If you’re hoping to find an all-natural cleaner, look no further than your own kitchen! One of the biggest secrets cleaning tips is making use of simple household products. And what is the big sensation? Using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning.
The combination was fun in grade school, making volcanoes and watching them fizz. But by adjusting the amount of these same ingredients you can also create an all-natural cleaning solution.
How to use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning
Vinegar is a well-known natural cleaner that gets rid of grease and leaves the counters sparkling. Baking soda isn’t less appreciated, especially when it comes to clean stainless steel. So, why not mix both?
Spray cleaner
Whether you’re washing windows or the floor, a spray bottle tends to be more practical. If you’re using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning you can also prepare your own spray concoction.
Use it to clean the fridge, the floors, stainless steel and remove mold.
Ingredients
- 2 cups baking soda;
- 1/2 cup liquid soap;
- 1/2 cup water;
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar;
- 1 drop of lemon essential oil;
- 16 oz spray bottle.
How to do it: just mix all the ingredients in a spray bottle and you’re ready to go. You can also substitute the lemon oil for any other scent that you enjoy, even if you lose the disinfectant properties of this.
Fix slow draining
No one wants to deal with slow draining sinks. For most people, a splash of CLR is the answer, but those harsh chemicals raise concern over anything that goes into the sink afterwards.
For a safe alternative, try this method to get things moving again:
How to do it
1. Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the drain.
2. Heat 1 cup of vinegar, separately.
3. Pour the heated vinegar into the drain.
4. Wait 10 minutes.
Note: Do not use this combination on a completely clogged drain or it may break the pipes!
Clean the oven
This is one household chore that most of us want to avoid. For one, it’s a tricky task! It’s an odd angle and you’re forced into close proximity to the chemicals you’re using. But, that doesn’t have to be a concern anymore.
Sure, you’ll still have to bend awkwardly, but you’ll be able to rest easy knowing there are no dangerous chemicals involved when using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning. You can make your own by:
How to do it
1. Mix vinegar, baking soda and salt together until you have a paste.
2. Apply the paste to a brush.
3. Brush the inside of the oven, completely.
4. Wait 24 hours, occasionally spritzing the oven with water.
5. Wipe the paste away with a cloth or sponge.
If there are any areas that didn’t come clean, turn your oven on at a low setting. Leave it to sit for about an hour, then turn the oven off. At this point, you can use vinegar to wipe away the remaining areas.
Cleaning the toilet
Putting elbow grease into toilet cleaning isn’t exactly a fun chore. It’s common that the toilet water will splash up and leave you feeling gross.
A great way to take the extra work out is by using baking soda and vinegar as your toilet cleaner.
How to do it
1. Using 1/2 cup of vinegar, cover the areas of the toilet that are stained.
2. Use a spray bottle to get the inside of the toilet bowl.
3. Now sprinkle baking soda over the vinegar.
4. Let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes.
5. Wipe off easy-to-access areas.
6. Use a toilet brush to scrub the inside of the bowl.
7. Flush the toilet when you’re done.
Removing stains
Stains are common in fabric, especially furniture and carpets. While you might have looked everywhere online for a solution to remove stains from carpets, your solution is more simple than you think. Combining baking soda and vinegar, you can lift stains off any rug!
How to do it
1. Sprinkle baking soda over the stain (this helps to remove any moisture).
2. Let the baking soda sit on the carpet for about 10 minutes.
3. Vacuum the carpet.
4. Combine 1 cup of hot water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar,
5. Soak a cloth/brush in the mixture.
6. Blot the stain until it’s transferred to the cloth.
7. Let the rug air dry outside.
The same method can be applied to permanent carpets. Since air drying would be difficult in that case, you can use a hair dryer to speed up the process and reduce the moisture.
Why choose vinegar and baking soda for cleaning?
Vinegar and baking soda are both natural products. They clean without the use of any additives, unlike the harsh chemicals found in store-bought cleaners. Some of the benefits include:
- They aren’t harmful to the environment.
- They help in reducing your carbon footprint because you’re no longer buying chemical cleaning supplies in plastic bottles.
- They are easier to keep around the house because you don’t have to worry about your children or pets getting into them.
- They are inexpensive, especially compared to most cleaning products.
Of course, the combination may be harmful to your skin if you use it frequently without gloves. You’ll want to make sure you have coconut oil or a moisturizing cream at hand to revitalize your skin!
I’ve heard they don’t work!
There is an ongoing debate on many DIY blogs regarding the effectiveness of not of using vinegar and baking soda for cleaning. The main issue at hand is that the chemical compounds of baking soda and vinegar appear to cancel each other out, which would make it a cleaning placebo.
Currently, there isn’t any scientific research supporting neither side of the discussion. So, just give it a try it out for yourself and make your own conclusions.
Check out the video below to watch an experiment testing the effect of this concoction for fixing a slow draining.
