Monthly Archives: May 2012

Vinegar, what is it good for, just about everything!

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I do not like to clean. I do not like to use harmful and smelly chemicals in my home. I do not like to spend a lot of money on cleaning supplies. I do love a clean home though. After my son was born, these positions grew stronger. I needed to find non-toxic, easy and inexpensive ways to clean my home. I always used vinegar to clean glass but I started to explore it further. It was already in my kitchen, it’s used on food – thus non-toxic, and it was inexpensive. I started to use it in the bathroom, kitchen and then found it was an excellent cleanser for just about everything. Now I always have a spray bottle filled with a mixture of 1:1 white vinegar and water handy. I use it as some would use “Fantastic” or “409.”

Vinegar is an acid that neutralizes alkaline substances such as scale from hard water. It is also a disinfectant and antifungal.

 Here’s what I use the 1:1 white vinegar and water solution in a spray bottle for:

  • Cutting the grease, soap scum, hard water deposits and dirt all over the house
    • Cleaning windows
    • Countertops and stovetops
    • Disinfecting cutting boards
    • All purpose floor cleaner
    • Bathrooms – for disinfecting and removing/killing mold and mildew
  • Removing hard water mineral build-up
    • Remove your showerhead and soak it in 1:1 solution of vinegar and water over night – like a miracle when you reattach the showerhead, water will flow through all the holes once again
    • Soak a cloth in 1:1 solution and lay it on objects with mineral buildup, leave over night, it should scrub off easily the next day – if not, leave it on for another day and try again. Patience is always important if you don’t like to scrub.
    • Clean out your electric drip coffee maker – run a 1:1 solution through a cycle and then run straight water through again
  • Removing mold from leather – spray on, wipe off and then let it sit out in the sun. You may want to rub some olive oil into the leather afterward to condition the leather, so it won’t dry out.
  • Carpet cleaner and deodorizing pet smells. Once a dog pees on the carpet it tends to go back to the same place, vinegar will destroy the scent so they won’t return to the scene of the crime.
  • Removing wallpaper, borders and labels that stick on. Spray anything you want the glue to release, let stand for at least 10 minutes or more then pull off. If some residue remains, spray again and if you are patient, the glue will release with time and with very little effort. The vinegar breaks down the bond in the glue.

Uses for straight White Vinegar:

  • Use instead of a rinse aid for your electric dishwasher
  • Laundry – add a cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle and it will soften your clothes and prevent clinging.
  • WEED KILLER! I am very excited about this new use for an old friend. I went to a lecture at the Northeast Organic Farmers Association in Saratoga Springs this January. The presenter discussed using white vinegar as a weed killer around garlic plants.  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySB-9z2i6TI&list=PLF198EAF8431F7CFC&index=2&feature=plpp_video&noredirect=1]I loved the idea as I enjoy foraging our lawn for items to put into our salad, and using toxic chemicals is not an option to rid our lawn of uninvited plants. I usually enjoy watching and eating the weeds coming into our lawn but I simply cannot find affection for Bull Thistle. It hurts to walk on! This year we had a bumper crop. I tried digging up the young seedlings but with our early spring this year, they had gotten hold of our backyard and I was leaving craters everywhere. So, I decided to pour a ½ cup into the base of the rosette, hoping to saturate the root…and within one day, I could see that it killed the plant!!!! Unfortunately, there is a round bare area where it once was, I believe in time the grass will again reclaim its spot. Regardless, vinegar is doing its job and helping me eradicate bull thistle without adding poison to our lawn.

Please share what you use white vinegar for and I will continue to share my journey with it.

Simplifying, or just plain lazy…

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One of the primary focuses of my life has been to simplify. I have always tried to find the shortest distance between A & B. We are talking about dealing with tasks here; I approach traveling very differently. When I approach a new situation, I do a lot of research in hopes of understanding the parameters that I will encounter. It allows me to create different game plans to deal with new possibilities or paths along the way. I hate fixing or cleaning up something that could have been avoided. I love learning from OTHER people’s mistakes. For me, it is much easier. I know many people think a lesson learned by experience is the only way to truly learn. I strongly disagree.

Some may say research takes up a lot of time and energy, and yes, it does. Nevertheless, I would rather invest my energy before a project or task has begun than to fix or clean up problems that could have been avoided. Hey, this way before the first step is taken I can choose whether or not to take it at all. Life is all about investments – time, energy and financial. I believe it’s best to make an educated investment. Nowadays, the internet gives you access to numerous facts and other people’s experiences, so research is a bit easier albeit overwhelming at times.

When my son, Mathew was an infant, many of my choices were made in attempts to steer clear of obstacles down the road. Some may say a “fools folly,” but worth a try nonetheless and sometimes I was rather successful.
I read and observed other parents and found that often when an infant is given a bottle or Sippy cup, it tends to be challenging to get the child to transition to a cup. I preferred not to have the hassle or added step, so I never went there. I nursed Mathew, but around eight months, he started to transition to solids and liquids other than mother’s milk, so I gave him a cup. He needed help holding it at first, and then he simply held it on his own. Many folks may be asking themselves – “Hey what about spills – the mess, that’s a lot of extra work!?” Well, I only gave Mathew water to drink and he rarely spilled it (lucky me), I think I still spill more than he does. On those rare occasions when he did spill his water, it simply helped me clean up some other sticky messes.
An added bonus was that it appeared to help his balance. He seemed a bit more balanced and agile than the average child, balancing a cup early could have contributed to it or he was simply born that way – we will never know, but it sure was easy.

Bypassing bottles and Sippy cups worked best for our family and that’s what raising children is all about. Making choices that are best for your family and you are the only person qualified to answer that. This method saved us the expense of buying bottles and Sippy cups which are used for a limited time. We used small juice cups for Mathew that we purchased at garage sales and still use today and we will continue to use them until they get broken, most likely by me.

What do you do to simplify tasks in your life? Please share, as I will continue to share with you.