Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Tightwad tuesday: vinegar

Vinegar is one of the greatest multi-taskers ever. Not only can you make a savory, low-fat salad dressing with it, but it is also the frugal housekeeper's best friend. Besides being inexpensive and eco-friendly, vinegar has the added bonus of being a natural insect repellant (cleaning your floors with it will deter those pesky sugar ants so prevalent this time of year). Here are a few basic recipes for homemade cleaning solutions using vinegar:

All-purpose cleaner: combine 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/3 cup vinegar, 2 Tablespoons baking soda, 1 gallon water. Glass cleaner: combine 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 gallon warm water. Toilet bowl cleaner: vinegar will remove most lime deposits without polluting water.

Other inexpensive, easy-to-make cleaning solutions:

Furniture polish: combine 1 part lemon juice and 2 parts olive oil or vegetable oil. Rug and carpet deodorizer: sprinkle liberal amounts of baking soda over a dry carpet then wait 15 minutes before vacuuming.

4 comments:

aubreyannie said...

i love these recipes! i've tried using just plain vinegar and water to clean my glass table and it just doesn't cut it compared to my windex. i will have to try this combination!

Super Happy Girl said...

Me too!
I use vinegar a lot: On my windows and to clean around the kitchen.
#1 use: To get rid of cooking smells, especially bacon.
:)

I use a little bit of sun dishsoap + vinegar and water in a spray bottle. No more windex for me.

Super Happy Girl said...

Thanks for the recipes. I'll add them to mine.

Julie C said...

not to mention vinegar kills weeds (and grass, so be careful to use it only in spaces you don't want things growing at all)

and my mom showed me that carpet cleaner with hot water & vinegar & baking soda (amounts are unmeasured or I'd mention them) can clean even pink Crystal Lite out of an off-white carpet.