my house smells like vinegar
..and I like it! Today is one of my favorite days of the month – the house is clean!!! Maria, Reina and Blanca come every other Wednesday and I really appreciate the thorough cleaning they give our home. As a work-at-home mom, I have learned to delegate certain tasks in order to stay sane. Housecleaning is at the top of my list – how about yours?
In delegating this task, however, I want to ensure their safety as well as ours. Many household cleaners are loaded with chemicals and I worry about the long-term effects of exposure, particularly with respect to our children. So, over the past few years, I’ve encouraged them to switch to vinegar as much as possible. Plain white vinegar reportedly kills 99% of household germs. Everything looks and feels clean (not that I’m engaging in any Mythbusters-like tests mind you); that is good enough for me. And personally, I’d rather smell vinegar than bleach or other commercial cleaner.
There are so many household uses for vinegar, too. I am grateful to Brian (of Topside Inn fame) for the tip on using full-strength vinegar in place of fabric softener (about 1/4 cup per load). Brian is the king of laundry (really!) and he was absolutely correct about it working well, not leaving a scent behind AND being good for the environment (music to my ears!).
Even though the house is only really clean two days per month, I would trade any other personal luxuries in order to have a home that smells like vinegar!
kathy
P.S. I have a few other vinegar tips (including one for terrific skin) coming tomorrow – see you then.
Use vinegar in your dishwasher as the drying aid. (If you get a haze, then it may be at odds with your automatic dishwasher detergent but in most cases, you get spot free glasses.) If you mix it with tea tree oil, you get a pretty good disinfectant, too. Just make sure the surface stays wet for about 3 minutes.
Oops, I forgot to add that most fabric softeners actually dull whites (they are a grease so you are rubbing grease on to your clothes to make them feel smoother.)
Here is a tip I would like to share with you guys. Tar stains are very hard to remove but by using a little vinegar can be a big help. If your clothes is stained by tar try pouring a few drops of white vinegar on the stain and wash it as usual you will be amazed. We’ve also had luck removing gass, coffee, soda and other fruits stains with vinegar.