17 household uses for vinegar

Our good friends at MotherEarth Living compiled a wonderful list of 17 ways to use vinegar around the home!  We loved their ideas and wanted to share them with you!

1. Grease Cutter: Vinegar’s acidity lets it cut through grease with ease. Dip a sponge in vinegar and wipe to degrease stovetops, microwaves, dirty dishes and more.

2. Disinfectant: A natural antibacterial, vinegar makes a great base for any nontoxic cleaning solution. For an all-purpose disinfecting solution, dilute 1 part vinegar in 4 parts water and use anywhere germs are found, such as countertops, keyboards, shared phones, doorknobs and remote controls.

3. Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Clean, disinfect and deodorize your toilet by pouring 1 cup of vinegar around the inside of the bowl. Let sit for an hour, use a brush to remove rings, then flush.

houseplants for a healthy home

Did you know that indoor air can be 12 times more polluted than outdoor air?  There’s an easy and pretty way to clean up ugly indoor airborne toxins (like benzene, formaldehyde & carbon dioxide).  Get some houseplants!   Not only does every home look better with plants, these green sponges can absorb most homes indoor toxins!

Keep your home healthy and your plants happy by:

• Grouping them together!  Plants do better when they are placed close together.  They benefit from each others humidity, moisture and oxygen.
• Playing classical music!  Who knew that your ferns were Bach afficiando’s?  It’s true… soothing music helps plants grow.
• Talking to them!  Plants respond to human voices.  Interestingly, according to Britain’s Royal Horticultural Society, “women’s voices speed growth much more than men’s”.   Plants also react positively to soothing kind words and wither when there is a lot of noise and yelling. 
• Primping!  Keep the leaves dust-free so they can get the air that they need (use a lightly dampened cloth and gently wipe dust off of the leaves). 

Read our "3 cheers for houseplants" article!  We've got 3 more reasons why houseplants make a home healthy! 

switch fabric softeners to something safer

I will admit it, in winter I have cheated on my ‘green’ fabric softeners with traditional ones.  I LOVE my green fabric softener sheets but during the winter, our laundry sometimes has a lot of static.  And static cling clothing drives me bonkers (it’s like nails on a chalk board to me)!  But, after hearing all of the bad news (again) associated with conventional fabric softeners, I have decided to go completely green and not look back.

Conventional fabric softener sheets can contain some really nasty chemicals… chemicals that I DO NOT want touching my children’s skin… remember skin is the largest organ in the human body!  It’s safe to say that bypassing traditional softeners will also avoid the possible exposure to ugly ingredients like:

• A-Terpineol -  Associated with central nervous system disorders
• Benzyl Acetate – A carcinogen linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol -  An upper respiratory tract irritant
• Camphor – It’s listed on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list (enough said)
• Ethyl Acetate – Another culprit on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and an irritant to the eyes and respiratory tract

So what can you do to dry your laundry and keep your clothing from sticking together (and the dreaded electrical charge if you have to pull them apart)?  Try these 5 tips for cling-free & chemical-free laundry:

1. Line dry when possible!  It’s the best choice.
2. Safety pins!  Who would have thunk it?  Place 2-3 safety pins on a cloth or rag and dry with your clothes.  I am not sure how this works, but it does work!
3. ¼ cup of Vinegar added to the ‘fabric softener dispenser’ of the washing machine is a natural fabric softener.
4. Wool dryer balls!  This is a fun new discovery.  The balls bounce around in the dryer and keep the laundry fluffed, static at bay, and it reduces the drying time!  They last for a long time too.  After an initial investment of $20+, you will be good to go for years! 
5. Avoid over-drying.  Additional (and unnecessary) drying time typically leads to additional static cling.  If your dryer has a sensor to automatically turn off when clothes are dry (rather than a set time), use that option!

dryer balls photo courtesy of Clean Sypria