Even though vinegar might not be the best smelling product at the grocery store, it might clean your home better than anything on the shelves. Before you start cleaning, you can defeat the sour vinegar smell by adding a couple drops of essential oil (lemon and clove are great ideas) to any cleaning concoction and the smell disappears.

Now it’s time to get down to business, here are some of Buckets & Bows favorite vinegar cleaning secrets:

  • Dish Washer – measure 1 cup of vinegar and pour in the bottom of your EMPTY dishwasher. Run as usual.
  • Washing Machine – measure ½ cup vinegar and ½ cup water and put in your detergent drawer (for front loaders) or right in the washbasin for top loaders. Run through a normal cycle. When the cycle has completed, wipe the rubber seal with a wet cloth and leave the door open to air out.
  • Floors – The correct ratio of water to white vinegar is ½ cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm/hot water. You can see how I wash my hardwood floors here. (If you are washing your hardwood floors, make sure they are sealed before trying this.)
  • Refrigerator – mix one-tablespoon vinegar to 16 ounces water and put in a spray bottle – spray on shelves and walls on interior of refrigerator and wipe clean. This same solution can also be used on the exterior of your refrigerator.
  • Stainless Steel – mix one-tablespoon vinegar to 16 ounces water and put in a spray bottle – spray on a microfiber cloth and wipe clean.
  • Coffee Maker – fill coffee pot with equal parts water and vinegar. Pour in the water dispenser and run coffee pot as normal. Empty water and vinegar from coffee pot and run 2-3 cycles with just water. Wipe with clean, wet dishcloth until clean.
  • Carpet – use an equal parts ratio of water to vinegar and rinse thoroughly. I use this in my carpet cleaning machine and I love that there isn’t a soapy residue to collect dirt after the carpet has been cleaned.
  • Garbage Disposal – pour ¼ cup vinegar in disposal and let sit for a couple minutes. Run cold water in disposal and turn on disposal to clean.
  • Toilets – pour ½ cup to a cup in the toilet bowl. Let sit for a couple hours, swish and flush.
  • Tile and grout (sealed) – make a past of baking soda and vinegar and scrub on scummy tile. Rinse with warm water.