15 ways to clean every room of the house for less than $2 using a common pantry staple
By Rachael Gavin|
T?here is one pantry staple you can use to clean most things in the house, and it will only set you back $1.85 for a 2-litre bottle at the supermarket, and that's white vinegar.
It's budget-friendly (and means you can do away with most pricey cleaning products), low-tox and versatile, making it the ultimate cleaning hack.
?One bottle of vinegar can be used to clean things in the laundry, kitchen and bathroom.
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Before you start cleaning with vinegar, check out this list of things you shouldn't use the product on to avoid damaging any surfaces.?
DIY surface spray
T?o clean surfaces like sinks and benchtops, grab a spray bottle and add two parts vinegar to one part water. Then just spray surfaces and wipe as needed.
If you don't like the smell of vinegar you can add some essential oil to the spray.
And for extra soapy power, pop in a few drops of dishwashing detergent if you like.?
Clean the microwave
Vinegar has been proven to banish stubborn odours from the microwave with this simple hack.
Add a cup of water and two tablespoons of vinegar to a microwave safe bowl and then microwave it on high for five minutes.
Leave the steam to work it's magic on food residue for a few minutes before opening the door.
?Remove the bowl (you might need to use an oven mitt if it's still hot) and wipe the inside, including the door.
The turntable will also need cleaning so take that out and give it a wipe down too.?
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Deodorise sink drains
Forget about using both vinegar and baking/bicarb soda? to clean a drain as the combination cancels each other out making salty water.
Using one or the other is the way to go so if vinegar is your drain deodoriser of choice pour one cup of it down the sink.
Leave to sit for up to half an hour and then rinse with hot water.
This should help get rid of the stench, but if not it's time for a more thorough clean.?
Clean plastic chopping boards
C?hopping boards rarely get the thorough deep clean they need so grab some vinegar to disinfect them.
You can either spray with a vinegar and water mixture and leave to sit for five minutes, wipe with full-strength vinegar or pour onto the board and let sit for a while. Finish by handwashing in hot, soapy water or pop in the dishwasher.
Clean windows
Home and lifestyle queen Martha Stewart advises using equal parts vinegar and hot water to make an effective window cleaner. If you like you can add a bit of dishwashing detergent for an extra boost of grease-cutting power.
Once you've made your solution, wet the window with it using a sponge and then squeegee off.
When cleaning windows try to do it on an overcast day as the windows will dry too quickly when it's sunny, leaving streaks.?
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Cleaning the washing machine
T?here are a couple of ways you can clean your washing machine with vinegar.
One is to use two cups of vinegar in a long, hot water cycle to get rid of soap scrud, bad odours and mould.
The other is to use it to wipe the seal and detergent drawers of a front loader to remove or prevent mould.
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?Clean the dishwasher
Y?ou could spend money on dishwasher cleaning products from the supermarket, or you can just pour a cup of vinegar in a bowl and stick it on the bottom rack of an empty dishwasher to clean your appliance.
After placing the bowl in the appliance run the dishwasher on a hot cycle to help remove limescale and grease.
Do this? once a month to keep your appliance running smoothly, and your dishes sparkling clean.
Disinfect sponges
Something many people forget to do is disinfect the kitchen sponge, which is one of the germiest spots in the home because it rarely gets a chance to dry out completely.
Emma Harding, molecular virology researcher and PhD candidate at the University of New South Wales, told 9honey Living the best way to clean a sponge is to soak it in vinegar overnight.
"Vinegar is antimicrobial and completely food safe, so you don't need to worry if you haven't completely rinsed the sponge after soaking. If the sponge really smells or is badly discoloured, it is safest to throw it out and use a new one," she said.
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Clean knife block slots
Y?ou'd be surprised how much dirt and dust gets into crevices, even when something is slotted inside them.
That's the case with knife blocks, and while this isn't a task that needs doing that often, you might want to consider it every now and then or as part of a major kitchen deep clean.
To freshen up the slots in your knife block, soak paper towels in vinegar and wrap around your knives. Then pop the paper-covered knives back in the slots? and move in and out a couple of times.
This hack does come with a warning though, because vinegar can damage chef knives so don't leave the vinegar-soaked paper towels on for too long and don't do this hack too frequently.?
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Clean the floor
Not all floors can be cleaned with vinegar, like vinyl, linoleum and hardwood floors, but it's very effective for mopping with on other surfaces.
Use one cup of vinegar with four litres of warm water? when mopping to disinfect and shine your floors.
Don't worry about the smell of vinegar as it fades very quickly.?
Clean shower glass
T?o get rid of soap scum and hard water stains from shower glass, use a spray made of half vinegar and half water.
Spray the mixture onto your shower screen, scrub with a scourer or microfibre cloth and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.?
Then rinse off with water and squeegee the glass dry.
If you prefer, you can add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to boost the grease-cutting power.?
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Clean shower heads
A?n oldie but a goodie, this hack makes easy work of cleaning out build-up from the hard-to-reach holes in your shower head.
These holes can get a build-up from all the water they're pumping out during your shower, making them not only visibly dirty but also stopping full water flow.
All you need is a plastic bag and vinegar. Pour the vinegar into the bag and secure it to the shower head so that it is submerged in the vinegar.
Leave for? 30 minutes to one hour before removing and run the shower briefly to rinse.
Fabric softener alternative
F?abric softener is known to leave a coating on your clothes and cause residue build-up in your washing machine, so it's a good one to skip.
Instead, vinegar works a treat as a fabric softener alternative. Just pour half a cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment of your? washing machine.
This works especially well for towels, and doesn't leave any lingering vinegar smell.?
Descale a kettle
T?here are a few different ways to descale a kettle, and vinegar is one of them.
Just add equal parts water and vinegar to the kettle and then boil. Leave to sit for 15 minutes and rinse out.
You might need to do this a couple of times, and/or scrub/wipe inside the jug to get rid of the residue from the bottom if it's really bad.
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Remove mould from blinds
Vinegar is one of the best ways to kill and remove mould and mildew from surfaces in the home.
One particular spot you might find vinegar useful for is blinds, which tend to get mouldy because of the condensation from the window?.
One option is to spray undiluted vinegar onto your blinds, leave to sit for a while and then scrub and rinse off with water.
Another is to make a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water and wipe the blinds with it.?
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