Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons. Oh My.

When you start talking green cleaning these 3 little words come up all the time: Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons.

When I was younger I remember my grandmother placing caps of vinegar around the house (specifically behind pictures so they would not be seen). She told me that the vinegar soaked up odors (I didn’t believe her).

I also remember my grandmother adding vinegar to the water when she washed drapes. She said that it not only removed smells but it also whitened the drapes (I didn’t believe her).

A quick Google search will bring up hundreds of sites listening hundreds of ways to use the natural magical ingredients; Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons (oh my).

It turns out my grandma knew what she was talking about! (I totally believe her now)

Since I am a girl who likes to know why, I preferred the howstuffworks articles about Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons.

I have not used lemons for anything but I have used vinegar and baking soda and I can tell you, they work!

Instead of fabric softener and bleach, I use white vinegar. I pour a cap full in the fabric softener dispenser of the washing machine and let the natural magical cleaner do its thing. It works wonders and doesn’t leave a smell. What surprised me the most though was how well it worked on controlling static cling. Who knew? (I bet my grandma did)

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Add some vinegar to the wash to soften your clothes. Click HERE to read how.

I have also used vinegar to kill the clover in our yard. I poured it straight on clumps of clover and within days the clover was dead. I am tempted to use it on the lawn where the clover is mixed in with the grass but haven’t been brave enough to try it. Yet.

I have also poured vinegar around the toilet bowl and scrubbed it with baking soda. This did not work as well as I had hoped but I might not have left the vinegar on long enough. I will have to try this one again.

I have already talked about using vinegar and baking soda to clean out the drain, the sinks, the tubs, and the shower.

Vinegar can improve the smell of the bathroom. Click HERE to read how.

Another thing I remember my grandmother doing was sprinkling baking soda on the carpets before she vacuumed. She told me that it helped get rid of smells (do you think I believed her).

Can you guess what I do now?

Yup. I sprinkle baking soda on the carpets before I vacuum (Only occasionally though cuz luckily our carpets don’t really smell).

One of the suggestions that I read that I hadn’t tried but am going to try is, “After emptying the garbage, sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the garbage can; this will neutralize the food odors”.

Judging from everything that I have read, learned, and tried, Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Lemons truly are natural magical ingredients.

And to think, my Grandma knew this long before Google did.