You will be surprised at all the things you can clean with vinegar around the home. It’s white vinegar that can help keep everything hygienic and clean – the key is to dilute it with water and any other natural extracts or essential oils to add a lovely scent.
Vinegar is made
from acetic acid, which makes
it a natural disinfectant for many germs including E Coli and salmonella. Not only can vinegar be great for kitchen surfaces and appliances, but it's great for cleaning the
bathroom. It’s a brilliant product to have in the cleaning arsenal and you can avoid using store-bought abrasive cleaners.
Did you know that when you use store-bought household cleaners, you are probably already cleaning
with vinegar, since acetic
acid, is an ingredient in some cleaning products? Vinegar is very effective and
is fantastic at breaking down grease, grime and dirt.
So, let’s get the sparkle
back in your home.
1. Clean Windows
with Vinegar
Sometimes your
windows can look really dirty
really quickly, especially without fantastic British weather, but all they need is a homemade vinegar and
water solution to get them sparkling in no time.
Mix equal parts of
white vinegar and hot water and add a splash of washing-up liquid to help remove any streaks. The
best time of day to clean your
windows is either early in the morning, or later in the evening when the sun isn’t shining
directly on them.
Grab yourself a sponge, wet the window with the DIY window cleaner solution and rub the dirt away, make sure you keep the solution from touching the window frames. Wet a squeegee and start in an upper corner, draw it down in a straight stroke. Return to the top and repeat, slightly overlapping the first stroke. Between each stroke, make sure that you wipe the rubber edge of the squeegee with a microfibre cloth. Finish off by pulling the squeegee across the bottom of the window then dry the sill with a sponge or cloth.'
You can even clean a front door fitted with glass panels the same way, or try using the 4 Steps to Spotless Windows.
2. Clean A Microwave with Vinegar
When you are cleaning do you forget to clean your
microwave? No problem with this super
quick and easy solution. Mix a combination of water and
vinegar in equal parts – this time in a large microwaveable bowl. Warm the bowl in the
microwave for about five minutes. The steam created will loosen any
food debris, which you can simply wipe away. It doesn’t get much any simpler than that, does
it? 😊
3. Clean Floors with Vinegar
Because floor cleaning products can be expensive and strong-smelling, you may want to clean tile floors with vinegar – though test this first if you are cleaning encaustic tiles or stone floors.
4. Clean A Cooker with Vinegar
Cookers can become extremely greasy and sticky, especially if you cook for the family only once or twice a day. Vinegar is ideal for this because its acidity quickly cuts through grease. Simply spray your vinegar and water mixture onto the hob, wait 10 minutes, and then wipe with a microfiber cloth dipped in soapy water.
5. Clean A
Kitchen Sink with
Vinegar
Your diluted vinegar and water solution is also suitable for the kitchen sink. Simply spritz it all over the washbasin and then rinse with soapy water.
6. Clean Kettles with Vinegar
Pour the water and vinegar solution directly into the kettle and bring it to a boil to remove the horrible limescale inside your tea kettle or coffee maker. Once the water has boiled, drain it and thoroughly rinse the kettle to remove the taste and odour. This solution can also be used to clean a dehumidifier.
7. Clean Pots and Pans with Vinegar
When it comes to removing burnt-on marks from pots and pans, vinegar is an option. Again, use a vinegar and water solution, adding enough to the pan to completely cover the stain.
Bring the solution in the pan to a boil and keep it there for about 5 minutes. Allow the liquid to cool in the pan before tipping it out and removing any remaining marks with a sponge suitable for the material of the pan.
Vinegar could also be used to clean rusted cast iron. To remove the rust, simply soak the item in a vinegar and water solution.
8. Clean Food Processors and Blenders
If you want to clean
a blender? Blitz your diluted vinegar and water solution in the food processor
or blender then wash as normal.
9. Clean Plastic Chopping Boards
This is one area
where you really need to be ultra-hygienic to prevent cross-contamination of
raw meats. Once you’re finished prepping the evening meal, disinfect it in your
water and vinegar solution then wash it in soapy hot water. Personally, I have a set of different
coloured chopping boards (red for raw meat, green for vegetables, white for
fish and blue for cooked meats).
10. Cleaning
Wine Glasses (or any other Glassware)
Do you ever suffer from cloudy glassware? This is often
caused by hard water, so to combat this, soak them in the sink with some
non-diluted white vinegar for a few minutes then wash them as normal. We live in an area with hard water, and since
learning this tip – it’s been a game changer.
11. Clean A
Dishwasher with Vinegar
A great cleaning
hack is to pour a cup of vinegar onto the base of the dishwasher inside the
main cavity then run an empty cycle without any dishes or detergent, to
free up any mineral deposits.
A caveat, though: don’t
clean the dishwasher too regularly
with vinegar, as it can damage some
rubbers used for parts of the dishwasher. If in doubt, check your manual.
12. Clean A
Refrigerator and Freezer
with Vinegar
Have a good sort-out by using up any food that’s near its use-by date and give the refrigerator
and freezer a thorough clean with your diluted water and vinegar solution.
This is a dual-purpose tip, not only does it help to save money on cleaning
products, but you can use all the food that needs to be used… Winner winner – cook
yourself a dinner… sorry 😊
13. Cleaning
a Showerhead
Vinegar can also be
used as a cleaning product in the bathroom too. Clean a showerhead by
pouring some white vinegar into a plastic bag and secure it around the
showerhead with an elastic band. Leave overnight and wake up to a sparkling
shower!
14. Cleaning A Bath
To clean a
bath with vinegar, simply mix it with warm water and begin
scrubbing the surface of your problem area. If the stain persists, mix vinegar
and baking soda and let sit for a few minutes before vigorously scrubbing.
15. Cleaning A Toilet with Vinegar
Yep, this is another one of those jobs that no one likes to do, but it does need
to be done on a regular basis. Instead
of donning the marigold gloves and scrubbing around the u-bend for hours on end,
simply pour a cup of undiluted vinegar
into the bowl and leave overnight. The next day, sprinkle with baking soda and
scrub. Finally, flush the toilet and you’re all done. Repeat regularly, and you need never worry
about having to do a deep clean on your hands and knees again.
What Should You
NEVER Clean with Vinegar?
You should never
clean natural stone, especially granite and marble, with vinegar. This means
being extremely cautious with kitchen countertops and stone floors. Be careful,
too, with wood, whether countertops or when cleaning hardwood floors –
undiluted vinegar can damage all these.