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Vinegar, otherwise known as acetic acid is a powerful cleaner that often goes unnoticed.
This is because when we think of vinegar, we think of a food condiment, not spraying it to clean our living spaces! But for similar reasons that it can be good for our health, it's also good for our home. It's safe to use, even for kids helping you clean, and it leaves no residue behind. Amazing right!
Acetic acid is a cleaning agent because it is able to break down proteins and bacteria, destroying their cell structure and breaking down the nasties within. This way they can't replicate the same, ultimately sanitizing the area. Now, I'm not saying it cleans ALL bacteria, but most which in most cases is good enough to keep us happy and healthy in between deep cleans.
Here are 4 ways to use vinegar to clean at home:
Hard water stains can be tough. If it's the end of your tap thats building up residue, take a plastic zip lock bag, fill it with vinegar and attach it to the end of your tap so the tip is submerged. Leave it there for an hour and when you come back, those bits will chip off without any issue.
Do you have stainless steal appliances but no cleaner? Try vinegar! Just spray a bit on the streaky surface and with a microfibre cloth wipe it clean. Moving in the direction of the grain is always best to get perfect results.
Fabric softener is not something you should be adding to every load. A cleaner and more efficient softener is vinegar! Add it into your machine and see the results. My favourite results are with the bathroom towels! They feel so fresh and clean.
Stinky drain refresher. Mixing a little vinegar and baking soda can de-odourize your drains in 2 simple steps. First, you add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of baking soda into the drain. pack it in if it doesn't go down. Then slowly pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down with it and watch the fizzle happen. If you scrub with a detailing brush you can get all the nooks of the drain cleaned as well. This should help reduce odour (and gnats that come out of the drain if thats happening!)
Things to know before you make your vinegar cleaner!
Mixing Castile soap and vinegar will not work. Using them separately they are effective, but not in one bottle together. It will curdle and be ineffective.
Do not mix vinegar with ammonia or bleach based products. It creates a hazardous gas that can be deemed harmful to your health.
Please read the labels of everything before moving forward.
If you hate the smell of vinegar you can infuse items like fresh lemon and rosemary to give it a more desirable aroma.
do NOT use vinegar on stone countertops as it can cause it to crack or be damaged.
Happy Cleaning :)