Everyone, meet your new best friend......VINEGAR!!! (white distilled)
Use Vinegar to clean just about anything in your house.
1. Buy 2 spray bottles, label one 50/50 and the other 100%
2. Fill the 50/50 bottle half with water and half with vinegar and fill the 100% bottle full of just vinegar obviously.
3. USE THESE INSTEAD OF CHEMICALS TO CLEAN!
50/50 can be used for:
wash mirrors, windows, glass, and fixtures.
Spray down the shower tile and door/curtain
Clean kitchen counters, stove, table, and refrigerator
Quick clean the kitchen and bathroom sinks
100% can be used for:
clean the microwave (heat some vinegar in a bowl, let sit, then wipe away)
or...spray the microwave, heat it for 20-30 seconds, let sit, then wipe
disinfect the cutting board; spray it on
use it to clean your floors too!
**Yes I know vinegar stinks but don't be a sissy! It cleans just as well as store bought cleaners and the smell goes away when it dries. It is also super cheap. You can get 2 gallons for $3 at Sam's Club.**
CAUTION: DO NOT USE VINEGAR ON MARBLE!
Your next new friend: Baking Soda!
For easy dispensing: grab an empty gerber puffs container, fill with baking soda, punch holes in the stop and voila! you have a shaker!
Baking soda can be used for:
Scrub the tub and deep clean the bathroom and kitchen sinks
Scrub stubborn stains off of the counter, stove, and pots
Deodorize the garbage disposal (pour some in and go away
Deodorize and clear drains (pour some in, go away, return and flush with vinegar)Pour some in the toilet, let sit, flush, add more and scrub before the water refills.
Sprinkle some in your trash can to deodorize
Sprinkle some in your diaper pail to deodorize
**Go light on the baking soda when scrubbing so you don't have residue left. If you use too much spray 100% vinegar on it, watch it fizz and wipe away.**
Laundry:
Detergent:
Get yourself some Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and Borax. You can make your own laundry detergent with these things! (You can find them in the laundry aisle)
There are tons of different recipes, check out this website and choose which one you want:
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
I made Recipe #4-Powdered Laundry Detergent and used Ivory soap instead of Fels Naptha.
Soaks:
For really nasty laundry and to condition hard water add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of Borax to your wash cycle. Only do this if it is really bad! You don't want to over use Borax!
Military: If your husband's ACU's are as nasty as Brian's try this:
Soak them with hot water and 1/2 cup Borax for at least 30 min. Then wash and double rinse.
**Brian's ACU's are horrible from being in the field all the time. We did this and it did help, didn't totally fix the problem but it did help. He has had the same ACUs for years, including during a deployment so I can't really hold it again Borax.
Softener:
Vinegar has another awesome use!
Use vinegar as a fabric softener, it whitens whites, brightens colors, softens and freshens your clothes!
Get yourself a downy ball and pour the vinegar into it and throw it in with your wash. Or if your machine has a place for fabric softener, pour some vinegar in there.
For sweat stains: Spray with 100% vinegar before washing.
Clean That Washer!:
Washers get nasty sometimes from all the buildup of detergent and other gunk. So clean it out!
Set your washer to heavy soiled. Fill with Hot water and add 3 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda. Let it run through the wash cycle but stop it after its spin and drain. Take a rag and wipe down the inside of the washer. Follow with a cold rinse.
Sprinkle some in your trash can to deodorize
Sprinkle some in your diaper pail to deodorize
**Go light on the baking soda when scrubbing so you don't have residue left. If you use too much spray 100% vinegar on it, watch it fizz and wipe away.**
Laundry:
Detergent:
Get yourself some Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and Borax. You can make your own laundry detergent with these things! (You can find them in the laundry aisle)
There are tons of different recipes, check out this website and choose which one you want:
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/
I made Recipe #4-Powdered Laundry Detergent and used Ivory soap instead of Fels Naptha.
Soaks:
For really nasty laundry and to condition hard water add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of Borax to your wash cycle. Only do this if it is really bad! You don't want to over use Borax!
Military: If your husband's ACU's are as nasty as Brian's try this:
Soak them with hot water and 1/2 cup Borax for at least 30 min. Then wash and double rinse.
**Brian's ACU's are horrible from being in the field all the time. We did this and it did help, didn't totally fix the problem but it did help. He has had the same ACUs for years, including during a deployment so I can't really hold it again Borax.
Softener:
Vinegar has another awesome use!
Use vinegar as a fabric softener, it whitens whites, brightens colors, softens and freshens your clothes!
Get yourself a downy ball and pour the vinegar into it and throw it in with your wash. Or if your machine has a place for fabric softener, pour some vinegar in there.
For sweat stains: Spray with 100% vinegar before washing.
Clean That Washer!:
Washers get nasty sometimes from all the buildup of detergent and other gunk. So clean it out!
Set your washer to heavy soiled. Fill with Hot water and add 3 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda. Let it run through the wash cycle but stop it after its spin and drain. Take a rag and wipe down the inside of the washer. Follow with a cold rinse.
