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?
This is the kind of blog I really appreciate to follow. I can grab unexpected ideas for saving money, but also using less chemical products, and even meet the satisfaction of making things by myself. This article about white vinegar confirms that so so many products that industry wants us to buy are eventually superfluous.
I will definitely keep this article on my favourites. I already use white vinegar to clean my kettle and my surfaces but I never tried all you wrote, I can't wait to do it ! :)
Thanks for this Anne. Personally, I actually like the smell although I've nver used it as hair conditioner. I tend to use Argan oil although this can be too greasy for some types of hair.