I've been growing weary of using so many different chemicals to clean my house. Yeah they may leave a nice scent behind, but while using them they are so strong. They are so strong that sometimes I feel like if I don't wash my hands multiple times while cleaning my hands will corrode away.
I know many people who love using vinegar for cleaning. I read articles and talked to the vinegar users, but I remained skeptical. I finally decided to take the plunge when I came across a blog about the multiple uses of vinegar and other natural cleaners. And yes I know I blogged about the article already, but when you convert and become a believer you don't mind repeating yourself.
Okay, so I took the plunge. I just ditched the store bought cleaners under my sink and busted out the bottle of vinegar. I figured the best place to start was in my kitchen. Oh my poor kitchen. It gets neglected on so many levels. After removing and cleaning the mounds of dirty dishes, I was finally able to tackle the grime and scum that had been building up for several months. I don't know about you, but the most neglected parts of my kitchen are in the corners under things like the spice rack and the microwave. I always clean around everything, but I don't move all the appliances. I decided to first start with just straight vinegar from my spray bottle. I was quite disappointed. Even though I sprayed then let it set, the vinegar did not penetrate the grime. I then sprinkled baking soda then sprayed the vinegar again and it was like day and night. The grime came off with very little scrubbing. I was sold. I had found my "magic" solution.
I continued on with my kitchen cleaning and tackled the counter under the microwave. I thought this would make a good blog so I chronicled the process in pictures. As you can see, the grime was pretty bad. On the left is where the coffee maker sits and on the right is the microwave.
I decided to first try vinegar alone. I sprayed it down really good and took my washrag to it. Even with some elbow grease, I wasn't able to get it all off.
The black bits on the counter and my rag is grime/dust buildup which did not want to come off.
Then I brought out the baking soda. To cut through grime, you really need a "scrubbing" agent. I figured the wash rag itself would be enough, but it wasn't. Now, I'm not a chemist, but the baking soda "soaked" up the grease which allowed for it to be easily removed from the counter top. Oh, and as a side note, the more I used baking soda during my kitchen cleaning, the cleaner my wash rag became. I would rinse and wring out my rag as I cleaned and it was whitening up my rag at the same time!
It took several "rinses" to get all of the baking soda off the counter top. It tended to leave a powdery film on the counter. Finally I had a clean counter top. I was really proud of myself, and I was happy not not be covered in chemicals.
This final picture shows the difference between using just vinegar (on the right under the outlet) and vinegar with baking soda (on the left).
I was so happy with the outcome that I didn't want to put back any of the appliances because I wanted to be able to always see the results of my hard work.
After the counter tops, I moved on to the stove and wood work. The stove cleaned up nicely except that it is black and the baking soda made a cloudy "film" on the surface. So it needed extra rinses to get clean. The wood work was a little different story. I still have to find a better solution for that. I tried the vinegar/baking soda combo, but it did not work. I was not able to remove any of the grime. Instead all it did was "pill" up like the plain vinegar did on the counter. I also didn't put in a couple drops of olive oil for shining up the wood work. So next time for the wood, I think I need to do as suggested and mix equal parts vinegar and hot water and then spray on cabinets.
The vinegar works wonders on glass. I don't mind using Windex, but to use one cleaner through out the whole house is wonderful. I take some unused coffee filters with the vinegar and clean all windows and mirrors. No streaks and no lint left behind by the filters.
The kitchen floor was a bit of a challenge. I still am not sure what is the proper mixture for that. I've washed the floors several times with vinegar and water and unfortunately the last time I mopped, I put too much vinegar in and did not clean out my mop head when I was done and the vinegar rusted my whole mop. Yeah, that was gross.
My final task was the toilet. I wasn't sure how this was going to work since there is water in the bowl. I poured about 1/4 cup baking soda into the bowl and let it sit for about 5 min. While that sat, I sprayed the outside of the toilet with the vinegar to wipe down and then tried to spray the best as possible under the rim. Took the scrub brush and started cleaning inside. Easy peasy. The toilet cleaned like a charm.
Before
After
When all was said and done, I was really happy with the results. My only complaint is that it stinks. Yeah, I said it. I think vinegar stinks. I don't mind it when I'm cooking or when dying Easter eggs, but when I use it to clean my house, my whole house becomes permeated with the smell. It actually lingered for a couple days after cleaning the whole kitchen. My husband is not a fan of it, but as long as the kids and I are expected to keep up the house, then I will choose the safe and natural alternative to bleach and harsh chemicals to clean my house.
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