Vinegar: Condiment, Household Cleaner, Environmentally Conscious Product, and a Natural Detoxifier

Yes, vinegar is a condiment and functions as an environmentally conscious household cleaner that also detoxifies the body. Who knew when most of us were passing up the white distilled 5% solution vinegar to go for the ketchup and mayo that such a simple and plain looking product that we ignored for so long was a versatile and indispensable staple? Vinegar is quickly becoming the popular choice of household cleaner, not just for the environmentally-conscious but for almost anyone who's interested in maintaining a clean home. Because vinegar isn't registered as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the legality details restricts it from claiming their miraculous results. Nonetheless, rigorous tests reveal that vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. It's a naturally acidic product that's known to break down grease, softens water and neutralize alkaline and caustic substances such as mineral buildup, whiten fabric, and reduce static. As you can see, there are clearly other cleaning products that can more effectively clean your home, but at what cost?

We have only one planet. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to do everything they can to make the world a cleaner, healthier place, but we can all contribute to make a small difference. And the incentive to use vinegar is really tempting unless you have mold, in which case I would encourage everyone to use a stronger cleaning product. Mold is very stubborn, very dangerous, and very harmful to your health, and the potential danger to exposure is greater than using commercial products with toxic chemicals. Back to the subject on hand, vinegar is so inexpensive. And according to The Vinegar Institute's Research studies, its shelf life lasts indefinitely due to its acidic properties. Unlike other cleaning products that are only a bargain when you're lucky enough to come across a sale and the products are still on the shelf, generic vinegar is regularly affordable and works just as well as the name brand stuff. You can buy a gallon for $3.49 at Safeway/VONS and use it as an all-purpose cleaner with some exceptions, which I'll specify soon.

Most all-purpose cleaners come in a spray bottle that holds less than a gallon and sell for half the price. I stock up on spray bottles at the Dollar Tree Store or 99 Cents store and fill them up with vinegar. Other people prefer diluting the vinegar with water to save money. From what I understand, that works quite well, too. I simply don't follow that method for a couple of reasons. As I run out of vinegar, I like to refill my spray bottle. I don't want to find any excuse to keep me from cleaning including, "I don't have anything to clean with. I'll fill the bottle up later." If I develop a habit of filling it up regularly, I'll feel compelled to clean so my efforts are paid off. Plus, if I poured in equal amounts of water and vinegar, it'd be hard for me to estimate how much water and vinegar I should add until I start to run out. And as I've mentioned previously, I want to maintain a good habit of keeping everything replenished and usable. I'm also hesitant to use my water as a cleaning agent because I have hard water. Vinegar is actually an ideal cleaning product in areas that have hard water. It softens the water and removes mineral buildup, but I don't like the idea of diluting vinegar with it because I use concentrated vinegar to clean mineral buildup by dampening a towel or pouring vinegar onto the surface directly. The last thing I want is to combat hard water with hard water.

Vinegar is a versatile product that can be used on most surfaces. Ceramic tiles is an exception to the rule, as vinegar can damage the glaze and harm grout. There may be other restrictions, but at the moment, I'm not aware of any. In fact, I recently learned about the rule with ceramic tiles on Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. Before that, I used vinegar to clean my ceramic tiles in the kitchen with success. Then again, my tiles weren't very nice to begin with. There are many ways to use vinegar, and I'll list them off, but it'll have to be another time. This entry is simply meant to promote knowledge. I'll be sure to explain why vinegar is used to detoxify the body, too.

Make Washing Dishes by Hand Easier

I like the concept of those buckets that you soak dishes in, but why spend money on a bucket to soak dishes? It's unnecessary and takes up space. It's just another thing to clean up later. Plus I can't help but feel like after washing all of those dishes, people are going to get lazy about cleaning the bucket that held all those dirty dishes. Can you think of the mildew buildup if that bucket just stays there? Ewwwww!!!! And I personally only have one dish rack. It's not large enough to hold all of my pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, AND a bucket. I can't imagine too many people having a larger dish rack than mine. I suppose different rules apply if you have a dishwasher, but I have a cheaper solution for soaking your dishes.

I do like the bucket concept. So I simply use a sink stopper. I basically turn my sink into a bucket, so to speak, something I already own. I stack my dishes into the sink, pour a little dishwashing liquid over it, and fill it up with the hottest water possible. That way it takes much longer for the water to get cold, so I buy myself a little more time before I have to tackle the dishes. I like to soak my accumulated dishes from the day and soak them overnight. I finish cleaning them first thing in the morning.

Bathroom Trash

In my bathroom, I put five to seven spare trash bags to make the cleaning and disposing process smoother and more efficient. This buys me some extra time. I just throw out my trash when it fills up, and I have a new bag already in place before I walk out of the door. It's common practice for a reason. It works especially well for me because most of my trash bags are stored in the kitchen, the room farthest away from the bathroom. On average, I throw out the trash once a week except during that time of the month, it becomes twice a week. So that's about five to six trash bags I use in a month. I try to leave about twelve spare trash bags. I replenish them every couple of weeks to keep up the habit. It works well for me.

Rachael Ray's Garbage Bowl

I know that Rachael Ray has a huge following, so many people are probably already aware of her system. She uses a large wooden salad bowl as her garbage bowl when she's cooking in the kitchen. What a great concept! Most trash bags are under the sink, and what a drag it is to constantly try to throw trash down there. That's just an accident waiting to happen, but a nearby trash bowl on the counter with a large opening is so convenient and practical. Throwing out plastic liners with meat juice always gets everywhere. But throwing out trash is so easy this way. You simply cover the bowl with the trash bag and flip it over. I know it's a bit of a waste, but I throw trash out everyday because the smell of rotting food is intolerable for me. So, this is a perfect way to keep things clean and easy.

Kitchen Trash

I actually don't use a trash can in the kitchen because I don't like the idea of carrot and potato peels rotting in my kitchen for too long. I simply hang a loose grocery bag on the corner of my drawers and throw it out daily. It's also much cleaner when I throw in liquids because I don't have to clean a trash can with liquid stains that set in. So I can comfortably throw out junk that collects in my sink catcher. But keep in mind that a lot of trash bags get used up. Some people may find it wasteful, but I find it worthwhile for my needs. What I do is grab a bunch of grocery bags (inches full of them) at the grocery stores and replace them as needed.

I'm aware that it isn't environmentally-conscious. So, if that's a concern, another alternative is in order. I've tried using odor absorbers without success. And every time I throw out more trash, I've found myself feeling unbearably nauseous. It was unfortunate that I bought a sleek, tall trash can. It generously holds trash, but the smell is too much for me to handle. So what's the point of disposing large plastic trash bags rapidly when they've been barely used? I want to make a difference and do what I can to make the environment cleaner, but I use plastic trash bags. I don't use paper bags. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm unwilling to use paper bags and clean up after wipes and messes up to three times a day. It's too time consuming. So then it'll probably sit there and stink up the place.

My method is far from full-proof, but it works for me. For people who want to keep trash out as much as possible and develop good habits, this works very well. The trash is taunting you until you clean it up. It also makes taking it out much easier.