vinegar+Hazel=love

Dear vinegar,
I have a confession to make... it is... that... I uh... love you! You do so much for me! It is so hard not to love you! You are irresistible, why would I reach for anyone else when you can do almost every job for me? Why spend money on anyone else when you are less expensive and earth friendly? Oh and how versatile! I can use you anywhere and you don't mind. You give it your all and do such a fantastic job! I am convinced God made you just for me, to make my life simple and easier. How I dread the day your are gone. To make sure that day doesn't come I buy you in bulk whenever you are on sale. Here are some of my favorite things you do for me (but there are hundreds of other ways to!)

CLEANING
To make things  easier on myself I have just taken a spray bottle and diluted white distilled vinegar in it and use this in my daily routine to clean everything! mirrors, counter tops, toilet you name it...  plus it is a great deodorizer! Most of what is listed below I got from vinegartips.com, since they have lots of other ways to clean things and recipes. There is more on their site I just tried to shorten it a bit so I only kept the ones I use a lot.

Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.

Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

For cloudy glassware, soak paper towels or a cloth in full-strength white distilled vinegar and wrap around the inside and outside of the glass. Let sit awhile before rinsing clean.

Make a metal cleanser by adding enough white distilled vinegar to 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar to make a paste. Rub it on and let it dry on the surface. Wash it off and dry with a soft cloth.

To make cleaning the grill easier, spray a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar on the cooking surface.

Kill germs/ all purpose cleaner  with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. or 1/2 and 1/2 solution vinegar and water

Wash indoor/outdoor carpet and accidents with a solution of 1 cup white distilled vinegar in 1 bucket of warm water. Scrub using a brush or a broom and then hose off.

Get decals off walls or doors by letting undiluted white distilled vinegar soak into them for several minutes before trying to peel them off. Repeat if necessary.

To clean and disinfect baby toys/bottles/books add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water.

GARDEN

Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.

Discourage cats from getting into the kids’ sandbox with white distilled vinegar.

Preserve cut flowers and liven droopy ones by adding 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water in a vase.

Keep rabbits from eating your plants. Put cotton balls soaked in white distilled vinegar in a 35mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in the garden.

Wash fresh vegetables with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar in 1 ½ quarts of water.

Laundry

Prevent lint from clinging to clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle.

Some stains on clothing and linens can be soaked out using equal parts milk and white distilled vinegar.

Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.


HEALTH/BEAUTY

 Stave off high blood sugar and other Alzheimer's risk factors with a daily dose of vinegar. According to researchers, there is evidence that vinegar sinks risk factors that may lead to memory decline and dementia -- namely, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes and prediabetes, and weight gain. While vinegar does not confront Alzheimer's directly, studies at Arizona State University have found that vinegar can curb appetite and food intake, helping prevent weight gain and obesity. Swedish investigators agree. In one study, downing two or three tablespoons of vinegar with white bread cut expected rises in insulin and blood sugar by about 25 percent. Pour on the vinegar -- add it to salad dressings, eat it by the spoonful, even mix it into a glass of drinking water. Any type of vinegar works because it's the acidity that counts.
--Source: AOL Health and "100 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER'S AND AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS" by Jean Carper. Copyright © 2010

Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.

Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.

Get rid of foot odor by washing feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soaking them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Remember that cotton socks aid odor control more effectively than wool ones.

Tone facial skin with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.

Eliminate bad breath and whiten your teeth by brushing them once or twice a week with white distilled vinegar.

AUTOMOTIVE

Remove the hazy film that builds up on inside windows by spraying with white distilled vinegar.

When doing car maintenance, soak rusty bolts and screws with white distilled vinegar to make them easier to remove.

PETS

Kill fleas by adding a little white distilled vinegar to your dog or cat’s drinking water.

Stop a dog from barking with a spray bottle filled with equal amounts of water and white distilled vinegar. When the dog barks, spray the vinegar water in its direction but not in the face.

Remove pet odors. After cleaning, cover the area with baking soda. Let it stand overnight. The next day vacuum up the baking soda and wash the area with white distilled vinegar. Rinse and let dry.

Get rid of bunny/ bunny urine smells. I carpet clean the area the bunny peed with vineger water solution and spray a water/vinegar solution to keep the odor down

COOKING


Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.

Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.
If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.


Thanks vinegartips.com for even more ideas in uses for vinegar!
some other websites with even more ways to use vinegar
http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/homemaking/vinegar.html
http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/vinegar
http://odyb.net/food-cooking/62-little-known-uses-of-vinegar/

Hazel