7 cleaning hacks with vinegar

Probably the most disgusting smell in the world to me is bleach. It’s one of those super-distinctive smells you can tell right away, and most people’s immediate reaction is to just get away from it. It’s like permanent marker or gas smell – you know it’s not doing your brain cells any favors.

It is, however, one of the most widely used cleaning products. Unfortunately, it’s at the cost of your sanity, your clothes, and worst of all, your health, to use it.

My favorite bleach alternative? Distilled white vinegar. Sure, it’s also not a smell most people are attracted to. But it’s nearly as strong of an antibacterial cleanser as bleach, and it’s not cancer-causing, brain-damaging, or poisonous.

I’ve found that when vinegar is put to the test, it really does a great job of cleaning. (And you can’t smell it once it’s dry.) Here are some cleaning hacks with vinegar that help you feel like you can conquer the world – without getting lightheaded.

1. Clean plastic toys. We’ve put 1 part vinegar to 1 part water in a spray bottle and used it to disinfect our little guy’s favorite plastic toys. Simply spray on and let air dry.

2. Mix with dish soap for a strong shower and tub cleaner. I tried this after seeing it on Pinterest and was totally shocked with the results. Our house is “vintage” and comes with an old and dirty-looking tub. It’s very difficult to clean, and I’ve even tried bleach. This combination of 1 part blue Dawn dish soap to 1 part vinegar made for a surprisingly brighter tub.

3. Heat in the microwave or oven to wipe away stubborn food residue. Make sure you use a microwave or oven-safe container, and fill with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water. Heat and steam up the appliance (I did two minutes in the microwave; let it heat up for maybe ten minutes at around 350 degrees in the oven); wait till it cools some, and then wipe clean.

4. Pour into garbage disposal to get rid of bad smells. My garbage disposal can get pretty funky from the bits of food that gets dumped in it. Pour vinegar straight in, and run the disposal (with the faucet running as well). It may smell like vinegar, but the icky old food smell (and any mold that might be down there) will be gone.

5. Use vinegar as a fabric softener. Again, it’s a natural product that is also much cheaper than regular laundry detergent, and it gets the job done. Use 1/2 a cup.

6. Wash towels with vinegar to get rid of bacteria. My towels end up leaving the washer still stinky sometimes from bacteria that gets trapped in the fabric. Using a cup of vinegar at the beginning of the cycle gets rid of the bacteria and yucky smell.

7. Spray onto produce. No need for expensive fruit and veggie sprays. Spray on your 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water mix to clean. It’s recommended to follow up with hydrogen peroxide, and let dry.