My Love Affair With Vinegar

Vinegar isn't said to be versatile just because both words start with "v!"

According to Webster, versatile is, adaptable to many uses or functions.

And that's vinegar!  Not only is vinegar non-toxic, environmentally friendly, budget friendly, and all natural. It gives you tasty meals.  And  it can also come to your rescue in the kitchen.

What about those nasty odors?  Vinegar may just have the answer for you!

(Photo from Dreamstime.com)

You can add a small amount of white vinegar to the water when cooking vegetables (such as cabbage) to remove the odor.  This works with fish, too.  Don't worry, you will not taste the vinegar.

Or, you can add 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar to a cup of water.  Boil them in a separate kettle the same time you are cooking foods that tend to have an unpleasant smell when they are cooking.  The vinegar will absorb the odor.

And this idea is even easier.  You can simply place a small container of white vinegar next to your stove while cooking.  Again, the undesirable odor will be absorbed.

So--you didn't follow any of the above tips while cooking.  And now there's that awful odor.  Or, you burned the pot roast, again!

Put vinegar on a dish towel and wave it around the room.  (You probably don't want anyone seeing you do this!)  The odor will disappear.  And if you don't tell, your family will never know what you did to the roast!

You can wash your hands with white vinegar to remove food odors (onions, garlic)  from your hands.

If foods have left an odor on your cutting board, use a baking soda and vinegar mixture.  First, sprinkle the soda and then add undiluted vinegar.  They will bubble and foam.  After 10 minutes, wash.  The odor will be gone!

You may have containers that have stubborn odors.  Fill them with warm water and two tablespoons of white vinegar.  Let stand for several hours.  Rinse.  Then wash with dish detergent.  The odors should be gone.

So go right now and write vinegar on your store list!

Squeaky Clean, the Earth-Friendly Way!

It seems that it's always time to clean again.  And the only time I'm in the mood to clean is when it is time to leave the house to go to work! Of course, by the time I'm back home again, the mood has passed.

And then there's the woman who, every time she felt like cleaning,  went to lie down for awhile until that feeling passed.  That sounds like me, too!

Many of the products we use to keep our homes fresh and clean are made with harmful chemicals.

So make your own safe, natural cleaners.  Follow the recipes below to keep your home squeaky clean--the earth-friendly way.  They come from the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) and published in 1998--long before it was popular to go green!  (photo, Carla F. Castagno, Dreamstime.com)

Shine-On Window Cleaner

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon liquid soap

Mix the ingredients and pour them into a clean spray bottle.  Shake well before using.

Friendly Flush
1/4 cup baking soda

1/2 cup borax

toilet brush

Pour the baking soda into the toilet bowl.  Scrub  with the brush.  Next, add the borax.  Allow the mixture to sit for one hour.  Then give a quick scrub and flush!

Clog Buster

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup lemon juice

Pour the baking soda into a clogged drain.  Then pour in the lemon juice.  Let it sit for 15 minutes.  Run hot water down the drain for ten seconds.

Smile Tile Cleaner

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup liquid hand soap

2 gallons warm water

Combine the ingredients in a bucket.  Spread the mixture over tiles with a sponge. Then scrub away!

Magic Furniture Polish

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

Put the ingredients in a clean jar with a tight lid.  Shake well.  Rub on furniture with a clean rag.

Save the world, one project at a time.