The Wonders of Vinegar

I used to be a bleach girl. I swore by bleach for everything from scrubbing grubby bathrooms to whitening my whites and getting grime off the kitchen sink. There's no denying that bleach is effective stuff, but as an irritant to our skin, eyes and respiratory system I knew that I didn't want it around the house with young children. Not to mention that bleach is terrible for the environment. So, in an effort to green our lives a little bit more, we used the last of the chemical cleaners about a year ago and switched to natural solutions.

Vinegar: not just for fish & chips!

My favourite of these is good old white vinegar. An all-natural disinfectant, vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold and 80% of viruses, making it a perfect choice for cleaning all over the house. In fact, I use vinegar to clean the toilet, tub, tiles and faucets in the bathroom, wipe out the fridge, stove, microwave and sink in the kitchen. It works wonders on stainless steel appliances, glass and my ceramic tiles have never looked better!

Here are a few other uses for vinegar around the house:

• Unclog a drain with 1 cup baking soda and 1 cup hot vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and then rinse with hot water. 
• Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards by wiping with full-strength vinegar.
• Wash floors with a solution of 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon warm water.
• Get soap build-up out of the dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar through a whole cycle.
• Eliminate airborne smells by placing a bowl of vinegar in a central location or heating some in a pot on the stove.
• Remove stains from clothing by soaking the stain in vinegar before washing.
• Get rid of lint by adding a half cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine.