In recent desperation to clean out my dishwasher, and not wanting to do the whole "hands and knees scrub," I turned to vinegar. I'd read about using vinegar to clean but never tried it. Well, I'm a convert now! Using vinegar to clean is more economical (a jug of vinegar is a few bucks -- much less than a bottle of pretty much any cleaning product). It's healthier than all those chemicals (especially with kids and dogs around!) and, it's much less smelly, in my opinion (it seems to go away quickly, at any rate).Anyhow, I've been reading things online, but some mixed results - some people say "do this" while others say "that won't work." So I'm posting, here, the ones which I have tried and found to be successful. I'll keep adding as I find more. Feel free to comment with things you've done -- but only if you have tried it successfully, please!
1. The dishwasher: I simply filled the detergent slot with distilled white vinegar and ran it on a hot water cycle. The dishwasher was cleaner than it had been when we moved in. Very minimal vinegar smell, too!
2. The microwave: mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water in microwavable bowl. Turn on microwave and let heat until mixture boils for a while (I let it go for 5 minutes). Then remove the bowl (hot pads!) and use a paper towel or a rag to just wipe down the inside of the microwave. Easy Peasy.
3. Deodorize dog beds between washing: I have mixed a solution of 1 part water, 1 part white vinegar and keep it in a spray bottle. Then, whenever the dog beds get a little stinky, I mist them and that generally keeps for a few days. (This can also work with other stinky fabrics...but do a spot test first!)
4. Removing tomato stains from plastic: while this didn't remove ALL traces, it certainly removed a lot, so I'm sharing. Put a little dish detergent in the dish and spread it around well (I just used my hands), then use an ice cube and rub it around the entire dish, like you are cleaning the dish with the ice cube. Lastly, put white vinegar on a rag/paper towel and wipe around the dish. Rinse well.
5. Scrubbing the bathroom: I mixed 1 part white vinegar with equal part baking soda (remember high school science - this will foam! get a big bowl!), then dropped in a few drops of dish detergent. Scrubbed the grout in the tile, the mildew off the shower curtain, soap scum in the tub, the toilet (inside and out; I let the mixture sit in the toilet for a while and soak, too) and the countertops. You might need to wipe down areas with a wet cloth, after to 'rinse' them. (Bonus: usually after a good bathroom scrubbing, my husband comes home and wrinkles up his nose to the smell...NOT this time! Yay!)
More coming....what have YOU tried?
