Vinegar is one of the great nontoxic cleaning supplies most people have in their homes. Today I thought I would share some ways you can use it in the kitchen.
- Cleaning the microwave.
Soak a cloth with vinegar. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Once you can handle the cloth, it can be used to wipe the now loosened splatters. - Removing coffee and tea stains from cups.
Combine vinegar and table salt in equal portions. These can rub the stains right off the cups. - Remove buildup from the coffeemaker.
Run 1 cycle of cold water mixed with 1/4 cup of vinegar. Repeat with water only. If you can still smell vinegar, repeat again. - Degrease oven vents.
This is good to do about twice a year. Use a sponge soaked in vinegar to remove grease from the vents of your oven hood. - Limit mildew buildup inside the refrigerator.
Wipe down the refrigerator door seals with vinegar. - Degrease pans.
Simmer 1/4 inch water and 1/2 cup vinegar in a greasy pan for 10 minutes. Wash as usual. - Open clogged drains.
Depending on the severity you can do a couple of things. Light clogs pour 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar down the drain. Allow to work at least 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Rinse with boiling water. For more serious clogs, add 1/2 cup salt to the baking soda/vinegar mixture from above. Allow to site for 1 hour before rinsing. - Countertops may be wiped with vinegar.
There are many more things that you can clean vinegar with. It’s a very safe cleanser for most surfaces. Some people dislike the smell, but in my experience this fades nicely once the vinegar has dried.
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Those are some great tips that I’ve never heard of before! I’m actually going to try #1 and #4 this weekend. 🙂
Great tips! I’m finding that vinegar and baking soda take care of nearly every routine cleaning job. I’ve heard you have to be careful with using vinegar frequently on grout, however. The smell does fade quickly unless the vinegar is heated (i.e. run through the coffeemaker), but a spritz of citrus oil spray in the room can help.
I’ve also used it to deter ants by spraying it in the doors, windows, cracks. It will slow an ant invasion and if you have a toddler and don’t want to spray chemicals, it’ll help a lot.
Nice compilation! Thanks!
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Awesome ideas – thanks 🙂 One that I do as well is use vinegar to keep bread fresh longer: I make homemade bread and keep it in the fridge, and I clean the plastic tub I keep it in with vinegar between loaves. It’s amazing how long the bread stays fresh (vinegar inhibits the mold). I can’t imagine not having vinegar in the house – it’s so useful.