Over the past few months, I have been trying to figure out how I can make more of my cleaners. While I am not ready to completely ditch all my natural cleaners, it's nice knowing that if you run out of cleaner, you don't have to immediately run to the store.  Since I bought a large container of vinegar last time I was at Wal-Mart, I decided it was time to try seeing if I could find some different uses for vinegar. I knew that it had been used for years due to its acidity, but I had never used it as a cleanser until recently when I started looking for different vinegar cleaning recipes.

Uses for Vinegar & Other Household Items

Back in the good old days, before big box stores were in nearly every community, and anything we wanted was a few clicks away on the internet, most households made their own cleaners. Most housewives just purchased whatever they needed for cleaning, having a variety of uses for things they already had in their own household.  It was very common for them to buy a large bottle of vinegar and use it in a number of ways, making sure they used every drop of it! Hard to believe that times have changed and we have forgotten most of these simple cleaning recipes in our busy modern lives.

Making your own cleaners really isn't that hard since you can usually use ingredients found in just about every household in America. You may even be surprised just how effective some of those things collecting dust in your cabinet really are when it comes to cleaning your own house on a budget!

Effectiveness of Cleaning with Vinegar

So far, vinegar seems to be a great backup when it comes to cleaners. I still have not completely got the hang of using it for cleaning, but it does do a pretty good job.  While I have tried that many vinegar cleaning recipes, I have found some uses for more vinegar, with polishing stainless steel being my favorite use, back at my house in Kentucky.  I know I have read on Pinterest lately that many cleaning services use vinegar mixtures when they go in and clean homes.  If professional cleaners use it, shouldn't it be a good option for the rest of us?

While cleaning with vinegar is very different, it can be very satisfying as well, knowing that you know exactly what goes into your household cleaners.  I admit to not going totally natural, however, since I do put a few drops of essence in my cleaners to give that same wonderful smell as the professional stuff we purchase in a bottle.  I may start slowly incorporating more homemade cleaners into my pantry, especially when I have more room for the various bottles! As for it being effective, I think it does a pretty good job, making it a great alternative if you have all the ingredients you need already in your house.

Vinegar Household Cleaning Recipes

Originally my search began with trying to different vinegar uses since I wanted to use up my big bottle of vinegar.  Now, I am seriously trying to create a list of different vinegar cleaners, hoping to make a small recipe book of natural cleaners that are perfect for when you either run out of your favorite cleaners, or hoping to make that jump to making your own green cleaners.  Here are some of the best recipes I have found that seem to work fairly well…

Microwave Cleaner

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Vinegar

2 Cups Water

Instructions

Combine the vinegar and water in a small, microwave safe bowl. When ready, place the bowl in the microwave and heat for about 3 to 4 minutes on high.  When the microwave goes off, carefully take out the bowl with oven mitts (it may be very hot). Once the bowl is removed, just wipe down the inside of your microwave with a rag or cloth. 

Drain Cleaner

Ingredients

1 Cup Baking Soda

1 Cup White Vinegar

1 Gallon of Boiling Water

Instructions

First pour the baking soda down the drain, and then the white vinegar.  The baking soda and vinegar mixture will start foaming – let it sit for 5 to 7 minutes before pouring the boiling water down the drain.  Pour the boiling water down the drain as slowly as possible to get the best results.

Tub & Drain Cleaner

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Baking Soda

2 Cups of Vinegar

Instructions

Pour the baking soda and vinegar mixture in a bucket and mix well.  Wet a sponge in this mixture and wipe tub clean.  If nasty stain persist, pour baking soda into the tub and scour with your sponge.  Make sure to rinse well.

Metal Polish Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Vinegar

1/2 Cup Baking Soda

Instructions

Combine vinegar and baking soda until it forms a paste.  Polish metal with mixture and rinse.

Counter Top Cleaner Recipe

Ingredients

2 Cup Vinegar

Instructions

Place vinegar in a spray bottle.  Spray vinegar on counter and wipe clean. 

Refrigerator Cleaner

Ingredients

1 Cup Vinegar

1  Cup Water

Instructions

Combine the vinegar and water mixture in a spray bottle.  Spray mixture on shelves and dirty areas of the fridge, wiping clean with a sponge or clean cloth.

Removing Ink From Walls

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Vinegar

1 Cup Water

Instructions

Pour just enough vinegar on the sponge to make it slightly damp, and very carefully scrub the wall with the sponge.  Rinse with water and repeat until ink has faded or disappeared. 

Clean Coffee Pot

Ingredients

1 Cup Vinegar

Instructions

Pour vinegar into the tank in your coffee pot, and fill the rest of the tank with cold water.  Brew the vinegar and water mixture.  Once mixture is finished, dump and refill your coffee pot tank with clean, purified water.  Do this twice and then use coffee pot as normal.

Removing Stains from Coffee/Tea Cups

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Vinegar

Instructions

Stir baking soda and vinegar mixture until it forms a paste.  With a clean rag, take a generous amount of paste and began polishing the cups. Rinse cups and repeat until stains are gone.

Fruit Cleaner

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Vinegar

1  Cups Water

Instructions

Mix together your vinegar and water mixture and place in a spray bottle.  Before putting in your fridge, spray each piece of fruit with the vinegar mixture and wipe with a damp cloth. This will not only clean your fruit, but kill fruit flies and inhibit many molds from growing.

Discourage Ant

Ingredients

1 Cup Of Vinegar

Spray Bottle (found in cosmetic section)

Instructions

Find area where you believe ants are entering your home and spray vinegar mixture along that area.  To prevent ants from intruding, spray mixture on common areas such as doorways and windowsills.

Kill Fruit Flies

Ingredients

Small Bowl of Vinegar

Instructions

To kill fruit flies that are hanging around your fresh fruit, clean all of your fruit on arrival with the fruit cleaner listed above.  If flies still persist, set out a dish of straight vinegar and leave out for two day, or until all fruit flies are dead.

Do you know any good recipes that you think should be included on our list? Feel free to leave a comment and tell us about it!

About Susan Bewley

Susan Bewley is a professional writer and blogger who has been writing content online and in private print format for the past decade. When not writing for Budget Earth or Mew Review, she can be found busily working at her professional copywriting company - The Muses Pen.