Vinegar: The Safer Way to Clean

Household cleaners are toxic to us, the environment, our children, and our pets. Did you know that you can replace almost all of the household cleaners you now use with vinegar?

Vinegar is an all natural substance that most of us associate as purely for kitchen use. However, since it’s non-toxic and completely natural, it can be used for cleaning your home. It’s versatile too! You can use vinegar to clean your laundry, your floors, stickers that your kids have put on your furniture or walls…

In addition, household cleaners are expensive. Vinegar, on the other hand, is fairly cheap, so you can save a lot of money buy using it, and avoid all those unhealthy toxins.

Here are 10 great household uses for vinegar.

  1. Get rid of odors. If you have pets, a stinky trash can, or a smell of stale smoke in the air, leave a bowl of vinegar out overnight. It absorbs all the odors so your house will smell fresh and clean.
  2. Wash your windows. Spray your windows with a half and half solution of vinegar and water, then wipe clean.
  3. Clean clogged shower heads. Is your shower head a little clogged? Soak it overnight in a bowl of vinegar to remove corrosion.
  4. Clean your microwave. Pour 1/2 a cup of water and 1/2 a cup of vinegar in a microwave safe dish;  place it in the microwave on high heat until it begins to boil. Wipe clean with a cloth. This will also help get rid of nasty odors!
  5. Deodorize your garbage disposal. Garbage disposals can get pretty nasty. Try pouring undiluted vinegar in an ice cube tray, freezing them, then running them through the garbage disposal with some cold water. This will clean it out, and get rid of nasty odors.
  6. Remove unsightly toilet stains. If you have those unattractive hard water stains in your toilet, try spraying the bowl with undiluted vinegar, then wiping clean.
  7. Get rid of fruit flies. Fruit flies are huge nuisances! Get rid of them by setting out a small container of vinegar where they congregate. They’ll be gone in no time!
  8. Keep pesky ants away. Many homes have issues with ants coming inside, especially in the spring. Discourage them from entering your home by spraying around doorways, windows and appliances with vinegar.
  9. Prevent mildew. Shower curtains and bathroom tiles stay moist; avoid the appearance of mildew by spraying them with vinegar.
  10. Prevent color runs in the laundry. Soak your clothes in vinegar prior to washing to prevent the colors from running together. This will avoid pink boxers and pink socks! 🙂

These are only a few uses of vinegar…there are so many more. It’s a good idea to get 2 spray bottles (you can usually find these for around a dollar at the dollar store). Keep one filled with undiluted vinegar, and the other one a 50/50 split of vinegar and water.

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