Keeping It Clean: (Almost) The Only Cleaner You Really Need

Things have been pretty busy at Casa de Sugar Crumbs.  We've kicked household projects into high gear (did I say that right?) since Belly Baby is halfway done with it's cook time... (Already???)  But I didn't want to leave you hanging... Especially since DIY cleaners have been missing for 2ish weeks.

Bad Erin.

So because this is a late post, I'm going to share with you the secret of home made cleaners. The truth.  The only real cleaner you really need.

Vinegar.

I know. You already know that.  Vinegar is a critical ingredient in DIY cleaners.  But did you know that all you really need is vinegar and water to take care of, ooooh, about a million different things?

It's true.  I like to keep it in two bottles. One for straight vinegar, one half vinegar and half water.

So let's see how many things I can list off here.  We'll start with the kitchen.

Kitchen

• Spray areas where ants make their appearance. It will repel them!
• Pour some straight vinegar in your garbage disposal to neutralize odors.
• Spray the vinegar/water mixture on counters to clean them.
• Same for the stove top. (Adding baking soda first helps tough spots!)
• Spray straight vinegar on and around faucets to remove hard water marks.
• Run a cup through the dishwasher to keep your dishwasher clean.
• Run a water/vinegar mix through your coffee maker to clean it. Just make sure to run straight water through after! 
• Clean stainless steel by spraying it with vinegar and wiping it with a soft rag.
• Combine 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of vinegar and microwave it. It'll loosen all baked on food IN the microwave. (Some say it falls off!)
• 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water makes an amazing floor cleaner.

Bathroom

• Again, the 50/50 mixture is an excellent surface cleaner.  Use it to clean counters, the tub, floors and sink.  
• Spray it in the shower to remove and prevent mildew. 
• Straight vinegar is PERFECT for removing stains in the toilet bowl.  (Even the hard water ring around the top!)
• Soak your shower head overnight in vinegar to remove any build up. (Just put the vinegar in a sandwich bag and rubber band it to the shower head instead of removing the shower head.)
• Spray the mirror with vinegar and use a cloth (or even better, a crinkled newspaper) for a spot free and streak free surface.
• And again... hard water stains are a thing of the past with vinegar. Spray it on, wipe it off.

Laundry

• Add 1/2 a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to decrease lint on clothing.
• 1 cup added to the rinse cycle will brighten dingy clothes.
• Vinegar is an EXCELLENT stain remover.  Rub the spot with straight vinegar, then wash as usual.
• Adding about a cup to the rinse cycle works to soften clothes as well as a store bought softener.  Don't worry, the vinegar smell doesn't stick around on your clothes.
• Clean your washing machine by running an empty machine with a cup of vinegar added.
• Vinegar and salt will remove scorch stains on an iron. 
• Vinegar on perspiration stains will remove them. Seriously.  
• Oh! And it'll remove the smell of cigarette smoke on your clothes. Nothing worse than that smell clinging to your laundry!

Have I overwhelmed you?  Here are a few more...

• Use straight vinegar to remove sticky residue from labels and stickers. On pretty much any surface.
• A bowl of vinegar will neutralize smells in a room.
• Vinegar is an excellent glass cleaner.
• Soaking paint brushes in hot vinegar will leave your bristles clean and soft.
• And if you're ever bored... Soaking a chicken leg in vinegar for a day or so will turn it into rubber.  And who doesn't want to do that?

Whew! That's a lot, And I guarantee you there are more...  So tell me... What did I miss?