Green Cleaning Tips using Vinegar

Vinegar specifically white distilled vinegar is a natural cleaner because of its acetic acid content, not only it is an environment-friendly alternative but also very economical and does not contain harmful chemicals. It is an effective deodorizer, germs/molds/bacteria killer and best for home cleaning.

Among uses of Vinegar in our household cleaning are the following:

Kitchen Area

• Microwave Cleaning - mix 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Boil the mixture inside the microwave, this will loosen the stains or left-overs and remove odors inside your microwave. Wipe it for final cleaning.
• Refrigerator Cleaning - For shelves and walls of refrigerator, wipe with cloth using an equal part mixture of vinegar and water. 
• Tea Kettle Cleaning - get rid of lime deposits in your tea kettle by mixing water and vinegar inside your kettle and let it sit overnight. If this does not remove all the lime deposits, boil an undiluted vinegar in your tea kettle for a few minutes. Let this cool and rinse with plain water.
• Sink Faucet Cleaning - to remove mineral deposits on your chrome sink faucets you will need paper towel or cloth, plastic bag, old toothbrush. Soak the paper towel or cloth in distilled vinegar and wrap in the area with hardened mineral deposits. For faucet spigots, tie around it a bag filled with 1/3 to 1/2 vinegar then leave for two to three hours. Use old toothbrush to scrub off the loosened mineral deposits then rinse off with clean water.
• Deodorize Sink - pour with 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup hot vinegar down the drain, leave it for 5 minutes then rinse with hot water.
• Barbecue Grill Cleaning - just mix half vinegar and half water, then spray in the warm barbecue grill leave it for 10 minutes. Spray pure strength vinegar in a wadded-up aluminum foil, scrub the grills using the aluminum foil. Repeat as needed then rinse.
• Removing Lunchbox Odor - soak in vinegar a slice of bread, place this inside the lunchbox then leave overnight
• Garbage Bin Cleaning - use vinegar ice cube in cleaning your garbage disposal, just run the vinegar ice cube in the garbage bin and flush it with water for 10 minutes or more (For vinegar ice cube: mix 1 cup of vinegar and enough water , then fill in ice tray)
• Wood Cutting Board Cleaning - just wipe the wood cutting board with sponge soaked in vinegar
• Removing Odor after Cooking - remove the stinky odor after cooking fish,etc by letting a pot of water and vinegar simmer in the stove, just open the pot while it simmers.

Bathroom Area

• Toilet Bowl Cleaning - remove stubborn stains from your toilet bowl using vinegar, for more effective bowl cleaning deodorized it with 3cups of vinegar, leave for 30 minutes then flush.
• Shower Door Cleaning - remove soap residue in your shower door by  rubbing with sponge soaked in vinegar
• Showerhead Unclogging - remove hardened deposits in your showerhead by soaking a cloth in vinegar, wrap this tightly to the showerhead and leave for overnight.
• Bathtub Cleaning - remove bathtub film by wiping it with vinegar and baking soda
• Bathroom Tiles Cleaning - just spray full strength vinegar into the tiles and grout and leave it for 30 minutes for better cleaning effect. Then scrub the area using a brush, rinse with water.

Laundry Area

• Washing Machine Cleaning - just run an empty laundry (no clothes) cycle with one cup of vinegar added to remove soap residue from your washing machine, then run again with water to rinse.
• Stain Removing - rub vinegar in the stained area of your clothes then rinse, vinegar can remove stains from cola, wine, ketchup, coffee, chocolate and deodorant or anti-perspirant stain
• Lint Removing - remove lint from your clothes when washing by adding 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. 
• Keep Bright Colors from Running - before washing your colored clothes, immerse it first to a full strength vinegar for about 10 minutes
• Smoke Odor Removing from Clothes - get rid of the smokey-odor from your clothes by mixing 1 cup of vinegar with a tub of hot water then hang the clothes above the steam of the mixture
• Dyeing Fabric - just add a cup of vinegar to the last rinse of the fabric to set the color
• Taking Grease-Off Suede - just dip a toothbrush in vinegar then gently brush the grease spot
• Cleaning Scorched Iron Plate - heat equal parts of vinegar and salt in a pan, gently scrub the mixture to the cooled iron surface to remove burned stains

General House Area

• Removing odors - place a bowl of vinegar overnight in your room or other close part of your house
• Window Cleaning - mix half vinegar, half water in a bottle sprayer. Spray the mixture directly to the window glass, wipe clean with newspaper or cloth.
• Carpet Spills Cleaning - soak up first the liquid in the carpet using sponge or cloth, then spray mixture of half water, half vinegar in the area. Let it stay for about 2minutes, then blot out with white cloth or sponge.
• Sticker Remover - moisten with vinegar the portion to be removed. Let it sit for 10 minutes then remove and wipe clean.
• No-wax Floors Cleaning - wash floor by using mix of  1/2 cup of vinegar to a half-gallon of warm water

Reminders:

• Never use white distilled vinegar on marble, the acid in vinegar might damage the surface.
• Test mixtures to small areas especially for carpet to avoid discoloration or other effects

*Vinegar term used here refers to white distilled vinegar unless stated 

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