Vinegar: My only household cleaner

There is much talk of toxins in cleaning products these days. Before I was a mom, and as long as I stayed away from aerosol cans, I figured it wasn't a big deal since the plastics could usually be recycled and I wasn't going to be drinking these chemicals or really breathing them in. Being a mom, though, has changed my thoughts. Why? Well, my kids will drink them if, while tampering with a screw-on cap, are able to get it off. No, I don't just leave cleaning supplies all over, but you know it's happened when you're trying to clean up puke, poop on the floor from dog or child, or the phone rings or for whatever other reason you get called away, then you become side-tracked and forget all about cleaning. This happens enough in our home but it's safe to say that my kids aren't in any danger. You see, I searched for safe, cheap and effective alternatives and came up with white, distilled vinegar. Not only does it make your house smell clean but it also disinfects and kills bacteria, can scrub away soap scum and help get out tea and coffee stains! I've also discovered that with a little more "elbow grease", it can even take crayon off of walls and linoleum floors! And, it's very inexpensive!
I fill up a spray bottle with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water and spray away. I even use it on countertops where I've just been handling raw chicken and other meats. It's also great as a cleaner for your kitchen floors.
No wonder it's also good to drink this stuff by itself as it gives your body a little detox. If you can handle the burn as it's going down, it's definitely has health benefits.
I just love this stuff, can you tell?!
And...you know how those darn onions just make your eyes tear up? Spray some of your vinegar/water mixture onto your cutting board before cutting your onion and VIOLA! No more tears!

I have also found it useful in washing those amonia-smelling cloth diapers that tend to sit in the pail until I just have to wash them. Click here for my "cloth diaper washing regime".

Washing those cloth diapers

When I first began to cloth diaper I had no clue on how you washed these things. I searched the internet and came up with many similar ways but some seemed so expensive with the detergents they used. Isn't the point of cloth diapering to save money? Many moms used online Seventh Generation products. I've used them as well and really like them, but found that they weren't economical enough for me. I also tried Fels Naptha but I had to grate it and it was a pain. Besides I didn't think it got my diapers as clean as they could be. I experimented and finally came up with what we do now:

For stubborn stains, you can pre-treat with lemon juice. (I have a spray bottle of it, full strength, just for this purpose. It will not ruin or discolor fabrics and I've found that using it full-strength is most effective. You only need a few sprays per stain.)

Run diapers through a cold rinse using a splash of white distilled vinegar. This gets the smell out and makes them nice and white.

Then run them through a HOT cycle using 3-4 squirts of Dr Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap.

That's it! You can find the Dr Bronner's on VitaCost or in your local grocery store. It is actually cheaper in our grocery store, but I'm not sure if that's the case everywhere, so I attached the link for you to check it out.

Now doesn't that seem easy?! I really enjoy the results and ease of doing it this way.

Happy Diapering!