Use white vinegar for cleaning
An environmentally friendly household product that can be used for a variety of cleaning, disinfecting and stain removing jobs is white vinegar. It doesn’t give off potentially harmful fumes as do some solvents nor is it caustic like other acids. It won’t weaken fibers and is much gentler on dyes in fabrics, unlike chorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
Put white vinegar to work:
- To remove mineral deposits from teakettles, humidifiers, toilet bowls, flower vases, or other receptacles subject to long exposure to water, soak affected areas until the deposits can be easily scrubbed away then rinse thoroughly.
- To counteract the smell of frying fish or cooking cabbage leave a small bowl of vinegar out on the countertop as you are preparing the meal.
- To salvage a pan after a cooking mishap soak it in a 50-50 solution of water and vinegar to loosen the burned stuff.
- To remove rust from utensils and tools soak in vinegar for several hours, depending on the extent of the corrosion, then rinse and buff lightly with 00 grade steel wool.
- To restore brass hardware boil pieces in vinegar or soak for several hours as in the case for rust removal.
- To disinfect kitchen cupboards scrub down with vinegar. Some suggest that the vinegar will also repel cockroaches.
Source: Alice Dahlgren's AtHome Newsletter
