This & That Junk Drawer Wednesday!! How Vinegar Can Make Your Kitchen Sparkle

Now is the time to sweep out those winter dust bunnies, freshen up the home and make your kitchen shine!

20 Ways Vinegar Can Help Your Kitchen Sparkle

1.Microwave Cleaner: Use vinegar & water to clean your microwave–cleans up easily no matter how grungy it is! Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a bowl, place in microwave with wooden spoon or stir stick in the water*) and heat for 3 - 5 minutes. The vinegar also acts as a freshener and deodorizer. You can also use this water when wiping down, but again–the water is very hot. Be careful.
2.Coffee Pot & Kettle Cleaner: Clean scum and lime deposits from your coffee pots & kettles...Fill the coffee tank with 6 cups of vinegar, then top up the tank with water. Turn on the coffee pot as you would when making coffee (minus the coffee grounds). The machine will heat the vinegar and water as it enters the pot. This is for a 12 cup coffee machine, if yours is a different size, just use 50/50 vinegar and water. Once the pot is full, pour the hot vinegar and water back in the tank and run through the process again. Dump the hot vinegar and water then scrub the pot inside and out in hot soapy water. There should be no signs of brown coffee film at this point. Next add plain water in the coffee tank and turn on the machine. The hot water will run through and rinse out the vinegar. I do this step twice using fresh water for the second rinse cycle. The vinegar not only helps clean the coffee pot, but also flushes out any buildup in the tank and tubes
3.Pots & Pans Stubborn Stain Scrub: mix 50/50 flour and salt, add vinegar to make a paste. Using a sponge, rub into stains then wash with hot soapy water and rinse off.
4.Oven Rinse: Wipe the inside of your oven with vinegar to remove the residue left behind by oven cleaner.
5.Glassware: To make your glassware sparkle and prevent hard water spots, add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to your rinse water.
6.Dish Detergent Extender: Make your liquid dish soap last longer by adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of vinegar to a bottle. Shake to mix. Also adds extra cleaning power to your detergent (make sure detergent ingredients are safe to use with vinegar).
7.Sink Taps: Bring a shine to Kitchen taps by rubbing with a cloth soaked in vinegar. If you have heavy deposits around the base of the tap, soak paper towels with vinegar and stuff firmly on top of the grime buildup. After a few hours you should be able to wash clean.
8.Kitchen Sink: Use vinegar to make your stainless steel sink shine: First clean with hot soapy water, drain, then use a clean cloth soaked in some white vinegar and scrub the sink. Sprinkle baking soda around the sink then scrub it down with a damp sponge.
9.Kitchen Sponge Freshener: Regularly clean & freshen kitchen sponges by soaking them in vinegar and water.
10.Refrigerator Cleaning: After cleaning your refrigerator, rinse wipe with a 50/50 vinegar and water rinse to help prevent mildew.
11.Stained Plastic Dishes: Soak stained plastic dishes overnight with hot soapy water and 1/4 cup vinegar. Wash clean the next day.
12.Clean stains from coffee mugs, tea pots, tea cups and fine china by soaking them overnight in vinegar or make a paste with vinegar and table salt
13.Kitchen Drain Cleaner: Use vinegar & baking soda to clear clogged kitchen drains.
14.Stove Tops: Clean stove tops, stained element rings and drip pans with a paste made with cream of tartar and vinegar (50/50) or by applying vinegar soaked paper towels for a few hours.
15.Softscrub Cleaner: Make your own softscrub cleaner with vinegar, baking soda and liquid dish detergent–perfect for grimy spots on appliances.
Homemade Softscrub Cleaner Recipe
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup liquid dish detergent
1/8 cup - 1/4 cup vinegar
Mix the baking soda and dish detergent first, then add the vinegar. Adjust the baking soda or vinegar amounts until you have the consistency you like working with.
Tips:
Just use whatever’s on sale or a generic brand of dish detergent and you’ve got yourself some super cheap, yet very effective, homemade softscrub!
Use the amount of vinegar that gives you the consistency of softscrub that you prefer. Vinegar’s a great grime buster–so don’t be shy with it.
If you just want to do some spot cleaning and don’t need a large amount of softscrub, give the spot a light squirt of dish detergent, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on top and scrub. You won’t need to bother with the vinegar for small spots like this.
Try heating the vinegar in the microwave first before mixing it in with the other ingredients. You don’t want it super hot, but a warm temperature that’s comfortable to work with.
16.Homemade Produce Wash: Make your own homemade produce wash with vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and water.
Homemade Produce Wash Recipe
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 TBS baking soda
2 TBS lemon juice
Directions:
Mix ingredients then pour in clean spray bottle. Spray fresh vegetables & fruit generously. Sit for 5 minutes then rinse off well.
Note: Make sure to first mix ingredients in deep container since there will be some fizzing from the baking soda & vinegar
17.Crockpot Cleaner: Vinegar is a good crust buster for crockpots.Fill crockpot 1/4 full with vinegar, then add warm water to cover the stain line. Let soak overnight with temperature on low. In the morning scrub with a nylon scrubber and hot soapy water. This method is also helpful for removing sauce stains (tomato based sauces can discolor the crock, this helps remove them).
18.Homemade Household Cleaner: Make your own citrus cleaners, great for counter tops (test surfaces first before using).
Homemade Citrus Household Cleaner
Fill a large, wide mouth jar with citrus peels (such as lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits). Cover the peels with white household vinegar. Let brew for four weeks, shaking the jar occasionally (just to mix it up a bit). Strain twice
Before filling the jar, make sure the citrus peels are scrubbed well in baking soda and water to remove any chemicals or pesticides. It’s a lot easier if you do this before peeling the fruit
19.Cookware Rust Remover: Strip buildup and rust from old cast iron cookware with 50/50 vinegar & water, then re-season.
20.Blender Cleaner: Use vinegar to give your blender a good cleaning. Right after using, add warm water and a good splash of vinegar to blender. Turn on and let the blender work the liquid for about a minute. Pour out, rinse well and the blender container should be nice and clean.