You can pay a lot for cleaners, but one of the cheapest and most versatile already is in your pantry: vinegar. It’s just a mild acetic acid solution, but that bit of acid is enough to do many household jobs, removing stains, dissolving mineral deposits and clearing soap scum. Generally, household vinegar is quite safe, but before using it on prized fabrics or other porous materials, test it on a hidden corner to make sure it won’t do harm. Stick with regular household vinegar, which is a 5 percent solution. Use white vinegar not cider or red wine vinegar, which can stain.
Here are a few tested uses for vinegar; for more ideas, see www.vinegartips.com.
— Beth Botts, ebotts@tribune.com
1. To keep drains clear. Once a month, pour 1 cup of baking soda and then 1 cup of white vinegar down the kitchen sink. They will react, foaming up and generating heat to melt grease inside the drain — not enough to clear a clogged drain, but enough to forestall clogs in the future. After five minutes, rinse with hot water.
2. To use as a spray cleaner. Mix a half-and-half solution of vinegar and water to spray and wipe windows, countertops, appliances and other hard surfaces. Don’t use on wood, though.
3. To clean mineral deposits from a showerhead. If water flow has slowed, remove the showerhead, take it apart and clear the screen of any particles. Soak the parts (sans any rubber or plastic washers) in vinegar overnight. Rinse and reassemble.
4. To rinse laundry better. Add 1/4 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle; it will help clear soap deposits that dull clothes.
5. To clean soot from fireplace surround: Use white vinegar to scrub soot from the bricks, stone or ceramic of your fireplace surround; don’t get it on wood surfaces.
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ebotts@tribune.com
