We have had lots of struggles and challenges in our lives, but we've had even more blessings!

Monday, March 29, 2010

plain ole Vinegar to the rescue

   The cost to purchase a gallon jug of plain ole white vinegar, is minimal, indeed. And yet how helpful the ways in which that gallon jug can be, are, well, like the commercials for certain credit cards say - "PRICELESS!".
   I am sure that there are many more ways than these, but I am going to share a few ways in which I have found plain ole white vinegar to be of supreme help.
- - > I listed one way in the posting about making deviled eggs. It's part of the boiling the eggs process. If you don't remember it, or never saw it, you can find it HERE.
- - > Last week Laura, at 'Heavenly Homemaker', posted about using a combination of vinegar and baking soda to clear in-house drains. (I found her posting via her linking up to Tammy's 'Kitchen Tip Tuesday's' ). I have used that method for y-e-a-r-s and found it to be oh so helpful!!!!
- - > While vinegar itself has a strong oder (especially if you put your nose close to it, which I do not recommend you doing ...) , it never the less can help eliminate orders from other things.
    - - > One such way is in laundry. Set your washer to rinse and allow the cold water to briefly start filling the machine. Add about an eighth of a cup (1/8 cup) of white vinegar to the cold water. Allow the washer to fill about another inch high with cold water, and then start adding your 'stinky' load. Once you've added your 'stinky' load, allow the washer to finish filling with the cold water and run a complete rinse cycle.
   Examples of 'stinky' loads which I have encountered are
   - items out of sports gym bags. - bedding from bed wetters. - swimming suits wrapped in wet towels and left in the vehicle a couple of days. - clothing left on the floor that the cat decided to pee on. - a pile of dirty socks dug out from underneath a bed. - Etc.. I think you are probably getting the idea.
    Running such things through on a cold water rinse cycle which includes white vinegar, works wonderfully!!!!! Upon occasion, I have had to run the load another time or two. But even then, the cost of doing so is far less than what the cost to replace the items would have been!
   - - > Another way in which white vinegar works great at removing orders, is when there are 'strong/unpleasant odors' in a room of your home. Close any windows in the 'unpleasant smelling' room. You can use any glass/pyrex, etc. type wide topped bowl, or empty cool whip type containers. Pour about a cup or so of vinegar in the bowl. (If the room itself is a larger sized room, you might want to use two to three bowls, or even more, depending on the overall size of the room.) If your using only one bowl, place it in about the center of the room. (If your using multiple bowls, space them out around the room.) Leave the room, closing the door behind you, and wait. When you can go back into the room and the room smells like vinegar, you have accomplished your task. Go pour the vinegar down your kitchen sink, and open the windows in the room. It will only take about eight (8) minutes for the vinegar odor to disapate, leaving you with a odor free room.
     Now, if the 'strong/unpleasant oders' are in a room that you can not shut the door to, it will take longer to work, but it WILL still work.
    And if the oders are in a room that it is impossible to keep young children out of, then it's best to put the containers of vinegar up high (which also then takes longer for them to be fully effective), or plan on leaving the house for awhile.
    Examples of 'strong/unpleasant oders' in a room which I have encountered are:
    - after cooking fish. - after cooking cabbage. - after having carpet laid. - after painting a room. - after 'wrestle mania' has broken out amongst a bunch of high school age guys. - orders left from cigarrette smokers. - Etc. Again, I think you are probably getting the idea.

      I hope you too find investing in a gallon jug of good ole white vinegar, to be ever so benificial!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I 'plan' on linking this particular posting to:
~ "Make-Do Mondays", are hosted by Shari, at 'My Practically Perfect Life' (www.practically-perfect-life.blogspot.com).
~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)' (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven' (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace' (http://blessedwithgrace.blogspot.com).
~ "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes' (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).

8 comments:

  1. I learned some new uses for vinegar. As I try to free my home from toxic chemicals, vinegar keeps coming up over and over in my reading. You just gave some very good specifics, though. Thanks!

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  2. Wow! Thanks so much for the stinky room tips. I learned a lot today!

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  3. I love white vinegar! I too use it for laundry and smells. My husband left for the grocery store about 15 mins ago to get milk and I asked him to pick up some more white vinegar- that was before I followed your link to here!!

    Too funny in my book. I was definitely on your wave length tonight. Thanks for participating in Make-Do Mondays.

    Have a wonderful week- I'll be dropping by soon.

    Shari

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  4. Love using vinegar...it really does make things easy to clean and gets the odor out so many things!

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  5. Thank you for the tips! I need to buy another gallon soon!
    I love your comments on my site, I think of you as an honest and happy contributor to the blog-world! I welcome ALL ideas, I was actually hoping that someone would give me more tips on organizing the fridge.
    Your easter basket/chicks profile picture is so cute.
    (hugs) to you!

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  6. That's a great idea about putting it in a bowl to remove smells. I use it as a laundry softner (and also for urine smells when the kids were little). I also have got rust stains off my tile counters by using vinegar and baking soda. Great ideas and thanks for linking up!

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  7. I use vinegar by the jug full now. And it does work great in the rinse cycle of your washing machine.

    I've done research on vinegar and although now we can only buy 5-6% vinegar, years ago it was much stronger. In fact they used to use vinegar to clean paint brushes!! It worked much the same as turpentine!

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  8. from Reva via email - "We spray our shower doors with plain white vinegar to keep soap scum from building up!"

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