My house always looks clean because we're tidy and tend to not leave things lying about. I do try to give it a good cleaning every now and then—even dusting which is my least favorite chore.
With cleaning on my mind, I thought I'd share some of my tips on cleaning without expensive chemicals.
I'm always amazed at the many uses for white vinegar. If you're interested in natural cleaning, pick up a copy of Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of by Vicki Lansky
This book has recipes and cleaning tips. You'll be surprised how many things you can do with plain old white vinegar which is the strongest vinegar solution. Here are just a few that I use for appliances.
1. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your dishwasher to keep the drainline clean and odor free. (Vinegar coutneracts the effect of hard water.)
2. Pour enough white vinegar to fill the water chamber of your steam iron. Leave it overnight. The next morning pour it out and rinse the water chamber thoroughly with warm water. (Remember, don't get the electrical cord wet!)
3. Dip a sponge or cloth in white vinegar and wipe out the oven interior and the microwave oven interior too. Doing so prevents grease buildup.
4. Need to clean copper, brass, or bronze? Make a thick paste of table salt, white vinegar, and plain flour. Rub it on the metal, leave it about 15 minutes, wash, rinse, and dry thoroughly.
5. Hard water ruining your coffee maker or electric teakettle? Fill the water reservoir with vinegar and run it through the coffee maker's brewing cycle. Empty and rinse well. For electric teakettle's, do the same. Fill with vinegar, bring to a boil. Let it cool then dump and rinse well.
6. Does your clothes washer smell funky? Fill it with water and add 1 quart of vinegar. Let the machine run through a complete wash cycle. The vinegar cleans the tub and the drain hose too.
Takeaway Truth
Cleaning lime scale from appliances makes them last longer and work better.
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