clean your Brickwork and Brick fireplace. – Dilute one cup vinegar in one gallon of water. Wash down the brick.
• Use as a rinse for your hair after shampooing.  I like to use apple cider vinegar and put it in a spray bottle. Simply spray it in your hair in the shower and rinse out.
• Kill germs all around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar.  wipe  clean with a damp cloth.
• To clean and disinfect baby toys add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water. So much better than using bleach
• Soothe the rash from poison oak or poison ivy  Use a vinegar compress. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar in a 1-pint container, then add enough water to fill the container. Chill the container in the refrigerator. When it is cool, dampen a cloth or gauze with the solution, and apply to the rash. This works for all sorts of skin rashes.
• Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet. Blot
  up urine with a soft cloth, flush several times
  with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal
  parts vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse,
  and let dry.
• Scare away Ants. Spray vinegar around door and window frames, under appliances, and along other known ant trails. I had ittty bitty ants in the kitchen this spring and we used the vinegar spray to kill hem and mask their ant trail.
• Treat a wart – soak gauze in apple cider vinegar and apply to wart. Cover up over night. Continue nightly until warts are gone. My daughter got rid of several good size warts this way.
• Clean a scorched iron plate by heating equal parts
  vinegar and salt in a small pan. Then rub the
  solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark
  or burned stains.
• Clean the dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar
  through the whole cycle once a month to reduce
  soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on
  glassware.
• Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards by wiping
  with full strength vinegar.
• Clean the microwave by boiling a solution of 1/4 cup
  of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave.
  Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

for more great ideas check out Simple Lives Thursday

Technorati Tags: vinegarfor cleaning,natural cleaners.