There are many kitchen cleaning uses for vinegar. Vinegar can be used on its own as a safe and natural household cleaner or it can be used with other natural products, like baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, to become a powerful agent against odors, germs and bacteria.
Glass Cleaning in the Kitchen
Whether it is cleaning the windows or the oven door, vinegar is a highly effective natural cleaner. “Instead of harsh chemical sprays, get those windows and mirrors crystal clear with a simple solution of white vinegar, newspaper and a little elbow grease,” writes Brian Clark Howard in the Daily Green article, “Get Spotless Windows with This Cheap Ingredient.” Howard recommends using 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar to one gallon of water. Spray the mixture on the window glass and rub with newspapers to avoid streaking.
VinegarTips.com says full-strength vinegar can be used for degreasing the glass window on the oven. “Saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar,” VinegarTips.com advises in its “Cleaning” section. “Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.” Unlike traditional oven cleaners, vinegar is a budget-friendly, safe and natural cleaner that does not create toxic fumes.
Running white vinegar through the coffee maker can clean the coffee pot as well as the coffee maker. The Vinegar Institute’s “Uses and Tips” recommends brewing a pot of white vinegar to remove mineral deposits. Rinse the coffee pot well and follow up by brewing a plain pot of water to remove all traces of vinegar and the deposits that were loosened.
Homemade Cleaners for a Clean Sink Drain
Using vinegar on its own works well but the full power of a vinegar cleaner is brought out by combining it with other ingredients. Vinegar combined with baking soda creates a homemade cleaner that is powerful enough to break down clogs in drains, according to Ellen Sandbeck in her book, Organic Housekeeping [Scribner, 2006]. Sandbeck recommends pouring half a cup of baking soda down the drain, then adding 1 cup of white distilled vinegar (made from grain). When the fizzing action is finished, she says to pour a tea kettle full of boiling water down the drain. “Your drain will be left clean, fast, and sweet smelling.”
Vinegar Cleaning for a Clean Dishwasher
White vinegar can be used both for cleaning dishes and glasses inside the dishwasher as well as for cleaning the dishwasher itself. The Vinegar Institute’s “Uses and Tips” recommends pouring 1 ½ to 2 cups of white vinegar in the dishwasher in addition to dishwasher soap before running the dishwasher. The result will be cleaner dishes and glassware.
Sandbeck recommends the following technique for a dishwasher that stinks: Clean the filter then place a bowl with 2 cups of white vinegar in the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Run the dishwasher on a wash cycle. “The vinegar will deodorize the dishwasher as well as dissolve hard water deposits,” she says.
Create a Safe and Natural Fruit and Vegetable Wash
Fruit and vegetable washing is an important part of food safety in the kitchen. Even organic vegetables and fruits can become contaminated with dangerous bacteria during transportation or in a kitchen where raw meat has been handled. For this reason, a fruit wash or vegetable cleaner is an important kitchen tool. Scientists have discovered that using a system that incorporates both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide is more effective at killing harmful bacteria than either solution alone.
Sandbeck’s “dual-spray system” for fruit and vegetable washing incorporates both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to create a natural cleaner. Place white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle and 3% hydrogen peroxide in a dark-colored spray bottle. Rinse dirt off fruit and vegetables then spray with the vinegar. “The peroxide, which has no taste, rinses vinegar off the produce,” Sandbeck says. “No further rinsing is necessary.” The same dual-spray system can be used to disinfect the kitchen sink after handling raw meat. Peroxide is a safe cleaner because pure water and pure oxygen are released when it is exposed to light, heat or organic matter (that is why it should always be stored in a dark bottle).
House cleaning uses for vinegar in the kitchen are varied. It is an excellent non-toxic and environmentally friendly glass cleaner, dishwasher deodorizer and coffee-maker cleaner. When used with baking soda it can unclog kitchen drains. When used with hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar is a safe and effective vegetable wash.
Genna Cockerham - Genna Cockerham has been writing online since November 2008. She served as Marriage Feature Writer from December 2008 to February ...
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