As you gear up for this year’s spring or fall cleaning session, do your skin, respiratory system, environment and wallet a favor by passing up the chemical-laden cleaning supply section of your local store. Head over to the baking aisle of your market where you’ll find the bottle of liquid that will safely clean most every surface in your home without chemicals.

White Vinegar

An inexpensive bottle of white vinegar will clean, disinfect, and deodorize almost any washable hard surface in your home (vinegar is even good for washable fabrics).

For light surface cleaning to remove spring pollen or dust from countertops, floors, and other washable hard surfaces, mix white vinegar and water in a half-and-half solution in a bucket. Dampen a cloth or sponge in the vinegar/water solution and wipe down surfaces, changing water as needed. For stubborn stains, use white vinegar at full strength. The vinegar not only deodorizes the surface you’re washing, but will also remove odors from the air in the room.

Wash the inside and outside of the refrigerator, microwave, and other small kitchen appliances with straight or diluted vinegar to remove odors, stains and germs.

Cleaner Laundry

Pour 1 cup of white vinegar in wash loads when washing curtains, bedding, dog beds, washable throw rugs, and pillows to boost the laundry detergent’s cleaning power, disinfect the items, and add softness to fabrics

Clean Laminate Flooring

Mix the re-fillable spray type mop spray bottle with half vinegar and half water to clean laminate flooring.

Mix another spray bottle with the half and half vinegar and water to spot clean laminate floors, countertops and other surfaces.

Clean Coffee Maker

Place a new paper filter in the basket to catch sediment or other debris, then fill the coffee pot with a mixture of one-half white vinegar and one-half water. Pour the vinegar and water mixture into the water tank. Turn the coffee maker on and let it run through a full brewing cycle. Pour out the vinegar and water, wash out the pot, then run a pot full of clean water through the coffee maker to rinse out all of the vinegar.

Bathroom Cleaner

White vinegar will cut through soap scum, clean and deodorize all other bathroom messes while removing foul odors from the air.

Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the toilet bowl and scrub with a toilet brush to clean and disinfect.

Mix a spray bottle of half white vinegar and half water to use to clean mirrors, sinks, vanity surface, toilet exterior, floor and walls.