Go Greener Tips

Many people use a variety of chemicals in your home, but there are alternatives. You can use vinegar, which is cheap, common, and environmentally friendly instead of using chemicals that are toxic and bad for the environment. Not sure where to begin using vinegar? Here are some great tips that will help you to make the most of vinegar within your home.

First of all, you may want to know a bit about vinegar. For many years, actually tracing back to the ancient Egyptians, vinegar has been used. When alcohol is oxidized in products that are fermented, vinegar is what is created. There are several different types of vinegars, including malt, red whine, white, apple cider, and white wine vinegar. Of course, the one that is most versatile happens to be white vinegar. Now that you know a bit more about vinegar, here are some handy tips that you can use around your home.

Dealing with calcium buildup on your electric jugs or kettles? If so, vinegar can help. Simple boil with some white vinegar and then allow it to soak. Rinse away the vinegar with some water, then boil water again, and you should eliminate those calcium deposits.

Tired of odors in the bathroom area? Once again, vinegar can help. Take a small container, fill it with vinegar, and leave it in the room. It will help to keep those odors at bay. If the toilet bowl has an odor, take about half a cup of vinegar, add it to the toilet bowl, and leave it for the night. It will get rid of the odor in your toilet. Vinegar is great for eliminating soap scum too. Put it on the tub or the shower. Mix it with water in a 50/50 combination. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then rinse it away.

When you have bruises, vinegar can help. Apply a small cotton ball with some vinegar to the bruise for about an hour. This will help the bruise to heal up much faster. Vinegar can be used on stings and minor burns as well. It can help to take away some of the pain.

If you need to clean your dishwasher out, freeze some vinegar in an ice cube tray. Add a couple of the ice cubs into the bottom of the dishwasher before you run it. This will clean it out without having to use tough chemicals in the dishwasher. If you have paintbrushes that are old and stiff, heat up some white vinegar and dip the paint brushes in it for a couple hours. Then rinse the brushes in warm water with soap.

You can even kill off weeds with some vinegar. Spray it on the leaves of the weeds to get rid of them. Just keep it away from any plants that you want to keep. If you mix up some salt and vinegar and put it in between the cement joints in your driver or sidewalk it will eliminate those grasses and weeds as well.

Do you have pets? If your pet has an accident in the house, pour a bit of white vinegar where the problem occurred. Then use a paper towel to get it back up. This will take away any odor and will keep stains at bay as well.