I've been seeing a ton of pins about the many uses of vinegar so I decided to put some of them to the test. Here's some information on vinegar and how it is made if you are interested.
Pros of vinegar: it is cheap! It has a ton of different applications. And I like it because it has fewer ingredients and they are totally identifiable so I know what I'm spreading around my house. I don't like the idea of potentially harmful chemicals coating every surface of my home, especially since I am pregnant, we have an 11-month-old baby, and we have a dog that occasionally licks random surfaces. The March of Dimesactually recommends vinegar as a safe alternative to other cleaning products. Also, I need to find an original source, but I've read on several sites that the same 5% vinegar solution that you buy at the store can kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of viruses.
Cons of vinegar: it really stinks. My hubby claimed the smell of it in the kitchen made him lose his appetite for lunch. The fumes are not toxic, just really irritating. Now I need to research how to get rid of the odor.
The first tip I tried was to use vinegar to clean the microwave. Our microwave has just been through a busy holiday season and definitely needed a good scrub. I put 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar in a bowl and microwaved it for 5 minutes. After that, I was easily able to wipe the inside surfaces without much effort. I dipped a sponge in the remaining mixture in the bowl to really get in the cracks and crevices. Don't forget to remove the glass plate to clean underneath and rinse it. As with most of the vinegar tips I've seen, the ratio of water to vinegar varies depending on the source so it might take a little trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Grade: A-
This process definitely made the microwave easier to clean but I found that I needed to do the whole process twice to get it as clean as I wanted. Still, the effort is minimal so I'd use this one again.
Before:
After:
Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/259731103479458261/
Pros of vinegar: it is cheap! It has a ton of different applications. And I like it because it has fewer ingredients and they are totally identifiable so I know what I'm spreading around my house. I don't like the idea of potentially harmful chemicals coating every surface of my home, especially since I am pregnant, we have an 11-month-old baby, and we have a dog that occasionally licks random surfaces. The March of Dimesactually recommends vinegar as a safe alternative to other cleaning products. Also, I need to find an original source, but I've read on several sites that the same 5% vinegar solution that you buy at the store can kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of viruses.
Cons of vinegar: it really stinks. My hubby claimed the smell of it in the kitchen made him lose his appetite for lunch. The fumes are not toxic, just really irritating. Now I need to research how to get rid of the odor.
The first tip I tried was to use vinegar to clean the microwave. Our microwave has just been through a busy holiday season and definitely needed a good scrub. I put 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar in a bowl and microwaved it for 5 minutes. After that, I was easily able to wipe the inside surfaces without much effort. I dipped a sponge in the remaining mixture in the bowl to really get in the cracks and crevices. Don't forget to remove the glass plate to clean underneath and rinse it. As with most of the vinegar tips I've seen, the ratio of water to vinegar varies depending on the source so it might take a little trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Grade: A-
This process definitely made the microwave easier to clean but I found that I needed to do the whole process twice to get it as clean as I wanted. Still, the effort is minimal so I'd use this one again.
Before:
After:
Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/259731103479458261/
Love the new look! Didn't I see a pin (probably from you) about using orange peels to scent the vinegar? That might help the smell factor a bit.
ReplyDelete