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Mar 15, 2013

You kill more flies with vinegar than honey

There's nothing special about vinegar.  Well, ok, maybe there is.  White vinegar is my go-to for...well...just about EVERYTHING needed in cleaning in my house.  Did you know you could use it for more than just dyeing Easter eggs?!  (Didn't know you could do that either?)  Well, you can!


Here's my surefire list entitled "Vinegar is my Everything"  aka "You Kill More Flies with Vinegar than Honey":
Coffeepot:
Once a week, run a full pot of vinegar through your coffee maker.  Be sure to run another full pot of pure water through right after or your first pot of coffee will end up tasting like vinegar.  Blech.
Microwave
Kids and/or husband not understand how to cover a dish before heating?  Loosen the stuck on messes and make cleaning it super easy.  Pour one cup of vinegar in a microwave-safe cup or bowl.  Heat on high for 3-5 minutes, depending on how stuck-on your mess is.  The vinegar will boil and bubble over ... this is ok, it is what you want.  Afterward, wipe down with a moist sponge or cloth.
Dishwasher
Instead of using expensive dishwasher additives like Jet Dry or LemiShine, once a week fill a glass with vinegar and place it in the middle of the top rack of your dishwasher.  Run an empty load (except for the glass, of course) on a regular cycle.  As the dishwasher runs, the glass should tilt and spill the vinegar in the cycle, allowing it to help eliminate any unwanted build up.
Laundry
Do your clothes sometimes smell not-so-clean even after you've washed them?  Sometimes the animal oils in your liquid detergent or fabric softeners can clog your high efficiency washer!   Periodically, I will put vinegar in the bleach receptacle in my washing machine with a load of colors.  It will cycle through with the detergent just like the bleach does, but is safe for colors.  You're not only cleaning your clothes better, but you're also helping clean the washing machine.
Countertops
I have black granite countertops, and EVERY commercial cleaner I have tried leaves streaks I can see across the room.  It drives me nuts.  So instead, I use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.  It's the only thing I use.  And the best part about it - I know that my kids can eat off the counters any time, without fear of toxic cleaners or residue!
Glass and more:  
With the same mixture above, we clean our mirrors, windows, glass, plastic, stainless steel, and more.  It truly is our everyday cleaner.
Bathroom Mixture
For cleaning my bathrooms (tubs, showers, tiles, floors, etc), I have modified and made my own version of the very popular "Magic Bathroom Mix".  
  • 1 cup blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
  • 2 cups white vinegar (some folks use 1 cup of vinegar.  If it works better for you, go for it.  I found that mixture to be too soapy on my bathroom tiles and more difficult to rinse.)
  • Mix them together in a spray bottle and voila....a clean, non chemically, soap scum killer that will best just about any commercial product out there
We have saved untold sums of money replacing our specialty cleaning products with simple vinegar mixtures.  It's cheap (especially the generic version!), it's easy, it's natural, and it's always available.  Oh yeah, and you can cook with it, too.


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