Cleaning with vinegar

It's inexpensive and environmentally friendly

Cleaning with vinegar isn't new - your grandmother probably did it! But in recent years we've been conditioned to buy all kinds of super-dooper cleaning products that we don't really need and that aren't always the best alternatives.

Here are some examples of how you can use vinegar in your environmentally friendly home:

Window cleaner 1/2 cup of white vinegar with 1 quart of water. Combine in a spray bottle. Spray on glass or mirrors then dry with newspaper for a sparkling clean.

Diamond ring cleaner Soak your ring in 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Brush gently with a clean old toothbrush. Then rinse the ring first in soapy water, then in vinegar and water, and finally with just plain water for a brilliant ring. (Note: do not soak a pearl ring in a vinegar solution. I can tell you from experience that the vinegar will eat the pearl.)

Fabric softener Add 1/2 cup vinegar to the final rinse of the wash cycle in the washing machine.

Patent leather Moistena soft cloth with vinegar to clean patent leather. It will leave the patent leather clean and shiny.

Clogged drains Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar. Cover the drain for about 1 minute, then run the tap to clear the drain.

Cooking odors For onion and fish odors, wipe your cooking utensils, cutting boards, and hands with vinegar, then rinse with soapy water. For cooking odors, boil some vinegar in an open pan - add a dozen cloves to the vinegar and you'll have a delightful aroma in your home.

In addition to cleaning with vinegar, here are some other uses

Sour milk If your recipe calls for sour milk or buttermilk, you can simply add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to one cup of fresh milk - and voila!

Marinade As an alternative to using wine for a marinade, instead combine 1/2 cup vinegar with 1 cup broth. Add herbs and spices to taste.

Insect bites and other irritants Use vinegar to soothe insect bites, sunburn, bruises, and hives.

Cut flowers Mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of sugar and add to a quart of water to help your cut flowers last longer.

I adapted these ideas from an article I found in a 1982 issue of Chatelaine magazine.

Do you have ideas for using vinegar around the house? If so, send them in so we can share them!