Benefits of Vinegar

Another 'Laundry Tips' Post.

I've been wanting to do another 'Laundry' post. But it always seems to get pushed off. Or I have something else I'd rather post. So today I'm going to do another one. (Not sure how many more I'll have.)

A while ago I started using Vinegar as my liquid Fabric Softener. And it works wonderfully!!! I read about it here.

Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.


 And then later I read somewhere, but forget just where right now, how it works to not have to use fabric softener/anti-static sheets in your dryer, if you use Vinegar in your rinse water when washing. So I tried it, and YES, it WORKS!!! I have not purchased any dryer sheets for along time now. And I NEVER have any static in my clothes when I dry in the dryer.

My washer has a cup holder for putting the liquid fabric softener in, so I just put 1/2c. or so in of Vinegar, fill the rest of the way with water, and let it come out when it is suppose to. -During the rinse cycle.-

Did you know the lint in your lint traps, on your dryer, are bits of your clothes being chewed up by the dryer?? I never really gave it much thought before a man came to our place to do a water test and we were talking about our water and the hardness, ect. And he was saying how a dryer actually is very hard on our clothes.

So hanging your clothes to dry is the best thing to do. For one it saves wear and tear on them, (They get enough wear and tear just by being worn.) in the winter it adds much needed moisture to the air, and it will save you lots of $$ by not using your dryer. And less you think I only wash on sunny days, and never use my dryer anymore!!! Remember-we are FARMERS!! We have to do wash on an almost daily basis, I don't have that option.

::More benefits of Vinegar in your Laundry Room::

• Keep bright colors from running. Soak clothes in full strength Vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
• Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight. (I haven't tried this one, but I want to.)
• 
  Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.
• Forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy? Pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.
• Eliminate manufacturing chemicals from new clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water.
• Remove deodorant stains by lightly rubbing with vinegar then washing as usual.

It works great for me. What ways have you found to use it in your Laundry Room??

You can find more tips and uses here.
1001 Uses for Distilled White Vinegar
131 Uses for Vinegar

You can use vinegar for MANY more things then just the laundry room!!! Just google it and you will be amazed at the things you can fine. From weed killers to being used as a medicine.

Linked to Works for Me Wed.

Trash Can Tip

You ever get tired of emptying the trash can?? Tired of pulling out bags and putting a new one back in?? Here's something I have been doing for a while now. I read it in the book, "Time-Saving Tips For The Busy Mom" by Carrie Grubbs- Life Changing Seminars.

Whenever I take out the bag, I add 3-6 more trash bags, one inside the other, until I can't get any more in. Then on days I am in a hurry, there is another bag waiting. All I do as I am putting the trash bags in the trash can, is poke small holes with a pin along the top, to let out air. It will take a bit to get all the air out of the liners. But once the first bag is full, the next is waiting, fitting snuggly to the side of the trash can.

Another thing you can do is just place your box of bags or even a handful of them, on the bottom of your trash can. Then you are not wasting trips to get a bag from where ever you store them.

I find it a great time saver, as I don't push off changing the full bag, because all I have to do is pull, tie and throw out.

Sparkling Bathroom

Photo Credit

Ahhh, who doesn't love a clean, fresh smelling bathroom!! Sad to say it is one of the last things to get cleaned in this house. Not because it doesn't need it, most time's it's because it's a job that happens to be the least favorite on my 'to-do-list'. So it will get put off and get put off, 'til I tell myself that I can't do 'XYZ' until 'that bathroom is CLEANED'!!!

And this morning was one of those mornings... I would NOT allow myself computer time, until THAT bathroom was sparkling and shining from being scrubbed. And it was so worth it... it looks lovely now!! And the best part... I ONLY used Baking Soda to clean the whole thing!!

Yep, you read that right-Baking Soda. Have you read the back of a baking soda box lately?? I know we all use it in the kitchen ALL the time. It's sitting in the spice rack, waiting for that next batch of cookies to be made. Well, I now have a box sitting under my bathroom sink. (Waiting for a 2 yr. old to find it. This morning he dumped ALL my ground cloves out, and was heading for the next container of spices. It's his newest 'find'.)

Anyway, back to the back of a baking soda box... Did you see what all you can do with it?? Besides using it for cooking and baking!! Wow... LOTS of cleaning ideas... Kitchen and bathroom sinks, counter tops, refrigerators, pots and pans (that one is more common knowledge, I think), Coffee pots, Ovens, Microwaves, stainless steel, showers, tubs, toilets, tile, grout and more. You can also use it for your garbage Pail (think odors), carpets, between uses in dishwasher (again think odors), and a smelly litter box (which you would not find in my house, by the way.).

My cousin was actually the one to point me in the direction of using baking soda to clean my toilet. I was asking her what she uses, instead of buying the chemical laiden stuff from Walmart. And she said she uses Baking Soda. And now and then when she wants something bubbly, will add vinegar. So today I just used baking soda and it worked wonderfully. (I almost said 'beautifully', but didn't think it was a good word to describe a useful thing like a toilet.)

When I used it in my shower, I sprinkled it on the sides and in the tub, then took a stainless steel brush and attacked the soap scum. Wow, I liked those results. Although I do think I'll go buy a brush just for my bathroom. I used the one from my kitchen and it had stuff in it... But it did wonderfully just the same. And I'll go buy a shaker to make it easier to 'sprinkle' instead of 'dumping' on the sides of my tub.

I even used it to clean my combs. And that reminds me... have you ever used Baking Soda to wash your hair?? Just use 1/4 tsp. or so in a cup of water and scrub your head with it. And rinse thoroughly. Leaves your hair soft and feels good. I often rinse my hair with vinegar too.

One simple product with so many uses. And I thought I needed 2 or more different cleaners just for my bathroom.

Happy Cleaning!!

Homemade Toothpaste

Photo Credit

I have been making my own toothpaste for a while now. And we have learned to really like it. (Yes, it did take a bit to get used to it.)

And it's super simple to make...

4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Water

Peppermint Flavoring-to taste

Mix all together and store in a container. I have a container for each person. And yes, eventually, we will need to lable each persons. :) Right now, Mom still supervises. This amount last around 2 mths. But it does depend how heavy you use it. My Hubby used it up MUCH faster, I told him he's a heavy user. I just wet my tooth brush, shake off the excess water, then dip in the tooth paste/powder. And brush away!!

Linked to From Scratch.

Laundry Tips#3-Stain Removers

Stains Originally uploaded by :Bron:

Yesterday, I once again had some stubborn stains to remove. This time from my Hubby's worn-only-once-before-new shirt. After doing my normal 'Spray & Wash', he was quick to inform me it hadn't come out. So I knew it was time for some harder work... A trick my sister showed me last summer.

She had sprayed a stubborn old stained on my skirt and left it sit an hour or so. Then she proceeded to scrub at it with her finger/thumb nails. And I was shocked to see it come right out. It took a bit of time, but not much. (It had been there for so long... why didn't I know it sooner. It was a favorite skirt of mine.)

So I did it with the shirt. And yes, it took a bit to do, but I think I got it all out now.:)

My favorite stain removing spray is 'Shout', I haven't found anything that will get kids stains out like it. I am open to finding something better-less toxic, but until then that will do. We go through a lot of clothes, and with 3 boys taking a turn, they are wearing out. (Boys are super hard on jeans!!)

My favorite degreaser is 'Mean Green'. My Mom always used that stuff on my Dad and brother's clothes. They worked in the woods and on equipment, so would come home quite greasy and grimy a lot of days!! But I have found that I don't need to use it real often with my own Homemade Laundry Soap.

And did you know Hairspray works great at removing ink from fabric?? Try it!!! You'll be pleasantly surpised!!

If you have any good stain removers or tips to share, please post them in the comments. I'd love to learn more too!!

Mr. Clean

Did you know??...
...That Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser can clean Magic Marker off of your counter top??!!?? Even a white one!!

Yes, my 2yr old decided my counter top needed some new color added to it, in long, pretty, squiggly, blue lines... How he found them, high up in a cupboard, I don't know. Now I need to find a new place to hide them!!

I had used my Magic Eraser on my counters previously, when I canned grape juice and it boiled over, causing lovely purple rings on the counter. And it took that off wonderfully!!

So I pulled it out again. And yes, it took a bit of 'elbow greese', but it didn't take long at all and I had it all cleaned off. (Along with the natural grime that builds up over time-leaving a gleaming, shining white area where I scrubbed.) But my marker marks are gone.  (Update: I found some the next day on my table too, but that was ny fault! I had left my marker laying there after writing dates on the Smart Source and Red Plum papers. But it cleaned them off really easy too.)