wanting to bring more mindfulness to how we keep our home and our planet, i have begun in this move to choose more sustainable products to use in the house for cooking, cleaning, gardening and health. each day is a new step towards the switch over. little steps make this switch doable. so my new favorite household product is the humble vinegar. rather then listing everything for you here, please go here.
a few of my favorite that i am either trying or will try in the near future:
cleaning:
renew sponges and dishrags by placing them in just enough water to cover them. then add 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. let them soak overnight.
kill germs all around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
to kill germs, spray full-strength white distilled vinegar on doorknobs and then wipe them dry.
to clean and disinfect baby toys add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water.
clean vinyl baby books or board books by wiping with white distilled vinegar. wipe clean with a damp sponge or cloth.
clean and deodorize urine on a mattress with a white distilled vinegar and water solution. then sprinkle the area with baking soda and let dry. brush or vacuum the residue after it is dry to the touch.
clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.
deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.
laundry:
get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. let soak overnight.
some stains on clothing and linens can be soaked out using equal parts milk and white distilled vinegar.
before washing a mustard stain, dab with white distilled vinegar.
attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.
remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.
forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy? pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. then run a normal cycle with detergent.
get cleaner laundry! add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. the acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.
gardening:
kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. this works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.
give acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas and gardenias a little help by watering them with a white distilled vinegar solution now and again. a cup of white distilled vinegar to a gallon of tap water is a good mixture.
stop ants from congregating by pouring white distilled vinegar on the area.
health:
stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.
soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.
for cuts and scrapes, use white distilled vinegar as an antiseptic.
automotive:
remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor.
loosen chewing gum stuck to carpeting or upholstery by soaking it in white distilled vinegar.
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