The wonders of vinegar July 25, 2007

By now, most of us know that conventional household cleaners contain toxins that we don’t want to be inhaling, and that they contribute to air pollution in our home. So, there are alternatives out here, such as those found at Whole Foods and other health food stores, including Mrs. Meyers, Ecover and BioKleen. But what if you don’t have access to those products or can’t afford them? The good news is that there are some key ingredients that you already use that can be used for cleaning. These include baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar.

Today’s focus is on vinegar, because it is VERY versatile around the house. It cuts grease, eliminates odors, removes stains and is a water softener. Here are some ideas and recipes for you — and again, if you think it takes effort and talent to do these, think again! I am not a homemaker (nor do I proclaim to be a cook), but I can put these together in a relatively short period of time. Try them out and let us know what you think — oh, and use white vinegar!

All-Purpose Cleaner (a few ideas for you)

1. Mix vinegar and salt together for a surface cleaner.
2. Mix the following ingredients in spray bottle or bucket: 3 tbsp. vinegar, 1/2 tsp. washing soda, 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil based liquid soap, 2 cups hot water.
3. Mix ¼ cup baking soda, ½ cup borax, ½ cup vinegar and 1 gallon of water.
4. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar & 1/4 cup baking soda into 1/2gallon water

Glass Cleaner

1. Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle
2. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
3. Mix a 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 quart warm water and apply with a sponge or pour into spray bottle and spray on. Wipe dry with crumpled newspaper, buff to a shine.

Toilet Cleaner (we all loooove to clean the toilet!)

1. Sprinkle baking soda into the bowl, then squirt with vinegar and scour with a toilet brush.

Drain declogger (forget Drano! plus it’s so much fun to watch this bubble up!)

1. Pour 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain/disposal, followed by 1 cup white vinegar. Cover drain and allow the mixture to foam for 15+ minutes (I wait about half an hour or more) before flushing the drain with a gallon of boiling water. Note: Do NOT use this recipe if you’ve just used a commerical drain opener that may still be in the drain.

Tub & Tile Cleaner (again, not one of my favorite activities, but at least now it’s not toxic)

1. Use 1/4 cup (or more) vinegar to 1 gallon water to clean the tub.
2. Remove film buildup on bathtubs by applying vinegar to a sponge and wiping. Then, use baking soda as a scouring powder — rub with a damp sponge and rinse thoroughly.

Rust Stain and Hard Water Deposit Remover

1. Apply full-strength vinegar or lemon juice and let stand until spot disappears, rinse.

Mildew Remover

1. Dissolve half-cup vinegar with half-cup borax in warm water.

Remove Lime and Mineral Deposits:

1. Soak paper towels in vinegar and apply to the lime deposits. Leave them on for about an hour then wipe away.

Air freshener/Deodorizer

1. Place vinegar in a cup or bowl to rid room of odors.
2. To decrease cooking odors, simmer 1 tbsp. vinegar in 1 cup water on the stove while cooking.
3. Get the smell of onions or fish off utensils and cutting boards by wiping them with vinegar and washing them in soapy water.

Dishwasher Rinse:

1. To remove spots, add 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse compartment of your automatic dishwasher.
2. To get glasses even cleaner, soak them occasionally in a solution of vinegar and water

Furniture Cleaner and Polish

1. Mix 3 cups olive oil and 1 cup vinegar together until well blended. Use a clean, soft cloth to apply to the furniture.

Wood polish

1. Mix 1/8 cup linseed oil, 1/8 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and rub into wood with a soft cloth.

Floor cleaner

1. For greasy, no-wax floors, mix 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup washing soda, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil-based liquid soap and 2 gallons hot water and get to mopping!

Chrome and Stainless Steel Cleaner (for your valuables)

1. Dip soft cloth in undiluted white vinegar. Wipe surface.

Brass Cleaner

1. Mix equal parts salt and flour with a little vinegar, then rub.

Laundry Detergent

1. Add 1/3 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate) to water as machine is filling, then add clothes and 1 ½ cups of soap. If the water is hard, add ¼ cup vinegar during the first rinse.

Fabric Softener

1. Add 1 cup vinegar or ¼ cup baking soda during final rinse.

Carpet Cleaner

1. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray it on the stain and let it sit, then clean it with a brush or sponge and warm soapy water.
   
2. For something heavier, mix 1/4 cup each of vinegar, borax and salt and rub paste into carpet. Leave it for a few hours then vacuum.

Now who’s going to tell me vinegar is not a wonder cleaner?! And if you’re wondering, yes, I will do a blog on baking soda and another on lemons (and maybe even borax) in the near future– stay tuned!

Live Earth…an interesting experience July 13, 2007

Note: this same blog…mine…is also on the EarthEcho site. Now, back to the blog..

If you haven’t heard of the Live Earth concerts last week and you’re reading this blog, please tell me that you’ve been on vacation in Bora Bora for the last couple of months!

And if you have heard of them, I’m sure you’ve formulated some opinion, which we, of course, would love to hear. Likewise, I won’t miss the opportunity to share my thoughts, since I was there, in New Jersey (NOT New York!), on the floor, close enough that I didn’t need binoculars to see the screens (or the artists on stage).

I’ll keep it short though I don’t know about sweet, and in usual fashion, bullet point it out (‘bullet point’ is now officially an action verb):

The Good

• Artist performances were, overall, great! There was a large variety, which appealed to different audiences (as could be seen from the different constituencies clapping when their artist(s) came on, especially for Bon Jovi – go Jersey!)

• There was public transportation (buses) provided to and from NYC

• Inside the stadium, there were recycling bins and signs that the trash will be sorted out and 90% of it will either be recycled or composted (I saw one recycling area out in the parking lot too)

The Not-So-Good

• Pepsi was there, asking everyone to recycle and when they did, they got a wrist band…made out of plastic! Ok, recycled plastic, but plastic as a give-away at a ‘save the earth’ concert??

• Phillips was there giving out tips on energy efficiency but they packaged the tips to make them look like press passes, in plastic sleeves (how many CFLs do you need to offset the cost of producing those?)

• I asked one of the guys at the door, before going in, where the recycling was, and he had no clue—people were just throwing everything out in one container

The Ugly

• I met one guy who was asked to throw out the top of his Nalgene bottle. The whole point of his bringing the bottle was to be eco-friendly, but apparently, the woman at the entrance missed the fact that if he threw out the top, he’d have to get a new bottle (or get a new top—does anyone actually just sell those?? they should’ve for this concert!)

• Wasn’t that enough? I’ll stop there.

That being said, it was a great concert and it’s awesome that awareness is being raised and that stars are getting in on the act. My guess is that it was such an enormous effort that some of the details fell through the cracks. And yes, we can fault the artists for the pollution they created flying all over the world, or for not knowing enough about global warming, or the venues for not doing all they could have, but I’d like to give credit where credit is due (after my grumblings). I also understand that TV watchers were sub-par, but on-line viewership was larger than any other event. That speaks to the type of audience it attracted – it was popular, just not with the traditional TV crowd.

So, thanks Al Gore & company for a great kick-off to what I hope will be an expanding and ongoing awareness-raising effort. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s a start. I think it really planted the seed in people’s minds that this is something that’s here to stay….oh yeah, and that TO BE GREEN IS TO BE HIP & COOL…so what are you waiting for?? At least calculate your carbon footprint!

Another argument for renewable energy July 6, 2007

Europe, as most have gathered, is ahead of the US in terms of global warming awareness and action. So it’s not surprise that a joint report from Greenpeace and the European Renewable Energy Council came out on the benefits of renewable energy. What is amazing, though, is how much the world economy could save by switching to renewables: ‘US$180 billion annually and cut emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in half by 2030′. There’s a solution to global warming! Check out this article about it.