Easy and Natural Ways to Clean Your Home with Vinegar

Are you looking for an affordable, natural way to keep your home clean and smelling fresh? The answer could be in your pantry!

Here are a handful of easy ways to use vinegar in your cleaning routine.

Clean Your Kitchen with Vinegar

The kitchen is one of the busiest (and dirtiest!) rooms in the house—but it’s no match for the cleaning power of vinegar. For hygienic surfaces, mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and go to town. Use this solution to wipe down benches, cutting boards, and anywhere else you see fit. Vinegar is a great, natural way to banish bacteria and mould spores in the heart of your home.

Now for your kitchen appliances, start by filling a microwave-safe bowl with one cup of water and one cup of vinegar. Microwave on high for 5-10 minutes and let the steam loosen any stuck-on food, then wipe the inside clean. Then, pour a cup of vinegar into the bottom of your empty dishwasher and run a full cycle. This will help remove soap scum and keep your dishwasher smelling fresh as a daisy. Finally, your fridge. Mix equal parts water and vinegar and give the interior shelves and walls of your fridge some elbow grease. This solution will help get rid of unwanted odours and remove any spills or stains, voila!

Clean Your Bathroom with Vinegar

Are you battling soap scum, water stains, and mineral deposits in your bathroom? Vinegar to the rescue! Spray undiluted white vinegar on your shower walls and in your bath. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then lightly scrub with a sponge or brush. Rinse thoroughly with water and watch the soap scum melt away. For more hardy stains (commonly found on shower heads and sink fixtures) soak paper towels in vinegar and wrap them around the offending area. Leave the wrapped fixtures for around 30 minutes, and then wipe them dry. Your bathroom will be clean as a whistle.

P.S.: vinegar is an awesome glass cleaner, too!

Bonus Vinegar Cleaning Hacks

Dirty floors? Mix a cup of vinegar with three litres of warm water to create a dirt-busting floor-cleaning solution. Now, mop as usual. This works well on tiles and linoleum, but avoid using anything acidic (including vinegar) on your hardwood floors. If your precious pet has an accident on your carpet, vinegar can help there too. Simply clean the area with the same solution and blot with a clean cloth until the odour is gone.

Here’s one final vinegar cleaning hack; add half a cup of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment in your washing machine next time you pop on a load of laundry. The vinegar will soften your clothes, eliminate bad smells, reduce static cling, and work as mould and mildew prevention. Talk about powerful!

Could you use some help keeping your house clean? Give us a call! Here at Simply Helping, we offer a great range of home care services—including domestic care and house cleaning, for older adults, people with disability, and people with busy schedules. Click here to learn more and contact us today.