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Cleaning with Vinegar: An Eco Friendly and Inexpensive Way to Clean Your House

By: Robin Darch

You use it for cooking and for making salad dressings, dips and sauces, but did you know that bottle of vinegar in your pantry is also a cleaning agent? For cooking and for cleaning - there's only a few kitchen items that can be used for both. Cleaning with vinegar is not only inexpensive, it's also a very eco-friendly way to keep your house clean!

Vinegar-Based Scouring Solution
You can use vinegar as your primary cleaning agent. You can mix vinegar with other substances to make your own scouring solution. For example, you can mix one part baking soda and one part liquid detergent.

Add vinegar to make the mixture thicker and sticky. Once you get the right texture, you now have your very own homemade scouring cleanser.

Use your vinegar-based scouring cleanser to get rid of tough dirt, stains, and grime. You can scour clean your kitchen sink, tiles, bathroom floors, toilet bowls, and other surfaces that tend get stained and dirty.

Keep in mind, though, that vinegar is an acid, so avoid using your vinegar-based scouring solution on sensitive surfaces such as metal, as well as marble and limestone surfaces. Other than that, cleaning with vinegar is a great, inexpensive way to clean your home.

If you want to be on the safe side, test a small area first when you're cleaning with vinegar and see how it reacts to the solution.

Vinegar-Based Liquid Cleaning Solution

You can also make a liquid cleaning solution with vinegar as your primary agent. In a spray bottle, mix one part rock salt, one part water, one part liquid dish washing soap, and three parts vinegar. Shake the bottle to thoroughly mix the ingredients. Allow the solution to stand for a few minutes before using. You now have a ready liquid cleaning solution for cleaning for any type of surface.

Cleaning with vinegar-based liquid cleaning solution is ideal for cleaning lightly stained tiles and floors. Cleaning with vinegar-based liquid cleaning solution can also be very useful in removing grease or oil from the kitchen floor or sink. You can also use this solution to clean mirrors and windows.

Simply spray the solution and wipe immediately with newspaper wads, which do a much better job of buffing mirrors and glass windows than paper towels and rags. You can ditch those commercial cleaners because cleaning with vinegar is much more effective.

Vinegar as Oven, Microwave and Coffeepot Cleaner

You can also use vinegar mixed with water for cleaning your microwave, oven and coffeepot. To clean your microwave or oven, mix 2 cups of water and a quarter cup vinegar in a Pyrex bowl (microwave) or baking pan (oven). For the microwave, heat up the solution for 3 to 4 minutes.

For the oven, keep it in the oven for up to 30 minutes. You'll notice that the oils, stains and accumulated baked-on foods in your microwave and oven have become softer and loose. Simply wipe these stains with a dry cloth and voila! You now have a microwave and oven that are not only clean, but also sparkle. Cleaning with vinegar in this manner will also remove any unpleasant odor.

To clean your coffeepot, fill the pot with vinegar and run the coffeemaker the same way you would when you're making coffee. Dump the vinegar and then fill the pot with water and do the same thing.

Do this one more time or until the smell of vinegar is gone. The vinegar will remove any coffee stains on the pot that you haven't been able to get rid off with regular cleaning. Vinegar can also remove stains on plastic cups and cloudiness on glasses. Soak them in a water and vinegar solution for about 10 minutes and then rinse.

Using Vinegar as Polisher

You can also make a homemade copper and brass polisher using vinegar as the main ingredient. Simply mix vinegar with the right amount of ketchup. Mix this solution thoroughly until you get a slightly thick consistency. Dip a dry cloth in this solution and start polishing your copper or brass wares. This solution is also ideal for cleaning belt buckles made from brass. Just apply the solution on the brass, dry it, and start polishing with soft cloth.

Vinegar as Deodorizer

Cleaning with vinegar won't just remove stains and grime, cleaning with vinegar also removes the bad smell in damp rooms, refrigerators, cupboards, cabinets, and other enclosed areas. Pour a liberal amount of vinegar in a bowl or bucket and leave it inside the room for 24 hours.

For bigger rooms, place 4 vinegar-filled bowls in each corner of the room and leave them overnight. To deodorize your refrigerator, pour vinegar into a small cup and place it in a corner in the back. You can also add 2 to 3 drops of vanilla in the vinegar so you can have a sweet smelling refrigerator.

As you can see, vinegar is an extremely versatile household item. Why don't you try cleaning with vinegar next time? Vinegar is as an all-around, eco-friendly cleaning solution. It's inexpensive and works just as well, if not better, than the expensive commercial cleaning solutions.


To find out exactly how cleaning with vinegar can be part of your house cleaning strategy, check out "Martha's Speed Cleaning Tips and Tricks" book.

Article Source: Artipot

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