apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You learn something everyday...........on Apartment Therapy.

Thanks.

I use a bottle filled with 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water and quite a few drops (30-40) of pure peppermint oil. When the vinegar smell dissipates, it smells like peppermint!

I use this spray to:

- Wipe off mirrors and marble countertops
- Mist over litter box and toilet as "air freshener"
- Wash wood floors (stick a microfiber mop on the end of your Swiffer wand, spray Vinegar mixture on floor, wipe off with Swiffer mop. It works great on older, unsealed wood floors.)
- Clean the outside of dusty vases
- Cleans up reside from hairballs - ah, the joy of pets
- Cleans off chrome (so does club soda)

Another recommended home cleaner is 1 pint of water, 2 tbsp of Dr Bronner peppermint soap, and 30-40 drops of tea tree oil for disinfectant and scent. I use this a LOT in my bathroom, on the toilet and in the sink.

I used the vinegar/water solution to clean my windows and mirrors. Works better, IMO, than anything on the market, which tend to leave streaks. I'm going to get some scented oil and do what Cynthia does. As a pet owner myself, leaving a nice scent behind after cleaning sounds perfect.

I use vinegar in my dishwasher, to clean the inside of it. I just dump a bunch in the bottom before running a load. I also wash it down the drain when there is a funky smell (no garbage disposal)

I use a cup of vinegar in the washing machine as a soak to remove perspiration.

I put vinegar in my dishwasher too...but in the jet dry compartment. It leaves your dishes squeaky clean and non-spotty.

Yeah, it's great and so inexpensive. I add a little tea tree oil and/or lemon juice in my spray bottle. It works great for vinyl floors too. My boyfriend complains the house smells like a salad after we clean, but I'd rather it smell like a salad than bleach!

It also fixes color in clothes. My mom always washed new clothes with half a cup of white vinegar to prevent bleeding or fading, and it works great!

Use one cup to a load of stinky boyfriend (or husband) socks, underwear and t-shirts. It completely removes the odor and will get rid of any soap residue.

Also, it will clean that little tray under your water & ice dispenser. I put about 2 Tablespoons in the tray and let it sit for about 15 minutes. At that point I use an absorbant cloth to get rid of the excess vinegar and leave the rest.

If you fill your fabric softener cup in the washer with vinegar, not only will your clothes be sanitized, but there will be no need to use one of those horrid scented fabric sheets in the dryer.

Pour half a bottle over your hair in the shower to do double duty - deoderize and clean the shower, and remove build-up from hair! Seriously, if your tresses are drab, dump some on, I have never found any product that makes my hair so soft and shiny.

I do have a garbage disposal, and when IT gets stinky, I pour some baking soda down it, and follow with white vinegar. (Remember the volcano activity from elementary school?) I just think the baking soda makes the vinegar stick around a little longer and really clean it up in there. Of course, baking soda gets rid of odors in its own right, so that may be part of the reason it works so well too. Sometimes I follow up by sending a lemon or orange rind through the garbage disposal just to make it smell even better.

I HAVE A QUESTION. WHAT ABOUT USING WHITE VINEGAR TO CLEAN PRODUCE? HOW WOULD IT BE USED, ETC.? AN ANSWER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

THANK YOU,

MARIE SUMMERS

could i use white vinegar to clean my white coffee pot??

marie - i'm guessing you could make a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 or 4 parts water and rinse your produce in that after scrubbing the dirt off. all told, though, i'm not sure how much "cleaner" they will be after a vinegar rinse than they would with just a good scrub in water. i mean, it's just dirt, after all. and if you're going to cook them, they'll get plenty sanitized by the heat. for a salad, a rinse and a trip through the spinner should be plenty, and the same goes for raw fruit that isn't to be peeled -- rinsing and drying with a kitchen towel should be fine. i have to say i don't really get the current vogue for WASHING one's veggies with a cleaning substance.

maybe if i lived in a place where the water table was contaminated and local produce was considered unsafe for raw consumption, though i'm not even sure that would do the trick.

also, for Norma -- in my experience, yes. i've used a very strong vinegar and salt paste to scrub the tea stains out of my white teapot, so i'm guessing the same would be fine for your white coffeepot. if it's plastic or some material that might be scratched with salt, you could use baking soda instead for more of a 'foaming cleanser' action. to clean the inside of a coffee maker, just run vinegar through the machine instead of water (and no coffee, of course).

Personal hygene with distilled white vinegar.

I've read 9% vinegar wll kill mold but, have not been able to find anything except 5%. Any ideas??