I had a traveling salesman swing by this week trying to sell me some organic cleaner. Usually I don't even entertain them with my presence (I know how haughty of me!), but he caught me outside, and I wasn't feeling good, so the distraction was nice.
Maybe you've met the guy 'a brother from another mother' who licks the solution from the spray bottle to prove that it's harmless? Wished I had someone to snap a pic of his face when he showed me a list of 'common' household cleaners and I replied that I only used vinegar and baking soda to clean with. Amusing expression, followed with 'keep the vinegar for the salad sista'.
At the end of his spiel I told him that I'd just keep on cleaning with my salad dressing. But it got me to thinking about some of the wonderful ways that I use plain ol' vinegar around my house. I used to think that a friend was crazy when she said that the smell of vinegar is the smell of clean for her. I get that now because I'm there! So here are some eco/kid/budget friendly ways that I use vinegar:
- toilets--put some baking soda and then add vinegar, while it's doing the crazy volcano in the pee-pot thing, scrub with brush then flush. Leaves it sparkling clean!
- windows/mirrors--a bit trickier, I've done 1/2 water 1/2 vinegar and let the kids at it. Didn't work as well as windex, but with kids does it really matter in five minutes?
- drains--dump baking soda down the drain until there is a nice pile then pour the vinegar on top, keep adding vinegar as necessary until all the soda has been dissolved
- pet odor removal--I have a naughty pup who likes to poo in the house. I spray vinegar on the spot she left her deposit.
- flea carpet spray--when the dog brought fleas home last fall, I had to spray the carpets, and with babies who crawl around all day I wanted to make sure it was something safe for them. I was totally thrilled to read that equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle with some peppermint essential oil would do the job. And it did!
- carpet cleaner--tried this today. Again equal parts of water and vinegar, took out old mud stains and pet piddle in the front entry carpet.
I'm sure that I've barely even scratched the surface of what I can do with vinegar, and look forward to learning more. What do you use vinegar for?
I love vinegar and baking soda as cleaners and heartily applaud your approach to using these instead of industrial cleaners.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I did find out the hard way is that baking soda PLUS vinegar creates quite a powerful alkalizing agent called sodium acetate - in other words, a potentially toxic-level base, which is why it is so powerful in cleaning up the acids that make up a lot of stains. This stuff will eat/burn human skin pretty effectively, too, and you don't want to be breathing the odors in.
All this to say, great cleaners and I use them - and be aware that it isn't going to be any nicer to human tissues (lungs or hands!) than it is to stains.
It isn't the baking soda or the vinegar by themselves; it's the combination of the two. That reaction you talked about in the toilet - that's sodium acetate being created. Yes, it makes short work of a dirty bowl...kind of like an atomic bomb going off. :) Just so long as you know what you're dealing with...!
Isaiah calls me "Mommy the Chemist" after a number of experiments gone wrong... :)
Like your posts, Alicia!
Cathy in Missouri