Thursday, September 20, 2007

Vinegar is magical!

It feels good to have "Mickey'd" the floor today, which is what we call cleaning the hardwood floor, because that's how the previous owner, Mickey, did it. She told us how, and we've memorialized it with her name. (We think we're so clever!) It's easy, inexpensive, and makes our floor shine. Put some water in the sink, add a couple cups of white vinegar, and with a rag for each hand wipe the floor clean. Old cloth diapers work great! :)



Here's the line-up. They are tough on floors, and the main reasons why I grab the jumbo size white vinegar. I've noticed you can really get in touch with your floor on hands and knees, and as I was down there today bonding, it occurred to me that this might just qualify as a green activity. After all, how many other cleaning agents are completely edible? I googled, and as you may know, there are numerous uses for vinegar. If you're interested in green cleaning, don't buy chemicals you can't pronounce. Instead go here, here, and here for some great vinegar uses! As a segue back to food, perhaps next post we'll be eating off the floor....

28 comments:

julie hasson said...

Hi Vicki!

I use vinegar on my floors too. It's the best, even if the house smells like pickles for a few minutes.

I also loved reading about your trip to LA. It's looks like you guys had a wonderful time.

jaxin said...

I love vinegar!! It's great for so many things.

I've been using it as a rinse in my wash. And I used it to wipe down my mirrors today.

Mikaela said...

Great post - I love the clever segue. I'll be looking for food on the floor in your next post. Maybe a picnic in the kitchen? :)

moi + toi PHOTOGRAPHIE said...

I will do this on my hardwood now. I use apple cider vinegar for my kettle, shower head. Gets the yuckies out.

Regina said...

Vinegar is the only house cleaner I buy!

theONLYtania said...

Hah, we are kindred spirits. I had a free night the other week and everybody else was at class.. so I got down and scrubbed the kitchen floor!
Ohh the things I do when I'm bored!

The Little Mama said...

I've been making my own cleaning products (using baking soda, vinegar, borax, etc.) for about a year, and will never go back. They work so well, and I don't feel bad using them around the kids.

laura k said...

I'm a HUGE believer in vinegar! Oh yes, and thanks for reminding me that I need to clean MY hardwood floors! :P

laura k said...

PS--You know my comment was all in fun, right? :)

bazu said...

I love the cleaning powers of vinegar. And baking soda. And salt. All the oldies, but goodies. I'm really sensitive to chemical smells, so I can't really have artificial or non-natural stuff around.

Dr. Melissa West said...

Awesome, thanks for this! In my appreciation for the planet I have switched all the cleaners, laundry detergent etc. in our house to environmentally friendly. I use vinegar for just about everything! In the bathroom I use it with a few drops of essential mandarin oil and it makes the bathroom smell like vinegar and fresh oranges. LOL!

Anonymous said...

Ooohhh, I love vinegar for cleaning. I use it for everything. It's awesome. Cheap, environmentally friendly, natural, edible...what more could you ask for?

Anonymous said...

I love the line-up -- how cute is that? I also love white vinegar. I also put a little in the dark wash to keep the colors from bleeding. It works great.

Amey said...

so cute!!!
love all those little feet!

xo
amey

Jackie said...

Whether for cleaning, making your hair shine, a salad dressing or to stop arthritis aches and pains I always have many types of vinegar in my home.

Kumudha said...

Wow! so many wonderful uses of vinegar.

MeloMeals said...

I adore vinegar too.. I clean so much with it and use it as a fabric softener.

My favorite cleaner is vinegar, spring water, peppermint castille soap and lavender essential oil.

I change it up with tea tree oil to clean the toilets.

Theresa said...

I love cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, and eucalyptus oil. So close to the coast (any water, really), I'm always worried that the nasty chemicals people let go down the drain will end up in the ocean, doing god knows what to the critters who live there.

Carrie™ said...

I love the feet! Such a cute picture. Vinegar is an amazing thing. Clean your floors, walls, sinks, etc. and the smell of the house makes you think of fries.

Anonymous said...

Hi viki! i didn't see your comment until today, thanx for stopping by ;-) i often visit you, but don't leave messages 'cause i'm lazy.topinambour aka the jerusalem artichoke, i'm sure you already know them (if not,read http://recipes.healthemporium.com.au/?p=20)
have a nice day!

Teresa said...

Ah yes, vinegar the magic floor cleaner. I always remember smelling it when I came home and my mom and dad would be on their hands and knees on the floor. I always claimed to "hate" the smell and would go outside...haha!

urban vegan said...

Like you, I buy the jumbo size! Vinegar has never gone out of style.

Jody from VegChic said...

Vinegar and baking soda are the two most useful cleaning products ever!

ABC cookies are great. The pumpkin flavor should be out soon. The cookie of the season this summer was white chocolate chip cranberry nut muffin top. They were delicious. If you can still find them, grab one.

I buy them on occasion, but honestly usually enjoy my home made cookies better. They are great in a pinch though.

Tanya Kristine said...

how it all vegan has many uses for vinegar too. or is it the garden of vegan...one has vinegar, one has baking soda.

cute lineup.

i HATE washing my floors...

Peace, Love and Veganism said...

Oh, I just love cleaning with vinegar! I have it in spray bottles everywhere for easy access. I even have it at the school where I work and feel great knowing that I can clean tables at the end of the day without worrying about chemicals around my students!

Catherine Weber said...

When I use up the big bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap that I have on hand, I'm absolutely switching to vinegar mop water! (Wait . . . when's the last time I've mopped the floors? Uh . . . !)

Anonymous said...

I love vinegar too! I've been using it (with baking soda and water) as an all-purpose spray cleaner for a year or so and love it.

But my FAVORITE use of vinegar? FABRIC SOFTENER! I hate all those nasty fragrances they put in commercial fabric softeners, so I just pour in about a third of a cup in the rinse cycle (ok, I put it in a downy ball and let the machine do its thing) and voila! It seriously works (no more static cling!) and is cheap and is even good for your washing machine - esp. if you live in an area with hard water!

Anonymous said...

Your tootsie picture is so cute! Vinegar is awesome. I use it on just about everything!

(I love your blog! Thank you.)