Using Vinegar as a Rinse Agent

We have hard water at our house. In turn we have to use a rinse agent in the dishwasher. But, then again, who doesn’t? Otherwise you risk the possibility of getting goopey oatmeal stuck to everything in there.

And personally, I always bought the more expensive kind of commercial rinse agent offered(since I used to be a plastic junkie and all, and I wanted those containers dry). Now, I use vinegar. I love it. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and have rarely had to rewash a dish because of gunk. And if I do, it’s only that one dish, as the gunk did not spread to everything else. I’m sold!

Here’s how to replace vinegar with your old rinse agent:

1. Use up all of the commercial rinse agent in your dishwasher first.
2. Unscrew the cap inside your washer and fill with vinegar all the way up to the full line.
3. Screw cap back in.
4. Close washer and run! Then just keep refilling with vinegar.

Vinegar works just as good, if not better, than commercial agents. You get:

1. Clear glasses with no spots.
2. Dry dishes (even plastic. well, most of the time. sometimes a dish or 2 is damp)
3. Cleaner dishes. Seriously, my dishes have actually looked cleaner!

Plus, you’re not using any harsh chemicals that get stuck to your dishes and then get transferred to your food. And this is probably one of the cheapest/frugal things I’ve done in order to try and keep my home chemical free! A few ounces of vinegar literally costs just pennies on the dollar.

Crunchy Tuesday : Healthy Cleaning

Prior to a few weeks ago my only uses for ever needing baking soda were for baking or in junior high when I used it for making those fabulous volcanoes. Now it’s part of my regular cleaning regimen. It has more uses than I ever thought imaginable and it helps me keep those harsh chemicals out of my home. It’s really a super easy way to ‘go green’ and save lots of money in the process!

10 uses for Baking Soda

1. Sprinkle in the bottom of greasy or dirty pans, spray on a few squirts of vinegar and apply a little elbow grease. Safe for scrubbing all sorts of pans
2. Use to clean your showers and sinks. Sprinkle in and scrub away! Can also use a bit of vinegar for those extra tough spots.
3. Deodorizes those diaper pails.
4. Also deodorizes cloth diapers when you add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle.
5. Also deodorizes carpets after stinky messes. Let the carpet dry, sprinkle in and let set for a few minutes. Vacuum away.
6. You can also use it to clean toys and baby equipment. Just put a bit on a wet sponge and wipe everything down. Rinse it off with another damp towel or put it in the sink and rinse.
7. You can give stuffed animals a dry bath by sprinkling with baking soda, let set for 15 minutes and brush off.
8. Use it to put out fires on the stove top. (of course use your head – if it’s to bad call 911)
9. You can even use it to clean off fruits and veggies. Sprinkle on , wipe, and rinse.
10. A half a cup mixed into warm water makes a great floor cleaner.

The only one I haven’t tried is for the cloth diapers since I don’t have any But everything else works great. Sometimes it takes just a bit more elbow grease, but is so worth it when you think about all the chemicals you’re keeping out of your home and out of the air you breath. There are a ton more tips on Arm and Hammer’s site if you’re looking for a few more uses. And if you do a lot of sprinkling they do sell shakers for them, or you can always use an empty Parmesan cheese container.

Best part about cleaning this way……it’s super cheap!

Disinfecting the kitchen

I recently read this book. It has some great ideas on cleaning and housekeeping in general. Since today is “clean the kitchen day” it makes sense to share a great, healthy cleaning tip for disinfecting your kitchen and food items. (I also went online and did a search to make sure her idea wasn’t all hooey – so check here as well.

I get pretty weirded out about spraying harsh chemicals in the same place I prepare the food we eat, so this is great! Go out and buy some regular old vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and 2 spray bottles. (the bottle for the peroxide has to be opaque-not see through) Spray one, then the other on anything from the counter to fruit and veggies, and wipe clean. The smell disappears, but I think I’ll at least rinse my fruit off again.

Works on everything and is safe to use. I’ll be going over all my counters and table, the highchair and even my refrigerator shelves.