|
|
|
Boy do we go through a lot of vinegar these days! Over the last few years I’ve been reading and learning about natural cleaning. After giving birth to my son, I just didn’t feel comfortable with the (sorry) nasty yellow toxic stuff that I had been using. But I found out that there are a lot of natural (and cheaper) disinfectants. Vinegar is one of them! Vinegar is healthy, non-toxic and safe, and has a lot of uses. Here are just a few that I have discovered (and now you know why we go through so much vinegar lately!):
1. Disinfectant – Vinegar is just as good of a disinfectant as many of the synthetic cleaners, and you don’t have to worry about your kids or pets licking the floor afterward (but that NEVER happens). It kills bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew.
2. Homemade drain cleaner
3. Fabric softener – Use it just like you would use your fabric softener, but without the chemicals!
4. Adding a yummy zing to soups – I first discovered this when I saw a recipe for Jillian’s Skinny Soup, a healthy vegetable soup in her diet program. She added a splash of vinegar to the soup (you can use any kind – red or white wine vinegar, cider or white). We tried it and loved it!
5. Drawing nutrients out of bones for broth – Then we read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and learned that adding vinegar when you’re making homemade chicken or beef stock helps to draw the nutrients out of the marrow, increasing the many nutritional benefits of it.
6. Clean the chicken coup naturally.
7. Remove price stickers
8. Rinse aid in dishwasher – just add it to the rinse aid dispenser!
9. Trap for fruit flies – put a little vinegar (I used cider vinegar) into a cup, put a funnel on top and watch the flies collect (I know, gross…)
10. All this in addition to the many obvious culinary uses – Salad dressing, marinades, etc.!
And if you’re interested in reading even more uses for vinegar around the home, check out this link to Reader’s Digest.
Joey Norsen is a hopeful homesteader, military wife and mom. From recipes and organic gardening, to chickens and do-it-yourself ideas, Joey will be sharing her experiences (and challenges!) as her family seeks a simple, more self-sufficient life.
