Natural Cleaning with White Distilled Vinegar

If you were only going to buy one ingredient for cleaning your home, white distilled vinegar would be the best bet. This highly versatile cleaner not only works well for any number of cleaning and freshening tasks around the home, but is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and economical.

Vinegar is both edible and biodegradable and is derived from the fermentation of alcohol into acetic acid. Because it is non-toxic there is no fear of breathing in harmful chemical or fumes while you are cleaning your house. The mild acidity of vinegar makes it highly effective at killing most molds, bacteria and germs and it also works well to dissolve soap scum, dirt, rust and hard water stains.

Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and is fantastic for removing odors from your surfaces and air. Unlike most air fresheners or cleaning products, it actually absorbs and removes odors rather than just covering them up.

It also acts well as a fabric softener. Just add it to your washer the same way you would a traditional fabric softener and your clothes will come out soft and odor free.

It can be used as a floor cleaner, surface cleaner, glass cleaner, carpet shampooer, toilet bowl cleaner, bathtub cleaner, rust remover, hard water build up remover, deodorizer and so much more. It is incredibly versatile, inexpensive, easy to use, non-toxic and safe for use around children and pets.

While vinegar does have a distinctive odor, the smell disappears when the vinegar dries. You can also help to mask the smell of the vinegar by adding essential oils to your cleaning mixes. Try lavender essential oil for a lovely fresh scent.

For saving money, vinegar can't be beat. It can replace the majority of your household cleaning products and costs just a couple of dollars per gallon. It is usually diluted with water so a gallon of vinegar can produce many gallons of cleaning products.

Finally, vinegar is safe for the environment so you won't be dumping harmful chemicals down your drain where they can add to pollution.

You can buy white vinegar at any grocery store in the condiments aisle.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Never mix vinegar with bleach since it can release a toxic gas when the two are combined.