Clean up the mess - the natural way......

I'm really wanting to start making my own cleaners and paring down on the chemicals I put in my house and flush out into the environment.   So I've become really fond - well infatuated - with baking soda and vinegar.   There is nothing this stuff can't do.  Here are some tips on using baking soda and vinegar for cleaning your home.

1. Use baking soda instead of buying Febreeze Sport.  My husband plays sports and his clothes get - well, really GROSS and smelly and wet.  I put a cup of baking soda in the wash and you'd never know a 42 year old sweaty man was wearing them.  

2.  Use vinegar and baking soda in the wash with your socks and undergarments.  The vinegar disinfects your clothes better than bleach and the baking soda gets rid of the gross smells from socks and underwear. 

3.  I use baking soda and vinegar in my wash with my towels.   Again, disinfecting towels is important to me after watching my kids dry their rear ends with a towel I might need to use at some point makes me feel so much better.  And watching the vinegar and baking soda fizz and bubble in the washer makes me happy happy happy.

4.  Using vinegar on dark clothes the first time you wash them keeps them from fading with future washes.   It locks in the color.

5.  Using vinegar and baking soda in the bathroom makes me happy, too.   Sprinkle baking soda in the sink and tub and using vinegar from a spray bottle spray the baking soda until it foams.  Then scrub.   You'll be amazed at how easy soap scum and grime comes right up.  Be sure to rinse well with hot water or the baking soda will leave a white residue. 

6  Use baking soda and vinegar in the toilet.   Sprinkle the baking soda and pour some vinegar in and let the foaming begin.  The vinegar kills the nasty germs.   Let the foam work for a few minutes and then scrub with a toilet brush.  Next, spray your toilet down with vinegar to kill nasty germs everywhere else and wipe clean.  It

7.  Everyone has heard of the ole' sprinkling the carpet with baking soda to soak up smells.  Well, it works!  Sprinkle, leave on for a few hours - even overnight - and vaccuum.

8.  In the kitchen, put a cupful in the dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier for your washer

9.  Put some baking soda in a pan with burnt on food, fill with water and leave overnight.  Easy peasy clean up the next day.

10.  Unclog hairy drains with baking soda and vinegar.  Pour a cup of baking soda down a clogged drain and chase it with some vinegar and let the fizzing begin!  Then chase it with boiling water.


There are many more amazing things you can do with baking soda and vinegar.   These are just a few of my favs.   Happy Cleaning!!!!!