Vinegar or Bust!
Vinegar can do it all. Remove stickers, odors, stains, carpet spills, clean windows, clean silver, clean wood paneling, un-clog drains, get rid of ants, etc. The do-it-all solution.
Vinegar isn’t just a delicious acid that helps to round out your flavors in the kitchen, it’s also an incomparable multi-use staple that can clean just about anything (including your hair). Here are 8 ways you can clean up using distilled white vinegar to get the job done!
Coffee machine: Say what? Repeated use can lead to residue and mineral building up where it shouldn’t and impacting your coffee taste. Run equal parts of vinegar and water in the reservoir and then do a straight water cycle to clear out any remaining vinegar.
Windows: That’s right, vinegar does windows too! Again, equal parts vinegar and water into a reusable spray bottle and get to work. Wipe clean with a dry towel.
Stickers (and other adhesive residue): Saturate a small cloth with vinegar and brush it atop the sticker or adhesive. You can even just leave it on top of it if the surface isn’t sensitive. Then gently peel, wipe, or scrape away the adhesive. Always be sure to test an area first and use a mild scraper such as one made of bamboo or recycled soft plastic like our Power Couple.
Laundry stains: Most just need a soak in the vinegar and then a regular washing but if the stain is particularly persistent, the vinegar needs a partner (another kitchen staple, baking soda) – just sprinkle baking soda on top of the vinegar-soaked stain and rub it in. Leave it to set a few minutes and then wash.
Clogged drains: Here the vinegar needs that alkaline partner again, baking soda. Pour boiling water down the drain. Then mix a solution of 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and pour this down the drain. Plug the drain. Leave it to do its magic for about 10 minutes. Then pour boiling water down the drain again. This is a true example of green cleaning – you’re replacing a store-bought drain solution which puts all sorts of questionable chemicals into our water supply with vinegar and baking soda, in other words, cooking ingredients.
Silver: You’ll need a few extra things here including baking soda, salt and aluminum foil. Place the aluminum foil into a shallow wide baking dish shiny side up. Then spring one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of salt onto the foil. Follow that with ½ cup vinegar and then 1 cup of boiling water. Carefully place silver in a single layer and watch the magic. After a minute or so, rinse silver with cool water and dry with a soft cloth.
Brass or Copper: Combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup of vinegar and a bit of flour to make a paste. Apply the paste to the metal and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with clean water and polish with a soft, dry cloth.
Vinegar, the do-it-all solution!
Vinegar isn’t just a delicious acid that helps to round out your flavors in the kitchen, it’s also an incomparable multi-use staple that can clean just about anything (including your hair). Here are 8 ways you can clean up using distilled white vinegar to get the job done!
Coffee machine: Say what? Repeated use can lead to residue and mineral building up where it shouldn’t and impacting your coffee taste. Run equal parts of vinegar and water in the reservoir and then do a straight water cycle to clear out any remaining vinegar.
Windows: That’s right, vinegar does windows too! Again, equal parts vinegar and water into a reusable spray bottle and get to work. Wipe clean with a dry towel.
Stickers (and other adhesive residue): Saturate a small cloth with vinegar and brush it atop the sticker or adhesive. You can even just leave it on top of it if the surface isn’t sensitive. Then gently peel, wipe, or scrape away the adhesive. Always be sure to test an area first and use a mild scraper such as one made of bamboo or recycled soft plastic like our Power Couple.
Laundry stains: Most just need a soak in the vinegar and then a regular washing but if the stain is particularly persistent, the vinegar needs a partner (another kitchen staple, baking soda) – just sprinkle baking soda on top of the vinegar-soaked stain and rub it in. Leave it to set a few minutes and then wash.
Clogged drains: Here the vinegar needs that alkaline partner again, baking soda. Pour boiling water down the drain. Then mix a solution of 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and pour this down the drain. Plug the drain. Leave it to do its magic for about 10 minutes. Then pour boiling water down the drain again. This is a true example of green cleaning – you’re replacing a store-bought drain solution which puts all sorts of questionable chemicals into our water supply with vinegar and baking soda, in other words, cooking ingredients.
Silver: You’ll need a few extra things here including baking soda, salt and aluminum foil. Place the aluminum foil into a shallow wide baking dish shiny side up. Then spring one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of salt onto the foil. Follow that with ½ cup vinegar and then 1 cup of boiling water. Carefully place silver in a single layer and watch the magic. After a minute or so, rinse silver with cool water and dry with a soft cloth.
Brass or Copper: Combine 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup of vinegar and a bit of flour to make a paste. Apply the paste to the metal and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with clean water and polish with a soft, dry cloth.
Vinegar, the do-it-all solution!