A lot of us want a clean house, but don’t necessarily want to use harsh chemicals in order to achieve one. Fortunately, there’s a fantastic solution that’s likely already in your kitchen cabinet. We’re talking vinegar, of course!
Vinegar makes for an excellent, green cleaner that can help you tackle a wide variety of chores. Below you’ll discover a list of clever ways to use vinegar in your home – and because vinegar is inexpensive, it can even help you save money too.
Hometalk expert, Chas, is someone who doesn’t like cleaning with harmful chemicals either. Instead, she turns to white distilled vinegar. She provided amazing hacks that’ll help you get through your “to-do list” safely.
Clean that yucky shower curtain liner.
As we know, shower curtain liners can get cloudy and pretty icky after a while. Next time this happens, throw it in the washing machine and reach for the vinegar.
Place the liner in the machine, then add 1 cup of vinegar. Turn it to “large load,” put the water temperature on warm, and use the handwash cycle. The vinegar will help get rid of the mold build-up and soap-scum.
Use vinegar cubes to clean your garbage disposal.
There’s nothing fun about a funky-smelling garbage disposal, so here’s a genius way to clean yours. Fill an ice cube tray with vinegar and place it in the freezer.
Once the cubes are frozen, toss them down the disposal and run the faucet. Turn the disposal on and let the vinegar work its magic.
Eliminate odors.
If you want a clean home, likely you don’t want it to smell like stinky shoes. Deodorize items like sneakers and gym bags with sprays of vinegar. Or as Chas suggests in the Hometalk video below, you can use it as an air freshener to get rid of odors.
Create convenient and reusable cleaning cloths.
Daily life can be full of sticky messes. But by making vinegar cleaning cloths, at least you’ll be prepared for them.
Simply place several folded washcloths into a plastic container, then pour some vinegar over them. After you dilute with a small amount of water they can be used to clean up messes on surfaces. When you’re done, just toss them in the laundry. How great is that?
Make your kitchen appliances sparkly clean.
You can use vinegar to clean two main appliances in the heart of your home – the microwave and dishwasher.
Microwave: Start by adding one cup of water, one cup of vinegar, and two tbsp. of lemon juice to a glass (microwave-safe) bowl. Then, heat in the microwave for about 7-10 minutes.
Once it’s done, wipe the inside of the microwave and door with a clean cloth. Voila, that’s it!
Chas (who runs the blog Chas’ Crazy Creations) explains:
“The acidity is the cleaning agent in this mixture.”
Dishwasher: Pour a cup of vinegar into a drinking glass, then place it standing up in the dishwasher’s top rack. Run it, and the vinegar should help clean all the soap-scum and “other junk.”
Mix up a multi-purpose spray.
Combine vinegar and water in a spray bottle using a 1:1 ratio. If you’d like a stronger cleaner, just use straight vinegar.
This multi-purpose spray can be used to complete a variety of household jobs – like cleaning your sinks, counters, tile backsplashes, tubs, showers, and more. Do not use on marble and granite counters though.
Don’t like the smell of vinegar? No worries! You can add drops of essential oil to the bottle. Or, place citrus peels in your vinegar and let it soak for several weeks. After you strain out the peels, the vinegar should have taken in the citrusy scent.
Want to learn a couple more brilliant vinegar hacks? Watch the video below to find out what else you can use it for – and also to see these cleaning ideas in action!
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