I have come to the conclusion that Vinegar and Baking Soda are truly super heroes. I love to save a buck (or $100) so I looked into some cleaning remedies using these two household ingredients. Cheap ingredients too!
One of my favorite uses, was killing weeds. Our driveway gets those little sprouts along the cracks and I think they look atrocious! I poured some straight white vinegar on them, and they were dead within days! I also tried this in our garden, pouring vinegar over our mulch, and I have spent much less time weeding our garden!
Another use I was unaware of, is to remove rust. Vinegar takes the rust right off, and it polishes chrome as well! Adding Vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine will cut down on the amount of lint in your clothes. I have also had great luck using vinegar as a stain remover: mustard, coffee, jelly, and those nasty yellow stains on my husband’s white shirts. Just lightly rub the stained areas with pure vinegar then wash as usual.
In the kitchen, I use vinegar to deodorize the kitchen sink, and to clean the dishwasher. For the dishwasher put about a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle without any dishes. You can also put it in the “spot remover” area to get rid of hard water spots on your glasses. To unclog and freshen a sink drain, add a handful of baking soda followed by about a cup of vinegar into the drain. Wait a minute then rinse with hot water.
For tough bathroom soap scum wipe with vinegar then scrub with a sponge dipped in baking soda. And one of the coolest ideas? Rinse your hair after shampooing with half vinegar and warm water. It removes shampoo buildup and brings out natural highlights!
-Stephanie Wright
Do you know if vinegar and or baking soda will take stains out of carpets or not? If not, do you know what will? Thank you so much i’ve tried so much and everything has really cost alot and we’re moving and I don’t want to pay for a professional to clean the carpets when we leave!
Thanks for your comment!
In regards to your stains, it really depends on the type of stain you are trying to remove. It’s definitely worth a shot to try it, as vinegar is super inexpensive. To start, I would wet the stain with hot water, in the hopes of loosening everything up. Then blot to dry. Next go ahead and mix hot water and white vinegar together. Pour or spray on your stain, let it soak for about a minute or two then use a fresh, clean (preferably white) towel to dry. It’s important to blot when drying instead of using a scrubbing motion. When you scrub you run the risk of spreading your stain around. If this doesn’t work, then reapply the vinegar water mix and pour on some baking soda.
Check out our article on stains for more information: http://www.weeklysauce.com/kids-and-their-stains/
Good luck!