Save on Cleaning Supplies by Gail Long

White Vinegar is one of my favorite cleaning products. It cleans, sanitizes and is non-toxic.
I make a solution of one part vinegar and three parts water. Mix this solution in a squirt bottle. Use this to clean counter tops, microwaves, stoves, dishwashers and refrigerators. We also sanitize cutting boards with vinegar solution. Spray tile or wood floors, then mop for a quick clean up. Coffee makers and vaporizers can be cleaned with vinegar.
This is also a great product for windows, spray with solution, then shine with unprinted newsprint. (I get end rolls of newsprint from the local, small town paper. Use this to wrap dishes when moving, no need to wash the dishes when you unwrap them. Trace around the kiddos and have them add hair, clothes, etc with sidewalk chalk. I have also used the paper to create timelines in the classroom. It can be used to make gift wrapping paper when decorated with handprints, footprints, stamps, kiddo artwork.)
We buy white vinegar in gallon bottles at Sam’s or Costco and make our own cleaning solution. What a SAVINGS and a SAFE cleaning solution!
There are lots of websites with more use for white vinegar for cooking, cleaning, gardening, household ideas, automotive ideas, and on and on.
www.quickandsimple.com
www.frugalliving.about.com
www.mrscleannw.com
www.vinegartips.com
www.mizkan.com
To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.
Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.
Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so then run hot water down the drain.
Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.
Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.
Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.
Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.
To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.
Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.