Here is a good tip for those that don’t already know about it. Instead of breaking the bank buying dozens of various cleaning supplies just get a gallon of white vinegar and a spray bottle.

Well may not have been my typical start to a weekend, but I had to do some heavy and I do mean HEAVY cleaning today. With everything that has been going on past few months I have stayed fairly busy and cleaning had been cut way back. Last night after dinner was so tired didn’t even rinse dishes. We made a Taco and Nacho bar last night. Shredded American and Cheddar, refried beans, sliced black olives, Jalapeños, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, taco shells and corn chips. So I had a lot of dirty dishes. Add that the dishwasher was half full to begin with knew I was in for a job.

Before turning the dishwasher on I remembered a few things needed to be done. So I made fresh batches of Gatorade, Lemonade and tea. Luckily I also remembered the extra cheese I shredded. Last few times we have had tacos I shredded too much cheese, still not used to cooking for just 2. Last night I made extra on purpose because we had pimentos on hand and dad and I love pimento spread sandwiches or even just on crackers. Once I got that all done I rewashed the processor and loaded the dishwasher.

Once I got dishes washed and loaded in dishwasher I decided to tackle cleaning the kitchen from top to bottom. I started off around the sink. We just got a new storage rack last month and have slowly been organizing the kitchen. Did a little more moving stuff to it as well as tossing out some stuff. Actually can find stuff again with counter space clear enough to actually use. Once I got things cleared off started scrubbing on the counter.

We have an old laminate counter top. Not sure how old it is, but our house is almost 50 years old and we have lived here over 36 and it has never been replaced. Add in that both my parents smoked heavily for 30 of those years and all the grease that flies around in a kitchen they were discolored pretty bad. Scrubbing with soap and water was getting the counter clean, but was still yellowed with age. I had one area soap and water was not doing the job. I grabbed my bottle of vinegar instead of one of the more toxic cleaners to see if it would do the job. I was shocked at how easily it was coming clean. Not just clean it was literally changing colors before my eyes from a dingy yellow back to  white.

Once it was done I tackled the rough area. The counter next to the stove where we also use one of those counter top skillets was filthy. Grease seems to find it’s way everywhere on it. I had to use a little elbow grease, about a half quart of vinegar and scrub pad. When I was almost done I showed dad and even he was shocked at how clean it was coming. Literally cleaner than he could remember.

Don’t get me wrong, mom always kept a clean house. Even when she was working two jobs after dad got sick back in the early to mid 90s and we took over most of the cleaning. On her off day when she got one she usually spent it scrubbing the house top to bottom. Even after she got sick she supervised us making sure things got cleaned way she liked it. Not sure if she didn’t know what a great cleaner Vinegar truly is or just forgot and had got convinced by all the sales pitches from the millions of cleaning supplies flooding the stores.

Thanks to the web I have found dozens of the uses for Vinegar. There is even a book about the millions of uses for it.  First one I learned back in science class years ago, cleaning tarnished metals. Add a little baking soda and it will literally eat away the tarnish. Of course be careful what you use that one on because it can also damage the metals. Lot of folks use on coins and silverware, but it can actually damage them and lower their value as the aging on them does less to lower their value than a destructive cleaning.

Second use, I found out that it works great for Sunburn relief. It pulls the fire out and along with aloe Vera really helps a mild to moderately severe burn. Use a spray bottle to mist the burned area or dab with paper towel soaked in it. Definitely use the paper towel technique on your face because spraying it into your eyes will cause lot more pain than the sunburn. I leaned this one after a pretty severe sunburn a few years back and posted about it in more detail at “Love summer but hate sunburns”

Since I already talked about how well it works at cutting grease, cleaning dirt, grime, tobacco stains and pretty much anything else will find on counters or floors so no need of talking about it. So on to next to last thing I have found it is good for. While vinegar does not have the most pleasant smell unlike a lot of deodorizers it doesn’t mask smells it actually gets rid of them. Whether it is smoke, spoiled food or other musky smells I have found it really works. After the tornadoes that knocked the power out in most of the Huntsville area had quite a bit of food spoiled despite best efforts. I had to do a heavy clean on fridge and freezer, but nothing could get rid of that smell from them being without power for 5 days luckily temps were cooler than had been or would have been worse. I knew it worked on cigarette smoke similar to commercial air cleaners. Washed the shelves and drawers and sprayed them and the walls and wiped down. Few hours was good as new.

After how well it cleaned the counters I tried it on few other things. It did  a good job on the shower walls and a decent job on the tub. Not sure if it was because the smell did not get to me as bad as other spray cleaners or just it, but definitely was able to get it cleaner than normal. Still did not get it spotless, but I was so exhausted need to tackle it again later this weekend or early next week. I also checked to see how well it worked on glass and plastic glass. Oven door as well as eye glasses it did a real good job.

As good a cleaner as it is few best reasons to use it are not only does it cost less than most cleaners it replaces several. Instead of a cabinet full of cleaners that cost over $100 total only need a gallon bottle that can get for a dollar or two. Another selling factor is it is not toxic. So you can use it pretty much anywhere and everywhere. While it does not have a very pleasant smell it smells a lot better than most cleaners and many air fresheners. More so don’t have to worry about it messing up your lungs. I have lung problems and I am able to clean for hours using it while most others I have to take breaks every 5 minutes with windows open and fan going.