Cleaning with white vinegar is a cheap and effective way to clean your home. It can be used in many different ways, reducing the need to purchase numerous different cleaning products and cutting down on the number of chemicals in your home. It’s one of the strategies I adopted early on in my mission to be mortgage-free and I’ve stuck with it ever since.
6 ways to use vinegar in the home
Below are a few of the ways to start cleaning with white vinegar in your home:
- Clean your washing machine – Pour 1 to 2 capfuls of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser and run a hot cycle while the machine is empty.
- Descale the kettle – Fill the kettle with a third of white vinegar and top up with water. Leave for half an hour then boil, rinse and re-boil with fresh water to remove any residue.
- Clean the fridge – Half fill a washing-up bowl with warm water and add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to it. Stir. Then wipe down the inside of your fridge (shelves too) to keep it clean without using harsh chemicals.
- Window and glass cleaning – Fill a spray bottle with half white vinegar and half water. Spray onto windows or shower screens and wipe clean with a microfibre cloth. I use this weekly on my shower screen to keep it smear free.
- Remove limescale – For stubborn limescale around taps and sinks, soak a piece of kitchen roll in white vinegar and wrap around the affected area. Leave for 1-2 hours and rinse. You may need to scrub areas with a thick build-up to help shift the limescale. Always do a patch test first on a small area to ensure that it does not damage the surface.
- Bathrooms and sinks – Add vinegar and water to a spray bottle (see below) and spray liberally to bathroom surfaces and sinks. Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe clean and rinse with cold water.
Make your own white vinegar multi-purpose cleaner
To make your own multi-purpose cleaner, simply fill a spray bottle with with an equal amount of vinegar and water. Give it a good shake to mix it up and you’re ready to go. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil if you want to. If you’re feeling really thrifty then recycle an old cleaning bottle for this instead of buying one, but be sure to rinse it throughly first!
Make the change
Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration to start cleaning with white vinegar in your home. It’s a great way to minimise the number of cleaning products and chemicals in your household and can help you cut your cleaning costs too. At the time of writing, white vinegar costs about 45p for 550ml in supermarkets. Bulk buying can help you save even more money such as this white vinegar from Amazon.
Have you tried cleaning with white vinegar – how did you get on? If you have any other thrifty cleaning tips then please share them by leaving a comment below.
If you want to find out more money saving ways to clean your home then be sure to check out my post on Reducing your laundry bills with the Ecoegg.
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