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I have big jug of white distilled vinegar in the laundry room that I use occasionally while cleaning cloth diapers to make sure all the suds are out. I also plan on trying it out as an all purpose kitchen cleaner once my commercial stuff runs out. I was not aware, however, that there was a website devoted to its 999 other uses. Here are ten of
vinegar's 1001 uses (unless it says otherwise, all vinegar tips are in regards to undiluted distilled white vinegar):
- Rusty tools and bolts can be brightened by soaking overnight to several days in vinegar.
- Clean outdoor items like patio furniture with a diluted solution of one tablespoon of vinegar with one gallon of water.
- Add a teaspoon or two when boiling vegetables to help them retain their color and reduce embarrassing gassy side effects.
- Wilted vegetables will perk up when you soak them in cold water with two teaspoons of vinegar.
- Clean and deodorize a drain by chasing one cup of baking soda with one cup of hot vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes and rinse with hot water.
- Clean your microwave. To loosen cooked food, bring a bowl a cup of water and vinegar to a rolling boil in the microwave and wipe the walls clean.
- Spray perspiration stains with vinegar before tossing in the wash to make clean them.
- Turn your whites white again by dropping them in a pot of boiling water with one cup of vinegar. Turn off the heat and soak overnight.
- Create your own facial toner with one part vinegar and one part water.
- Use a cotton ball soaked in vinegar to remove the sting from a bug bite.
I'll be stocking up on vinegar by the gallon now.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-01-2007 @ 7:46PM
JOANNE said...
We use vinegar & water exclusively to clean the kitchen, bathroom and floors of our house. The only time we use a spray is on the stove top and we use a biodegrable eco-friendly one. I highly recommend that you don't use bleach in your house as you are just making the bad bacteria stronger - just like with the anti-bacterial soaps which they finally have decided are a worse choice than plain soap. Because vinegar is a mild acid it works really well as a cleaning solution with water.
--Joanne
www.ForkandBottle.com
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12-03-2007 @ 4:56PM
Brandon said...
Joanne - you're wrong about bleach. Bacteria cannot build a resistance to it in the way it can against additives in antibacterial soap. Do a little research.
12-03-2007 @ 9:10AM
David Lockie said...
You can make your own vinegar too!
http://ideasinfood.typepad.com/ideas_in_food/2005/05/you_have_to_mak.html
That'll make you even more sustainable. I've tried homemade vinegar and it's really tasty!
www.lowcarboneconomy.com - coming soon
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12-03-2007 @ 2:51PM
Christopher said...
We use vinegar and water exclusively when mopping at home. For those little tough spots or stains I arm myself with a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. Works like a charm!
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12-03-2007 @ 10:32PM
Joanne said...
Hey Brandon,
While you may be right that chlorine bleach might not make bacteria stronger against it... it wipes out any good bacteria around and also keep in mind that it doesn’t kill all the germs/microbes (it's the susceptible ones that get killed first) and leaves hardier ones behind tipping the balance in your house. Also chlorine bleach is not a good thing to adding to the chemical cocktails of wastewater. The EPA consider it a pesticide.
Here's a nice article on anti-microbials
http://www.watoxics.org/homes-and-gardens/factsheets/antimicrobials
--Joanne, www.ForkandBottle.com
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