For the love of Vinegar!

Yep.......................nope............I haven't lost it. That is a photo of my toilet. An extremely clean one that is too! :-)

Things are ticking along around here like clockwork. Sooooo.....nothing to blog about.

Today I write about vinegar.

I think you're either a vinegar person or not. You either love or hate salt and vinegar chips. I'm pretty sure there isn't an 'in-between'.

But I'm not writing abut vinegar for eating or drinking today (but of course what you do in your own home is totally up to you :-).

I started using vinegar for cleaning about three years ago. We needed to save money on the grocery bill and I'm always keen to avoid polluting waterways etc. So I experimented with the ratios and found my preferred formula for basic and general household cleaning.

We have saved so much money on cleaning products it is actually ridiculous. I only buy vinegar and baking soda for cleaning the house now. I must admit I always make sure I have Dettol or some viral/antibacterial spray in the cupboard for when the bugs come home from school with the kids. But other than that, nothing else.

So what can you use it for?

* Cleaning windows with news paper (good old Grannie and her handy tips!)

* Stainless steel sinks/draining boards etc

* Getting smells and bugs out of chopping boards

* Mirrors (totally brilliant esp if you use one of those nifty glass cloths as well)

* Carpet spills (doesn't bleach any coloured carpet we have lived with and we have children so carpet spills are inevitable)

* Toilet bombs!!!!! hehehehe refer to above photo. Pour a cup of white vinegar into bowl, shake in some baking soda to cover entire area. Leave to fiz and GROW, come back later and scrub or if in a hurry just flush!!!! SO COOL. Domestic science at it's best!

* Rinse aid in dishwasher (I haven't bought rinse aid for a couple of years. Vinegar makes the dishwasher and the glasses sparkle)

*General surface cleaner; benches, light switches, window sills etc (It cleans wood really well but can dry it out so wood polish is a good idea to keep your wood looking fab)

* BBQ: Just spray and walk away LOL (Oh and come back later and scrape off the gunk that it lifts off otherwise your chops next time will have a distinctive tang :-)

* Bath: spray with vinegar, shake on baking soda, wipe!

* Coffee plunger: BRILLIANT RESULT

There are probably loads more! It is good for cleaning out wounds..........but that depends how stoic your children are. I'm sure my children would never talk to me again cause it stings like CRAZY!

My recipe:

1 part Water

1 part White vinegar (more if you are ok with the smell, experiment)

1 squirt of normal dishwashing liquid ( I make sure it's biodegradable eg "Sunlight")

Couple drops of essential oil (for smell if you don't like vinegar, but I must admit, I got used to it pretty quickly so don't bother with the oil).

Mix together in a spray bottle. The detergent is there really to mask the vinegar smell and add to the degreasing abilities. I don't use the detergent when washing windows, it can leave a smeary residue. Just vinegar and newspaper does the business.

Couldn't be easier, kinder to waterways, kind to your home, kind to your family's health, sensitivities and allergies.

Oh hey, if fighting mould. I read recently that clove oil kills the spores and prevents it growing back. I guess you get it from a health store?

So be off with you now and get yourself to BIN INN to stock up on vinegar and baking soda.

xx