It's Not Just For Salad

Vinegar, that is.  When I first began exploring a greener existence, friends in the know schooled me on the art of cleaning with vinegar and baking soda.  I've never looked back.  Three things: cheap, effective, and non-toxic.  What more do you need to know?

Plenty.  I get it.  You know how you go to Wal-Mart (and I wish you wouldn't, but that's your choice), and you spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 for all your cleaning products?  I know, it's not often that you buy all of that stuff in one trip, but if you did, you'd spend about that much, whether you buy name-brand or store-brand.  And then, in a few months, you have to buy more.

White distilled vinegar, on the other hand, will run you about $3.00 per gallon.  A small box of Arm & Hammer baking soda is $1.00 (a four pound box is around $8.00).  A gallon of vinegar lasts me six months, and the small box of baking soda gets me by for two months.  There's the CHEAP.

Here's the EFFECTIVE: vinegar cleans glass and mirrors without streaks.  You know what else?  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  Seriously.  Baking soda serves as a scrub for toilets, tubs, counters, sinks...you name it, baking soda will scrub it clean.  Combine the two, and you get an amazing powerhouse.  Some examples:

• Baked-on grease in the oven?  Spray with vinegar, sprinkle with baking soda, and spray with vinegar again.  It fizzes (which delights the five-year-old in me every time)!  Let it set for about 15 minutes, then get in there with your sponge and wipe clean.
• Gunky drain ("gunky" being a technical term)?  Pour a 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, follow with about a 1/2 cup of vinegar, let fizz (tee hee!), then flush with hot water.
• Scummy bathtub?  Spray with full strength vinegar, sprinkle with baking soda.  Let sit for a few minutes, then use a sponge dipped in vinegar to clean.
• Mildew and mold?  Spray with full strength vinegar and let set.  The vinegar dissolves the mold and acts as a disinfectant.

And now for the NON-TOXIC: being pregnant meant I could no longer use Windex, 409, Chlorox Clean-Up...unless I didn't mind a potentially three-eyed baby.  Everday household cleansers contain toxic ingredients, and you don't have to be pregnant to be afraid of them.  You know how you spray your bathtub down with Tilex, then have to turn on the fan and/or open a window to air out the fumes?  Do you want to breathe that in?  Do you want your kids to be exposed to that?  Why not just take them to a Vegas casino and plop them down by the slot machines for some good old-fashioned second hand smoke?  I'm not being overzealous here.  With vinegar and baking soda, you don't have those worries.  They are 100% non-toxic (PSA: DO NOT combine vinegar with bleach.  That is extremely toxic.)

For my everyday cleaning, I mix a solution of one part vinegar to two parts water, 20 drops of tea tree oil (another natural disinfectant) and 20 drops of lavender oil (a natural anti-fungal, plus it smells nice).  I use this solution in a spray bottle, to wipe down my kitchen and bathroom counters, and for spot cleaning.

Care2 is an awesome, green-living website and they have a TON of ideas and uses for vinegar, baking soda, and plain ol' water.  Check them out when you have time.  You can also go to Arm & Hammer's website for a veritable cornucopia of baking soda uses.

So what I'm saying here, is that if you have children, you know just how quickly they go from being completely out cold to wide awake and demanding of attention the minute you start to clean something.  If you're using vinegar and baking soda, you can drop your sponge and attend to your Precious immediately (no crying it out in this household).  I love that I can effectively clean my home with minimal impact to my budget, and zero impact to our family's health and well-being.  Thank you, vinegar.  Thank you, baking soda.  I owe you guys a Bundt cake.