Ideal Bite

Wanna conquer high cleaning-product costs?

08.28.2008

Submitted by tmeronek on Thu, 08/28/2008 - 4:35pm.

The Bite:

Drop the bed-sheet toga, and pick up a bottle of white vinegar. Uber-disinfecting and cheap as Hades, DIY vinegar cleaners really do the trick, so you can move onto conquering bigger things, such as, say, the Roman Empire.

The Benefits:

Costs less than a handmade olive-leaf crown. We found a 32-ounce bottle of white vinegar at the supermarket for just over a buck; the same size bottle of all-purpose cleaner was four times that (and you'll dilute the vinegar for most purposes).
Treating kids like emperors. Conventional cleaning products are responsible for about 10% of toxic-exposure calls to poison control.
Not stabbing our rivers in the back. High concentrations of detergents were found in 69% of waterways in a 2002 nationwide study.
Smelling better than an ancient Roman. The vinegar smell disappears when it dries; it even acts as a mild deodorizer.

Personally Speaking:

Jen's got a family of more than 10 pets, so she'd never use synthetic pesticides in her backyard. A little straight vinegar, sprayed directly on weeds, gets rid of 'em.

Wanna Try:

Make sure to use white distilled vinegar - balsamic and red wine varieties will stain.
All-purpose countertop and mildew cleaner: Mix vinegar and water 1:1 in a spray bottle.
Fabric softener: Add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle.
Toilet bowl cleaner: Use pure vinegar to get rid of rings.
Window cleaner: Mix vinegar and water 1:4 in a spray bottle.
Weed killer: Use higher concentrations of vinegar (most household vinegar is 5%, so go for 10% or higher, available at hardware stores).
Vinegar Tips - even more uses for vinegar.