When you think "domestic, cleaning goddess" you may think of many names, but my name is not one of them, nor do I think it ever will be. I love to cook and I do clean, but I wouldn't say I'm "good" at it (although I really don't know how one is "good" at cleaning. Clean is clean, right?). So, it probably won't surprise you to know that I had NO IDEA how many uses vinegar had to it. I knew it was used in cooking, although I was never really sure for what specifically, and I did know you could clean with it, but seriously people, you can clean everything with this stuff! I use it on counters, bathtubs, appliances, floors, my face(!!) and my new favorite.... laundry!
I actually got the idea from my hedgehog forum to use it in my laundry. People were trying to figure out how to get the urine and poop smell out of their hedgies fleece bedding and a lot of breeders suggested using vinegar. Since I already use vinegar to clean her cage and wheel I figured, why not give it a try on her bedding too! So, today I shook out her fleece blankets, put them in the washer, added my Homemade Laundry Detergent, and added some vinegar. No, I didn't measure it. I just splashed some in there and hoped I wouldn't ruin anything in the process (not a domestic goddess, remember?). I would estimate that I used somewhere between half a cup and a full cup, maybe a little more. When I got her blankets out of the dryer they smelled SO CLEAN! They didn't even smell like vinegar! I was AMAZED! I am now waiting for some towels to finish drying so I can smell them (well, that's a sentence you don't hear very often).
I also use regular distilled vinegar to clean counters, appliances, bathrooms, floors etc. I have never used it on mirrors or glass and haven't researched that either, so if you have used it for that let me know how it worked! I got a Rubbermaid spray bottle from Target, but it was expensive so I suggest going to the Dollar Store or something and I mix 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts water. I started out with a 1:1 ratio but the vinegar smell was SO intense that I could barely stand to clean with it so I watered it down a little more. I used the 1:1 ratio on our stainless steel refrigerator. The water dispenser had created gross white streaks down the front of the fridge, along with having crusted in the little drip pan thingy (technical lingo, I know, try to keep up). I had tried EVERYTHING to get it off but nothing even dented it, until I used the vinegar. I had to scrub a little bit but it DID work!
Another crazy use for vinegar is using it on your face! I've read to use apple cider vinegar after you wash your face to balance out the pH. Wearing make up and washing your face can either lower the acidity or increase the acidity (making it oily or dry) and the ACV helps balance everything out. I use 1 teaspoon of ACV and 3 teaspoons of water after I scrub my face with baking soda and water (great for removing black heads by the way). If you use straight ACV, without watering it down, it burns like the dickins and will probably make your face all red, so make sure you water it down. I've also read that ACV helps even out your complexion over time and reduce dark spots!
Here's a picture of my sweet little Prim that I took today. We were waiting for her bedding to finish drying!
Well that's it for this Southern Soapbox! What do y'all clean with your vinegar? Comment below!
