Simple Vinegar Switches

Sometimes change is a long process.  Whether your are trying to move your home to more natural living or just trying to save a few dollars it doesn't have to take any more time.  Making a few vinegar substitutions is quick and painless.  I know that many people have an aversion to vinegar to me the benefits outweigh the smell.  Maybe it was because my mom used it to clean as I was growing up or maybe because it is so cheap and versatile, but I love vinegar!  It works for some many things! Here are a few of the places that I love using vinegar as a substitution.

• In the laundry room-Vinegar can work as both a fabric softener and color catcher.  I don’t sort the colors anymore.  I do laundry by rooms so that when it’s time to put them away I am not running all over the house!  The whole load gets put away in the same place.  I wash the clothes in cold water and use vinegar where I would normally put the liquid fabric softener.  Here vinegar saves me time and money.  The clothes do not smell like vinegar at all.  (One note: I do not use on “no iron” shirts and pants.  I heard I would have to iron them if I did, and that is one chance I am not willing to take!)
• In the dishwasher-While I don’t think that vinegar gets the dishes as shiny a “Jet Dry,” it does work to keep the water spots off dishes when used as a rinse aid.  (We needed to use a conventional rinse aid for the first year that we had out dishwasher to keep the warranty so that is one thing to keep in mind.)  After I pour the vinegar into the dispenser I do not smell vinegar again.  I may not see my reflection in the glasses, but they are clean.  I also don’t spend as much as I would have for the blue stuff that reminds me of an automatic carwash!  Even using half vinegar and half of a conventional rinse aid is a great start.
• On our floors-My parents got new flooring when I was a kid; the flooring store told my mom to use vinegar to keep them shiny!  It varies with the wax build up on the floor, but ½ cup vinegar 1 gallon of water is a good ratio to start with. It works well on all hard flooring options.  (Except marble.  Do not use vinegar on marble!)  By the time the floors dry the smell of vinegar is gone. 
• In the microwave-Mix 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 is loosened, and I can wipe it clean.  (Heated vinegar has a strong smell so I try not to do it when my husband is around.) 
• Back in the laundry room-My kiddos love gum, and every once in a while they get gum on clothes.  This used to frustrate me, but guess what works like magic?  Heat vinegar to boiling.  Pour on the fabric and rub off with toothbrush.  It dissolves off, and clothes are saved!  
• In a vaporizer-This is the one that smell might be an issue, but most of the time when I have a cold I can’t smell anyway.  ¼ cup of vinegar in a vaporizer works wonders of a sore throat.  It works better than eucalyptus oil or a vapor plugin because it is doing more than just clearing airways.  Vinegar kills bacteria and breathing that in all night long makes a huge difference in the morning.  The smell is so worth it to me. 

This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays @ http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/4958#comments and http://www.thethriftyhome.com/