How to use white vinegar for green cleaning - five tips

White vinegar is a traditional cleaning product that has been used safely for centuries. It can be found with the condiments in your supermarket. For cleaning purposes, however, it is better to buy in bulk for better economy.

Wondering how to use something you splash on your chips for cleaning? Here's how!

1- MIRRORS, WINDOWS and GLASS

Many of us will remember our Grandparents shining windows with vinegar and old newspaper. Now you can do the same! Fill a spray bottle with 50% white vinegar and 50% cold water and use as you would a conventional glass cleaner. It might be less messy to use a cloth rather than newspaper!

Vinegar will add sparkle and shine with a minimum of effort AND leave a streak-free finish.

2- LIME SCALE

A safe and easy way to remove limescale is to soak things in white vinegar. You can add a cup to your kettle, boil it and leave overnight to dissolve hard water deposits. In the morning rinse well with warm water.

Vinegar will break down limescale on taps, tiles, the toilet bowl and shower heads.

3- ALL PURPOSE CLEANER

Make your own multi purpose cleaner from 50% water and 50% vinegar. Shake it up and keep it handy in your kitchen or bathroom. You can add 5 drops of your favourite essential oil if you wish. Tea tree is antibacterial, Lavender is relaxing and lemon is uplifting and antiseptic.

A white vinegar spray will dissolve greasy marks, add shine to surfaces and remove residues of other cleaning products, such as bicarbonate of soda. Spray onto your surfaces and wipe off.

4- FABRIC SOFTENER

White vinegar can be used in the rinse cycle of your washing machine for softening clothes. It will not add an artificial fragrance or irritate the skin. As the clothes dry, the smell of vinegar dissipates.

Add a cup to the fabric conditioner drawer of your washing machine.

5- DEODORISER

You can use vinegar to neutralise odours. Your home might smell of vinegar for a while, but the smell soon disappears!

Using your 50/50 spray to which you have added some essential oils, you can spray this into the air. Don't spray near delicate fabrics such as silk though.

Many conventional products boast that they have the 'added power of vinegar'. Now you can make your own products for a fraction of a price, avoiding nasty chemicals.

Want to know more about green cleaning? Find out how to use bicarbonate of soda and fresh lemons too!

About the author
Rachelle Strauss, dubbed the Green Goddess, writes for various magazines about green and environmental issues. She writes down to earth, honest and informative articles to inspire and empower the reader. Look out for her first book to be published late summer 2009 - "Self Sufficiency: Household Cleaning", by New Holland Publishers. She lives with her husband and their daughter in semi-rural England and you can follow her family's adventures towards achieving zero waste on her My Zero Waste website