1 Bucket filled with a liter of warm water and a dash of dishwashing liquid. 1 Spray bottle filled with 1/2 naturally fermented white vinegar and 1/2 hot water Kitchen paper towel or newspaper 1 Cloth
Wipe the window down with the cloth moistened with the soapy water. This removes all surface dirt. Spray the window liberally with the vinegar solution and quickly wipe dry with the paper towel. This process leaves the window squeaky clean without streaks in an affordable and organic way. If you find you still have streaks simply buff with a microfiber cloth.
2. Cleaning mirrors:
1 spray bottle filled with naturally fermented white grape vinegar. Paper towel
Spray the mirror liberally with the vinegar. Wipe dry in clean even strokes with the paper towel. Cleans mirrors beautifully.
3. Destroying weeds:
Use undiluted, naturally fermented white grape vinegar. Pour vinegar over any weeds coming through paving or gravel, to destroy them when you don't have time for proper weeding. For example when your mother-in-law is coming over and you want the garden to look well kept but don't have the time to do the work. Do not do this near plants which you do not wish to harm. This is a child and pet friendly way of destroying weeds without harmful toxins. It does not leave harmful residues in your soil and is wonderfully diluted away when it rains.
4. Cleaning the Kettle:
Fill the kettle with a litre of water and a cup of naturally fermented white grape vinegar. Boil the water and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Repeat the boiling of the kettle twice more. Once the water has cooled to lukewarm empty the kettle and rinse thoroughly with clean cold water (at least 3 times). Then fill the kettle with water and boil. Discard this water and refill kettle for normal use.
* A tip when cleaning the kettle is to empty the vinegar water out into the garden over weeds which are growing through paving or gravel.
5. Descaling the shower:
The problem most of us have is the way soapy water adheres to shower doors and tiles, leaving a white film over everything in the shower. A solution I've found is to spray undiluted naturally fermented white grape vinegar over every surface in the shower. Leave the shower alone for a good hour afterward. Take a bucket of hot soapy water (I use antibacterial dishwashing liquid) and a non abrasive kitchen sponge. Scrub down all doors and tiles with the soapy water. Fill a jug (or watering can) with clean water and pour over the shower doors and walls from the top, so that the water runs down the surface to the shower floor. Rinse all surfaces well with clean water. Then clean both the inside and outside of the glass shower doors by spraying undiluted naturally fermented white grape vinegar over the surface and wiping dry with paper towels. You will find this eases the task of cleaning the shower and leaves it looking like new. (The paper towels can be added to the compost - or left to dry to be used to start fires in the fireplace).
6. Removing scale build up in basins and sinks:
In my home every so often I notice a hard circle on the bottom of the basin surrounding the plug hole. No amount of scrubbing seems to remove it. You can remove it by putting the plug in the basin. Pour enough naturally fermented white grape vinegar into the basin to completely submerse the hard ring. Leave like that for 2 hours. Take an old toothbrush and scrub away the line. Then let the vinegar out and clean as usual.
7. Cleaning taps:
Fill a spray bottle with naturally fermented white grape vinegar (we use Pick n Pay's). Spray all around and over the taps where you see an ugly discoloured build-up appearing. It seems that where the taps join the basin gets a build up which doesn't clean away with normal household detergents. Leave the solution to work its magic for about 30 minutes. Using an old toothbrush scrub away in the corners where the taps join the basin. Then clean normally. This will successfully clean away that unsightly dirt around your taps. Vinegar decalcifies - the natural way. For really stubborn calcium buildup around taps and plugs, wet cotton-wool with vinegar and leave over the calcified spot. Remove it after 2 hours and give it a scrub with a non scratch washing sponge (the pink and white kind for pots). It will come off without a hassle.
8. Cleaning the oven door:
Oven doors have a reputation for clouding over during the cooking process. Personally I like to be able to see my cakes rising in the oven and so clean my oven door once a week. I spray the inside and outside of the door with naturally fermented white grape vinegar. I leave it for 5 minutes and then clean it with warm soapy water. Wipe down with a damp cloth, then wipe clean with paper towels. This removes the residue from casseroles etc from the glass door with the minimum amount of effort. (For stubborn grease mix a paste of bicarb of soda and a little water, Smear over the greasy spots and leave for 2 hours. Come back, spray with vinegar (it will fizz), and instantly wipe clean with a warm damp cloth.)
9. Removing stubborn grease:
During the cooking process it is quite common for fats and oils to splatter the tiles and surfaces around your stove. If these are not cleaned off right after cooking they can get rather hard and difficult to clean off. I've found that by spraying these grease spots with undiluted vinegar and leaving them for 45 minutes, the hard grease becomes very soft and like chewing gum in consistency. They then clean off easily with a cleaning sponge and hot soapy water. Wipe down afterward with a clean damp cloth.
10. Removing stubborn scale from the toilet bowl:
No matter how much we dislike it, those of us with hard water often find a ring appearing in the loo which isn't flushed often. For example my in-laws have a second bathroom which sees very little traffic, and this toilet is renowned for accumulating this build-up. To clean it, fill a bucket with really hot water. Dump this into the toilet to flush away all of the cold loo water. Then quickly pour in an entire bottle of naturally fermented white grape vinegar. Leave this for about 30 minutes. Taking a scrubbing sponge or a hard brush, scrub away at the water line. Flush this water away and repeat the process again if necessary. This will successfully remove the unsightly line that appears at the water mark. To keep the toilet permanently clean I suggest leaving a toilet cleaner in the toilet overnight or for a good 24 hours if possible at least once a week. This seems to prevent the water mark from returning.
The point of these tips is to clean your home and de-weed the garden in as gentle way as possible. This makes it safe for our pets, children and environment. Therefore it makes sense to re-use the kitchen towel used during the cleaning process. I add the used kitchen towel to the compost heap, as it breaks down and adds to the compost. If I have used newspaper, I leave it to dry out and place it next to the fireplace in a basket. These I use to start my winter fires.
The American Indians have a saying. "Go gentle". This means wherever you are, whatever you may do, try not to create harm or damage to your natural environment. With vinegar as our ally, I say let's go gentle.