My grand'ma told me, but I didn't believe her. Now I use it everywhere at home. Thanks! - Julie Brun
In this blog, we wanted to share with you some of our tricks, tips and good plans. For my first post, I chose to present a magical product I use in (almost) every room: white vinegar.
Advantages:
cheap (0,30 to 0,50€/litre),
natural,
ecological,
biodegradable,
easy to use,
easy to find in a store.
Drawbacks:
its smell, which can disturb some people, but disappears when drying.
Composition:
What it is made of? It comes from alcoholic fermentation, obtained from fermentation from sugar beetroot, cereals, sugar cane, corn or brandy.
In 1 litre, there 5% to 14% of vinegar, it’s its acetic degree, completed by water.
Properties:
antimicrobial,
disinfectant,
freshener,
softener,
removes stains,
cleans almost every surface,
scales fur,
preserves food…
Uses:
Almost everywhere in a house, and even in the garden.
In the kitchen: cleans countertops and fridge, scales fur from coffeemakers and kettles, helps baking goods (with bicarbonate of soda),
In the toilets: scales fur and disinfects,
In the bathroom: scales fur of showers and bathtubs, soften hairs,
In the laundry: removes stains and softens washing,
In the whole house: cleans windows and mirrors, floors; polishes copper, brass, bronze and silver; excellent solvent for cleaning epoxy resin as well as the gum on sticker-type price tags,
In the garden: herbicide (mix 20%), but acetic acid is not absorbed into root systems, so the vinegar will only kill the top growth and perennial plants may reshoot.
Uses in details:
To clean: in a spray bottle, mix half vinegar, half water, and spray on the surfaces to clean and to disinfect (countertops, fridge, toilets, windows, mirrors…), and wipe with a clean towel.
To scale fur: directly on the taps, or mix it with water and let the shower rose dip all the night; For coffeemakers, mix it with water in the tank and put the coffeemaker on, let all the water pass through (and don’t drink it!). For kettles: let act a mix one night and rinse.
In the laundry: Personally, I put 15cl of vinegar in place of the softener. It’s as good for the washing as against the fur of the resistance.
Hair softener: for my own part, I prefer cider vinegar but white vinegar ca be used too. I put few drops of lavender essential oil (lavendula officinialis), or in summer, I let 2 handfuls of lavender blossom steeping in a litre bottle of cider vinegar for 2 days in the sun. Then I filter and use it after the shampoo, as the last rinsing (and with the lavender’s scent, it can beat off lice!)
In the kitchen: in place of chemical baking powder. ½ teaspoon of food bicarbonate of soda in the dry mixture for a cake (with the flour), and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar at the end, mix well and in the oven.
Useful links:
And you, how do you use it?