Kitchen
- Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and distilled water. This basic mixture will clean and sanitize surfaces and destroy food odors. Temper the vinegar smell by adding a splash of lemon juice. Its important to mix with pure water instead of regular tap, says Danny Seo, environmental expert and author of the Simply Green series. Using tap water is fine for immediate use but over time it can turn your homemade concoction into a horribly smelly mess.
- Use pure vinegar to sanitize wooden cutting boards. Try pouring kosher salt on the boards surface as well to serve as an abrasive that will rub off stains and prevent discoloration, says Seo.
- When coils behind your fridge are covered with a layer of dust, heat cant be expelled, and the appliance must work harder. Clean coils with an even mixture of water and vinegar, which helps cut static. Apply solution to a clean sock placed over the end of a ruler and secured with an elastic band, then use it to reach behind the fridge.
Bathroom
- Banish your bleaching worries and sanitize your toilet regularly using a 50/50 solution of vinegar and distilled water. (Seo also suggests using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to throw down your bathroom drains as a preventative measure to keep them clog-free.)
- Add a cup of undiluted white vinegar to your toilet once a month and let it sit overnight to eliminate past and future rings.
- Apply white vinegar to mildewed areas on bathroom or kitchen surfaces, let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then wipe clean with a paper towel soaked in warm water (for stubborn stains, scrub with a brush).
- To clean a grimy plastic shower curtain, place the curtain in the washing machine with 1/2 cup of white vinegar, plus regular amount of detergent. Wash on the gentle cycle, then let curtain drip-dry.
Windows
- Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels, which cause streaking.
Laundry Room
- Take advantage of vinegars ability to extract soap residue, one of the biggest dirt-attracting culprits in your home. Mix with water for a final rinse when cleaning carpeting or add along with fabric softener when laundering your cleaning cloths.
- Run a few cups of white vinegar by itself through your washing machine twice a year. It will help break down soap residue.
- To get rid of a berry stain on clothing, first remove the berry residue and flush area with cool water. Using an eyedropper, apply a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Follow with a regular wash.
And for your health...
Athlet's foot cure: Add half a cup of white vinegar -- rich in antimicrobial and antifungal ingredients -- to a gallon of water, and soak your tootsies for five minutes a day until the infection clears (generally in about a week), advises Megan Moore, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. And don't forget to sprinkle an antifungal powder in your shoes -- or you'll be slipping your feet right back into a fungus-friendly breeding ground!
Thanks to TheDailyGreen.com for contributing to the information here