Tag Archives: vinegar

Easy tips to help you in the garden

Posted on by Posted in Cleaning Tips .

Last week, we discussed the chemistry of vinegar. We discussed how it can be used as a cleaning product because it naturally deodorizes, disinfects and cuts grease. Click here to check it out!

 

Vinegar is such a versatile ingredient. Not only can it be used in food and cleaning recipes, it can also be used around your garden. Since the weather is getting warmer, try using these vinegar tips outside.

 

1.)    Remove berry stains from your hands by washing your hands with 1 cup vinegar.

  • Berry stains are organic. Organic stains, like blood and food, respond better to natural, acidic products like vinegar and lemon juice. It’s all about the chemical reaction between a base and an acid.

2.)    Keep rabbits from eating your plants. Put cotton balls soaked in white distilled vinegar in a 35mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in the garden.
*  Rabbits also dislike pepper, garlic, chili powder and mint. You could also plant some flowers and herbs that are natural deterrents like foxgloves, digitalis, aconitum, catnip plants, or lavender.

3.)    Get rid of rust on spigots, tools, screws or bolts by soaking the items overnight or for several days in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
*Rust forms when moisture on metal begins to oxidize. Even a small amount of moisture, such as sweat, can cause rust to form. Over time, rust will eat away at the metal deteriorating it beyond repair. Vinegar is naturally acidic and will dissolve the rust from the metal without harsh chemicals.

4.)    Clean a hummingbird feeder/bird bath with white distilled vinegar—soap or detergent can leave behind harmful residue.

  • Hummingbirds will starve themselves before eating spoiled food, so be sure to clean your feeders often. At least once a month, clean the feeder thoroughly with ¼ cup of vinegar to one gallon water. Soak for one hour, then clean with a bottle brush.

5.)    Make your own mosquito and moth repellant by combining 2 cups vinegar and 1 cup molasses in a tin can and hang from a tree branch or place on a picnic table.

  • Mosquitoes are a food source for bats, frogs, and birds; but they are also pests when you are trying to enjoy the outdoors. If you’ve got clogged gutters, uncovered rain barrels, bird baths, etc., you’ve got a nesting ground for these blood-suckers. But there is a solution! Mosquitoes hate strong smells like lemon, vinegar, lavender, citronella or geranium. That’s why the recipe mentioned above works so well. Another way to naturally keep mosquitoes at bay is to plant marigolds, basil, tansy and rosemary in your garden. The herbs and flowers give off a smell that helps ward off bugs without using insecticides.

6.)    Avoid skin problems after working in the garden by rinsing your hands with 1 cup vinegar.

* Harsh lotions can strip away your skin’s natural acidity. Vinegar can help restore the natural acidity, which can clear up skin problems like dryness, itching, flaking and acne. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic and antifungal, so it helps reduce and destroy harmful irritants and germs.

 

There you have it. A few ideas about how vinegar can help you outside. If you haven’t checked out our cleaning recipes posted last week, click here. Vinegar is such an amazing, versatile ingredient. Thank goodness they sell it cheap and by the gallon!

 

Do you have vinegar tips? Tell us at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

 

 

 

 

 

Vinegar. Yes, it works! But WHY does it work?

Posted on by Posted in Cleaning Tips .

One main ingredient when making your own natural cleaners is distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is a deodorizer, disinfectant and cuts grease, but how and why does it work?

 

Vinegar is a mix of acetic acid and water. The pH of acetic acid is what makes vinegar an excellent cleaner. Think back to high school science class. The acid in vinegar crosses the cell membrane of bacteria and triggers a release of proteins, which causes the cell to die.

 

Basically, acetic acid is what gives vinegar its “power”. Acetic acid is measured in grains. For example, 10-grain vinegar means the vinegar is made up of 1% acetic acid and 99% water. The most common vinegar solution is 50-grain, which is 5% acetic acid and 95% water. Heinz has recently introduced a 6% acetic acid vinegar. They are calling it the “cleaning vinegar” and it is supposed to boost the strength of vinegar by 20% and still maintain a fast dry time with no smell.

 

Enough of the science.

 

Vinegar is able to clean and disinfect bacteria such as salmonella and E. Coli, but it takes a few seconds. Be sure that when you are cleaning with vinegar, you spray and let the vinegar sit on the surface for 30-45 seconds before wiping clean.

 

Here are some quick and easy recipes you can start using around your house today!

 

1.)    To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

2.)    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.

3.)    Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the machine and running it through a whole cycle. Run monthly.

4.)    Remove odors from a lunch box by placing inside a slice of bread that has been soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave overnight.

5.)    Get rid of fruit flies by setting out a small dish of undiluted white distilled vinegar.

6.)    Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

7.)    To remove paint splatters from windows apply full-strength white distilled vinegar with a clean paintbrush.

8.)    Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.

9.)    Get cleaner and brighter laundry! Add about 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.

10.)                        Remove soap scum and clean the hoses of your washing machine with white distilled vinegar. Periodically run the machine with only a cup of white distilled vinegar in it—nothing else added to the wash cycle.

 

Do you use vinegar around the house? What are some of your secret recipes? Tell us at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

 

 

 

 

My dryer is a sock thief!

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My dryer loves to eat socks.

I don’t know why. Maybe they taste good; but it seems like every time I wash a load of laundry I lose a sock.

What do you do with your misfit socks? I keep mine with my cleaning products and use them as dusting cloths around the house. They work pretty well, actually.

Last week, I used a few to clean mini-blinds and they were perfect for the job. (Thank you for the idea, Pinterest!) I thought that with spring in the air and thoughts of cleaning in the back of your minds, I would share my secret to clean blinds.

I’m sure if you are an avid reader of my blog, you’ve heard me mention my “everything” cleaner. I’m not lying. I really do use this stuff for everything!

My “everything” cleaner is fruit peels fermented in vinegar for two weeks. I know it sounds gross, but it is super easy to do and works on everything! (Place fruit peels in a mason jar. Fill the jar with vinegar. Tighten the lid and let it sit for two weeks.  Pour one cup of the solution in a spray bottle and fill the spray bottle with water.)

Back to my blind cleaning extravaganza.

I took an old sock and put it on my hand like I would a sock puppet.  Then, I sprayed the “everything” cleaner on what would be the sock puppets mouth. Take the sock puppets mouth and clean one blind at a time using the sock to clean both front and back of the blind. Start at the top and work your way down for beautiful shiny blinds. Check it out!

Photo: Does your dryer have a habit of eating socks? I know mine does! Next time you lose a pair of socks, don't throw the misfit away. Save it to use as a duster around your house. I used them to clean the top and bottom of the blinds, like this.

 

Is your kid the smelly kid in class?

Posted on by Posted in Cleaning Tips .

Do you smell?

 

I mean, do your clothes smell?

 

You may not notice, but washing machines have a tendency to smell bad due to their design. Water sits in certain components, which then become a breeding ground for mold and mildew causing unpleasant odors.

 

If you live in a humid climate, constant moisture in the air prevents the water from completely evaporating.

 

So, how do you fix it?

 

By cleaning your washing machine.

 

It makes sense. You use your washing machine to get your dirty clothes clean, so let’s talk about ways to make your washer more efficient.

 

TOP LOADING:

 

1.)                Set washer to run on the hottest water and largest load setting. Do not add clothes or detergent. Once the wash bin is full, add 4 cups of vinegar to the water and allow the machine to agitate for one minute.

2.)                Add ½ cup baking soda and agitate washer for one minute.

3.)                Stop washer and allow it to sit for 30 minutes to one hour. Take this time to wipe the top of the washer, the knobs, and any dispensers.

4.)                Allow washing cycle to resume until the water begins draining.

5.)                Use a clean cloth to wipe the inside of the wash bin, the lid, and any other parts you did not get during the initial clean.

Remember to leave the lid open after each load, so the washing machine can dry completely.

 

FRONT LOADING:

 

1.)                Set washer to run on the hottest water and largest load setting. Do not add clothes or detergent. Once the wash bin is full, add 1 cup white vinegar to the water (via the dispenser) and allow the machine to agitate for one minute.

2.)                Wipe down door gaskets, seals and door interior with a soft cloth soaked in a separate 50/50 vinegar and water solution after the wash cycle finishes.

3.)                Rinse the door gaskets and seals after cleaning them with the vinegar solution to prevent deterioration and damage of the seal.

4.)                Make sure doors, gaskets and seals are completely dry. Leave the door slightly open to allow the wash bin to air out.

 

There you have it. A safe way to clean the appliances that keep you clean.

 

Maybe you’re wondering… “I’ve never washed my washing machine and I’m fine.”

 

Maybe.

 

But as put by University of Arizona microbiology professor Charles Gerba, “There is about a tenth of a gram of poop in the average pair of underwear.”

 

Fecal matter can carry different germs like E. Coli and salmonella. Underwear and towels are the worst culprits.

 

The acidity of the vinegar helps dissolve soap residue in the wash bin and is helpful in dissolving lime deposits in pipes. Baking soda cleans soap scum and deodorizes.

 

Want to see before and after pics of my washing machine? Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

 

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