6 years ago I was unaware that vinegar could be used for cleaning. Bleach, yes. Amonia, yes. But vinegar? Isn’t that just for cooking?
It turns out, vinegar isn’t just for cooking. Even though you find it in the cooking and baking aisles, vinegar is also a multi-surface, multi-purpose cleaner that I swear by. Although it took me a long, long time to try it even once I was introduced to the idea of using as a cleanser, I finally caved back in 2006 and gave Heinz vinegar a go.
What I was expecting was a smelly mess and what I found was that the vinegar, when diluted, just smells… clean. And, the new Heinz Cleaning Vinegar is even better for cleaning as it is formulated with special cleaning strength but with the same all-natural formula, making it practical and cost-effective for cleaning almost anything.
Since I have been introduced to the wonders of vinegar for cleaning, I have found literally hundreds of practical uses for it, from ceiling to floor. Here are just some of my favorite uses:
Cleaning your blinds
We all know that cleaning your blinds is pretty much the worst job, ever. Whether you go with the dusting method that sends dust flying everywhere {and isn’t very effective at preventing buildup} or you take your blinds off to fully soak, there’s no fun way to clean them. Well, vinegar isn’t going to make the dreaded task fun, either, but at least it makes it easy… or, should I say, easier.
Simply put on a pair of clean cotton gloves {lighter colors work best} and dip your thumb and forefinger in a solution of 50/50 hot water and vinegar, squeeze out the excess water, and run them across the length of each blind. As the gloves get dirty, you dip them in clean water as needed and then back in the vinegar mixture. The first time I saw someone do this, I thought they were crazy, but it actually works really well for removing dust, oils, and more and gives you complete control in the smaller crevices.
Odor elimination
I know this one might be stretch for some who can’t imagine a vinegar smell being a better alternative to odors, but trust me on this one: getting rid of smoke odors and musty smells is easy with Cleaning Vinegar. For larger spaces, you just fill a small bowl half-way with vinegar and leave in the room overnight. No spraying chemicals into the air or masking odors with perfumes, vinegar does wonders at actually removing the odors.
For smaller areas, like old suitcases and lunch boxes, you can soak white bread in vinegar and then place on a plate overnight and the smells are all absorbed naturally. We bought a large steamer trunk last spring that smelled really musty and tried just about everything without success until we figured this little trick out. We’ve now used it on all of our old suitcases and vintage finds for the world traveler room and have found it to be the perfect non-abrasive odor eliminator.
Bathroom surfaces
Combine a half of a cup of Heinz Cleaning Vinegar and one gallon of hot water to clean tile and linoleum to a beautiful shine without any leftover residue. I keep a spray bottle of this mixture in the bathroom at all times and spray the shower, sinks, and countertops every few days. For tough stains, you can simply use undiluted Cleaning Vinegar directly on the surface and wipe off.
It's great because it doesn't require intense ventilation, it prevents buildup, and it allows me to clean less often, all of which are incredibly important to me as I have very little time for cleaning these days. My favorite timesaver is the fact that I can use the water/vinegar solution on more than just bathroom surfaces, it’s also perfect for keeping stainless and chrome bathroom hardware looking its best.
This means I don’t have to use two separate cleansers each time I’m tackling the bathroom, and it also keeps harsh chemicals off the surfaces that touch toothbrushes, glasses and contacts, as well as hands.
Removing stickers and gunk
One of my husband’s pet peeves is when companies put ridiculously sticky labels on products that are impossible to get off without leaving that awful sticky residue over your brand new item. On a tip from a friend, we began using vinegar instead of the harsh and smelly chemical gunk removers and it works so much better and doesn’t require thick gloves to protect your skin.
Now, instead of peeling off the sticker as soon as we buy it, we wait and first saturate all the sticker’s edges with vinegar and then scrape off with a credit card or gift card edge. Removing the sticker is much easier this way and far less residue will remain after you peel. For what is leftover, you simply use another dab of undilluted vinegar to remove and then wipe it off well.
Floors that shine like the top of the Chrysler building
The reason why I caved to using vinegar as a cleaner in the first place was because of my beloved wood floors. With little ones in the house, I didn’t want to use chemicals all over my floors and have them crawling around and playing in it all day long.
Instead, I use a microfiber cloth with a spray bottle with 1/3 Heinz Cleaning Vinegar and 2/3 hot water and spray as I go to wipe the floors down as needed. This works well for me as I'm able to concentrate on each area and make sure I don't miss sticky areas I might not see otherwise.
If you have a huge area to clean, I recommend a nifty refillable spray mop like O Cedar or Rubbermaid, so you can simply add the vinegar mixture to the bottle and spray as you go. It works just like a Swiffer solution, but with only two natural ingredients, which I love.
Because this is what happens on my floors. No chemicals here, please.
For cleaning just about everything
Whether you are a diehard vinegar fan or are just getting started, I would highly recommend the new Heinz Cleaning Vinegar. You can find it right in the vinegar section of your local store {not in the cleaning aisle} or you can buy it online. It literally has thousands of uses for household cleaning and beyond, is chemical-free, cost effective, and efficient.
Don’t believe me that vinegar is the miracle cleaner? Just check out the Heinz site that lists their top uses for vinegar to get you started. You're welcome for that.
Check out my Google+ #HeinzVinegar album to see the whole story.
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Heinz® #CBias #SocialFabric. As always, all opinions are my own.
