Vinegar: The Miracle Cleaning Ingredient for Household Surfaces!

Vinegar, the tangy, acrid, distinctive flavour that lends itself to many a dish, has more than just the one use. From its inclusion in tasty meals to using it to clean the dishes they were prepared in; vinegar has become an extremely resourceful and effective cleaning agent to be reckoned with. 

Nowadays, customers are spoiled for choice when it comes to chemical-based household cleaners and disinfectants; however, due to its non-toxic nature, vinegar is the preferred choice in many households looking for an eco-friendly alternative to these harsh products. 

Here, you will find first-hand information on the many cleaning uses of distilled vinegar, thus ensuring a healthy living space free of chemicals.

How to Clean Your Bedroom with Vinegar

Your mattress is the one thing you spend most of your time on in the bedroom and therefore, keeping it clean and hygienic should be at the top of your monthly bedroom cleaning routine. When you live in a tropical country, high humidity plays a major part in the formation of mildew and bacteria which can cause the user to develop breathing problems, allergies, skin reactions, etc. 

To rid your mattress of these health-hazards, combine 2 cups of distilled white vinegar with 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil (known for its disinfectant properties), and mix in a spray bottle. Add a little rubbing alcohol to the mix and shake well. Spritz the solution all over your mattress, focusing on areas that appear dirtier. If your mattress hasn’t been cleaned in a while, sprinkle baking powder over the sprayed mattress and let it sit for an hour or until dry. Vacuum the remnants of the baking soda to finish it off. 

TIP: To ensure that your mattress dries up through and through, place it outside under direct sunlight.

How to Clean Your Kitchen with Vinegar

The kitchen is one room in the house that requires you to be on top of your cleaning game. Being the place where food is prepared and cooked, hygiene is a serious priority. Since vinegar is environmentally sound, highly effective, and easily accessible, it is a sought after cleaning agent for removing grease, dirt, and stains from kitchen surfaces, even descaling kitchen appliances like your kettle. 

Here are some of the best ways you can clean kitchen appliances and surfaces using distilled vinegar.

Refrigerator

Whether or not you’re a clumsy person, spillage is a natural occurrence when taking out or returning items to your fridge. Not to worry, though, these drips and stains can be cleaned with equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Simply dampen a clean cloth with the solution, or spray the spills directly, and wipe them up. You can even store the extra solution in the fridge for future use.

Chopping Boards

Health-conscious individuals use different chopping boards for vegetables, meats, and fish, while also making sure to clean and sanitise the item with vinegar. To do this, spray undiluted vinegar directly onto the soiled board (after rinsing it), and allow the vinegar’s properties to take action for at least 10 minutes. Follow this up by scrubbing with dish soap and rinse off.

Countertops

It’s never easy to keep kitchen counters clean when cooking or using them. From food spills to oil splashes; they all result in a very grimy countertop that needs a thorough wipe down. The best way to clean kitchen counters is by spraying white vinegar directly onto the surface, and then using a warm, damp cloth to wipe over it. 

WARNING: Vinegar is not advisable if the countertop is made of marble or granite as its acidic nature will eat into the surface. 

Microwave

Quite often, the microwave is overlooked when it comes to cleaning until, of course, its dirty condition becomes hard to ignore. 

If you want to clean your microwave fast and efficiently, use vinegar in the following manner:

1. Mix ½ cup of water with ½ cup of white vinegar in a glass bowl. 
2. Set the microwave timer at 2-3 minutes and press ‘Start’. 
3. Once the liquid starts to boil, stop the microwave and use a dry sponge to easily wipe away interior grime when it has sufficiently cooled down.

Plastic Container Stains

Stains on plastic containers can be removed by soaking them in vinegar for a few hours. Afterwards, wash the containers as you normally would using dish soap, and rinse with water. These methods are a great way to clean your kitchen whilst being envinronmentally conscious.

Cleaning Your Bathroom With Vinegar

Another room that needs utmost care when it comes to hygiene, is the bathroom. It serves well to be attentive when cleaning while also using products that are chemical-free. Here’s where vinegar, once again, does the trick for those bathroom surfaces that are not made of marble or granite.

General Bathroom Cleaning

Diluted or undiluted vinegar can be used as a core ingredient to clean bathroom wall tiles, floor tiles, sinks, faucets, and bathtubs. Not only does vinegar take care of stains and grime, but it kills bacteria and neutralises odours, too!

The Shower Area

Using vinegar to clean your shower requires a little bit of preparation. 

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Boil vinegar and allow it to cool till warm. 
2. Take a large cloth, dip it in vinegar, and wipe the walls, shower door, and handle. 
3. With a non-abrasive sponge dampened in the vinegar, sprinkle some baking soda over it and scrub the shower area to get rid of soap scum, mould, and bacteria.
4. Thoroughly rinse with water to remove traces of the vinegar.

TIP: For a pleasant fragrance, add essential oil to the vinegar.

Toilet Bowl

The dirtiest part of a bathroom and the one thing that requires the most attention – your toilet. To clean the bowl and seat with vinegar, start by adding 1 cup of baking soda to the toilet water, followed by 1 cup of vinegar; leave it overnight to break down stains and kill bacteria. In the meantime, dampen a sponge with vinegar and wipe down the toilet seat and lid. After the vinegar has had enough time to tackle bacteria and stains, scrub the bowl interior with a toilet brush, and flush to rinse off. 

So, as you can see, vinegar on its own, or combined with other natural products, is easily one of the best go-to products for household cleaning. Not only does it work wonders as a natural cleaning agent, but it’s light on your wallet, too!