My house has been feeling a little neglected lately on the cleaning aspect.  I have been so busy with my two jobs and running my kids around all over, that I just haven’t had time to do any major cleaning.  I know my house really needs a deep cleaning, especially in the kids’ bathroom (where some accidents may or may not have been just wiped up with a towel to save time).  In addition to the kids’ bathroom; our newly installed windows are completely streaky, the glass on our doors have hand-prints all over, and grease is starting to build up on our stove because not everyone cleans it right away after cooking like I do.  Not to mention the bathtub…this is the worst.

It really is time to get down to business and get everything cleaned up!  I don’t like to use a different cleaner for every job because that is just going to take way too much time, plus I like to use cleaners that are natural.  This means I have to spend a little more money to get some great all natural cleaners that will do the job; or I can come up with an easier way on my own.

Cleaning Floors with Steam

For my floors it is easy.  We just use a steam mop and there are absolutely no chemicals involved in cleaning there!  For the other projects, it may be a bit more challenging but I think I’ve found a great solution using some every day products!  I’ve often heard from family members and friends that vinegar is an awesome cleaner.  I talked to my mom and found out some great ways to use vinegar as an all natural cleaner that are useful for just about anything!

Great uses for vinegar as an all natural cleaner

Here is a list of cleaning recipes using vinegar that my mom has collected over the years (note—I have not tried many of these myself).  I did ask about the vinegar smell and she says after a few minutes it dissipates and you don’t smell it anymore:

  • To get rid of grease marks on glass, wipe with water with a little vinegar added and rinse well.
  • To dispel strong odors such as smoke,  leave an open dish of vinegar in the room.
  • White vinegar removes: mustard, wax and jelly stains. Vinegar is safe for most fibers, but should be tested to be sure the dye is colorfast.
  • To restore color changed by ammonia, rinse the discolored area thoroughly with water, apply a few drops of white vinegar and rinse again with water. For wool and silk, dilute the vinegar with an equal amount of water and test first in a concealed place to be sure the dye is color fast.
  • Clean stains from non-stick pans by boiling a mixture of water, four tablespoons vinegar and one tablespoon baking soda for about 10 minutes.
  • To remove lime deposits from cookware, bring a solutions of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water to a boil and let it stand in the pan overnight.
  • Use Vinegar in the bath to kill fungi that cause athlete’s foot and other skin diseases.
  • Vinegar stops the action of bleach! To reduce the damage of a spill, dab on vinegar with a cloth or sponge as quickly as possible.
  • Grass stains may be removed with a mixture of one part vinegar to two parts water, dab on and pat dry.

Putting vinegar to the test!

The first thing I needed to do to put some of these vinegar ideas to the test was to get some more vinegar (I didn’t have any on hand so we had to make a quick run to Walmart).

I found this Heinz Cleaning Vinegar.  Seems perfect for what I am going to be using it for.  Looks like it is the last one, I guess I got here just in time!

If you take a look at the label, you can see this has 6% vinegar; regular vinegar has 5%.  It is a little stronger to so it can clean a little better for you.

Once we got home I decided I was going to try the vinegar on my doors.  I actually put some in a spray bottle, sprayed it on the glass, and then wiped it off.  It took care of all of those little greasy hand prints!

Next I figured I would try it out on the stove top.  I first sprinkled some baking soda on where the stains were, then sprayed vinegar on top and let it get all bubbly.  I let it sit for a few minutes and then scrubbed it off.  It took a little elbow grease but everything came up!

After the stove top I faced a bigger challenge…..the bath tub!  The ring around the tub has been getting a little out of control.  For this one I again sprinkled some baking soda down and sprayed with vinegar, then I worked it into a paste so it would stick to the sides.  I left it sit for a while and then scrubbed it off.  This took quite a bit of scrubbing but the results are pretty awesome!  I’ll be happy to have my kids take a bath in here again! 

Here are some close-up images of that ring and the results after:

Now that my house is a little cleaner maybe I can relax for a bit……but I’m sure that is only a dream!

If you want to see more before and after photos, or see my full shopping experience, be sure to check out my Google + album!

Don’t forget to RSVP for the Going Green with Heinz Cleaning Vinegar twitter party!  There are prizes to be won so RSVP today by clicking the button below!

 

Want some more great ideas on how to use vinegar as a household cleaner?  I asked my Facebook fans and this is what they had to say:

  • Use it to clean out coffee pots. (I would make sure to run a few cycles of water through before making any more coffee!)
  • 1/4 cup in a load of laundry gets the smell out if your child wets the bed or if a pet goes potty on your laundry.
  • It’s good to clear a clogged drain (I am going to have to try this one next time our drains are clogged!)
  • Use a spray bottle with about 1/3 vinegar and the rest water for cleaning inside the microwave, on the stove, and sometimes the counter-tops.
  • You can use it as shampoo also.  (I’d be nervous about this one myself, but she says once your hair dries the smell goes away.)
  • Anywhere you have ants use a 50/50 water/vinegar mixture and wipe down the walls.   This keeps them from coming back.  It takes a few days and a few wipes but they hate the smell.
  • You can spray vinegar on weeds and it kills them.

 

 

Written by Jesica.

Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and HEINZ #CBias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.