Tag Archives: Vinegar

It’s Spring Cleaning Time!

Yes Spring is definitely here and you know what that means! Time to get rid of the winter grime. Growing up in a little town I remember my Grandma always cleaning with vinegar. My Mom used it all the time too and when I had a house cleaner come in a few times they used vinegar to wash my hardwood floors.

Vinegar is an amazing cleaner and it’s cheap! So….I found some tips on the Better Homes & Gardens website for ways to clean with vinegar and thought I would share them.

 
Vinegar_bottle

 

Kitchen:  Refrigerator: Definitely skip the toxic chemicals where you store your food. Instead, wipe up spills with a 50-50 vinegar-water mix. You can even keep a bottle of the mixture stored in your fridge!

Drain:  Pour vinegar onto a scrub brush small enough to get inside the disposal. Sprinkle the brush with baking soda, then scrub to remove odors and built-up crud, says Mary Findley of GoClean.com, a former pro cleaner and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning.
Cutting boards:  Spray with straight vinegar, then rinse to clean.

Microwave:  Place 1/2-cup vinegar and 1/2-cup water in a glass bowl. Microwave 2-3 minutes, or until it boils. Wipe buildup away with ease!

Stained plastic containers:  Coat in vinegar. Let sit. Wash as usual, says Leslie Reichert, aka The Cleaning Coach.

Bathroom

Toilet:  Pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet. Let sit overnight. (For tough jobs, empty the toilet water first.) The next morning, sprinkle with baking soda or borax; scrub, then flush.
General bathroom cleaning:

Use straight or diluted vinegar to clean, especially around the toilet, where it can curb urine staining and odor.

Tub or sink drain:  Pour 1/2-cup around closed drain and let sit several hours. Scrub to remove buildup. Drain, then rinse.

Shower:  Findley’s shower deep-clean regimen: Bring vinegar to a boil, then use it to wipe down the shower door and walls. Keep them damp by wiping them down every 5 to 8 minutes for 30 minutes. Then, dampen a non-scratch sponge in vinegar, sprinkle with baking soda, and scrub. Rinse. Bye-bye germs, mold, water spots, and soap scum!

Shower-head:  Pour some vinegar into a plastic bag, and secure it to your shower-head with a twist-tie. Make sure there’s enough vinegar so the bottom part of the shower-head is submerged. Leave the bag on overnight. Remove the next morning just before showering.

Bedroom:  Mattress disinfectant: Mix vinegar, a little rubbing alcohol, and some tea tree oil in a spray bottle. Lightly spritz on your mattress to help combat dust mites, mildew, and general odors. For a deeper clean, follow with a dusting of baking soda. Let dry, then vacuum.

Laundry:  As a fabric softener: Use vinegar instead of fabric softeners in laundry, Findley says. “It softens clothes and removes the static at a fraction of the cost of fabric softeners,” she says. “Just add a cup to the final wash or rinse water.”

Living & Dining Rooms
Glass: Use a 50-50 vinegar-water solution to keep glass tables or stereo cabinet doors sparkling.

Wood furniture:

Use 1/4-cup vinegar mixed with 1-cup olive oil — plus a few drops of lemon or orange oil, if you wish — to clean and condition wood furniture, Reichert says.

Floors:  Carpet odor and dust mite remover: Mix a few drops of your favorite essential oil with some vinegar in a spray bottle. Spritz lightly throughout. (Test in an inconspicuous spot first for colorfastness.)

Carpet rinse:  After shampooing your carpet, rinse it using 1/2-cup vinegar per gallon of water. This lifts dirt-attracting soap residue, so carpets stay cleaner, longer.

Carpet pet odor remover:  Wet spot with vinegar. Sprinkle with baking soda, and work the two together with a brush or your fingers. Let dry (ideally overnight). Vacuum.
Wood floor wash:  Add ½-cup vinegar to a gallon of water to clean wood and laminated floors.

General:  Make your own earth-friendly home cleaners on the cheap with vinegar and other natural products.

Air freshener:  Add a 1/2-teaspoon vinegar to a 4-ounce spray bottle, then fill with distilled water, plus a few drops of your favorite essential oil, if desired.

Window cleaner:  Mix 1/4-cup rubbing alcohol and 1/3-cup vinegar in a 32-oz spray bottle, then fill with water. Lightly spritz on a lint free cloth to clean.

All-purpose cleaner:  Mix 1-cup vinegar, 2 teaspoons borax, 4-cups hot water, 5 drops liquid dish soap, 10 drops tea tree oil, and 10 drops your favorite essential oil (optional).
Disinfectant: Use a 50-50 vinegar-water mix to wipe down telephones, doorknobs, faucet handles, and more when cold and flu season hits, Findley says.

 

Look at all those great tips for cleaning with a safe and inexpensive product. Love Vinegar! (Plus I have many flavored specialty vinegars that I love to cook with. 🙂 )

 

Shar Sitter, owner Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis MN.
CHSE and APSD Home Stager Pro Trainer
www.RoomsWithStyle.com
952-567-1124