A couple nights ago my daughter woke up in a pile of puke. Yuck. For many moms this would be the start of an incredibly YUCKY experience that will stain sheets or carpeting (smell and visual stain). After I quickly cleaned it up and put her back to bed, I laid in my own bed thinking about how I should share my cleaning experience as well as a few other great tips.
VINEGAR – God’s gift to Mommy
Below you will find a few uses of vinegar. I’d love to hear more…these are just the ways that I use it myself.
Unless otherwise specified, all of these uses are white vinegar. I keep a spray bottle of straight vinegar in my bathroom. I use it everywhere, but mostly in the bathroom, so it makes sense to keep it there.
1. Add vinegar to carpet cleaner to remove pet stains and smell, vomit stains and smell, Pee or Poop stains and smell.
2. Use vinegar as a fabric softener.
3. Add vinegar to laundry water – helps to remove soap/fabric softener build up on clothes, towels and cloth diapers. This is especially useful if you use a ‘soap based’ instead of ‘detergent based’ laundry soap.
4. Use straight vinegar to wash windows and mirrors
5. Use straight vinegar to wash the tub and shower. Removes soap scum in a snap.
6. Use vinegar to clean water stains from sinks/tub/faucets
7. Soak shower heads in vinegar to restore the life in them from water stain build up.
8. Disinfect counter tops/chairs, door handles with vinegar
9. Clean power equipment with wash cloth that has vinegar on it. It will remove dust, stains, splatter etc.
10. use vinegar how you would goo gone with sticky stuff like stickers, gum, etc
11. remove candle wax residue.
12. Clean leather furniture.
13. Clean bathroom counter-tops toilet, floor, walls by toilet, shower/tub and cabinets with a spray bottle filled with vinegar. Kids can help do this too without you worrying about bleach stained clothes, chemicals or fumes.
14. I have read that you can use vinegar on windsheilds and car windows to keep frost from forming. Can’t wait to try this one. Apparently one spray dose will last up to a few weeks?!
15. Scrub the fridge with vinegar
16. Scrub the microwave with vinegar
17. Put a few tablespoons of vinegar in a tea pot and boil for a few minutes to completely remove water stains and build up.
18. Pour 2 cups of vinegar in the water compartment of a coffee maker. Run. I like to run the vinegar through it 2 or 3 times, then I run water through it another 2 times to completly restore my coffee maker.
19. Add a few drops of vinegar to dishes rinse water to keep glasses spot free. also can be used in a dishwasher.
20. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to dishsoap to make the grease cutting ability amazing!
21. Add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to soup bones or a poultry carcass next time you are making broth. It will help the calcium to liquify and will make your broth even more packed with goodness.
22. Heartburn – try taking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I know it sounds crazy – but it works!
23. remove ink stains by soaking the ink stained clothing in straight vinegar until it dries. Wash as normal.
24. remove blood stains from clothing the same way (although, the best way to remove blood stains is peroxide)
25. Keeping dogs off of carpet, spray vinegar on it. Even the dried smell should keep them off – just recently tried this…not sure if it’s working yet. However, my carpet smells fresh!
26. use vinegar instead of pledge while dusting. Works great!
There are so many more uses for vinegar – but these ones give you a great idea on how to use it around the home. It really is my go-to cleaner and I keep many bottles available. Pick them up when they’re on sale and you have a good thing.