Step 1: vinegar

In the last post, I mentioned my increasing interest in going greener. When we moved into our new home, we used the clean slate as an excuse to install energy saving florescent bulbs in all the rooms and when the regular laundry detergent ran out, I decided to try soapnuts. I'm certainly not on a crusade, but if you can save money and create a less toxic environment in your home with very little effort, then I see very little reason not to jump on the bandwagon.

I had originally wanted to wait until after finishing my exams to embark on the next step in our going green experiment, but I got off to an early start when I noticed some water spots on our stainless steel range that wouldn't go away. I searched the Internet for a solution. Enter white vinegar. There happened to be an unopened bottle sitting under the kitchen sink that I had purchased with a view to cleaning the coffee pot (and never got around to doing). A few drops on the microfiber cloth and it worked miraculously. No more spots. And to think they sell all sorts of special stainless steel cleaner when all you need is white vinegar at 50cents a liter.

Then I started wondering what else this little miracle cleaner could do. Cut grease, get rid of soap scum on shower doors, clean showerheads of mineral deposits, natural disinfectant, fabric softener etc? YES!

We have hard water in Paris and it shows on the shower door - I poured some pure vinegar in a spray bottle, misted the shower door, then wiped it clean with a microfiber cloth. NO MORE MINERAL DEPOSITS! Apparently, this treatment will also delay the formation of new deposits...

Then I unscrewed the showerhead and soaked it in some warm vinegar. Two hours later, NO MORE MINERAL DEPOSITS. It looks brand new.

I'm convinced, there is no turning back now.

Next up: the wonderful world of baking soda.

For those of you who would like to know more, two interesting sites - one in French, the other in English

PS: those of you in France can find white vinegar in the condiment aisle of the grocery store for approx 50cents per liter. I found mine at Franprix. 

PPS: An interesting article in the New York Times on "EcoMoms" and the new suburban eco crusade.

Comments

[kyliemac]

ah, yes! i too have learned the joys of white vinegar. kim turned me onto it when i was having issues with my stainless steel pots and my hot water maker. i'm looking forward to seeing what baking soda can do! :)

[Vivi]

Nice! We're having the same problem with the shower doors and the stuff we bought at the store actually isn't doing a very good job. But where can you find microfiber cloths?

[Stefanie]

Vivi - I bought my mircofiber cloths at BHV (three for 10€) but you can probably find them at any droguerie although I imagine you can find them cheapest online (just search for chiffons microfibre). For the purposes of cleaning the shower doors though, you can definetly get away with using an old t-shirt or clean rag.

[Aimee]

We are moving towards using vinegar too.... it cleans EVERYTHING!!

[andie]

I'm telling you vinegar is the first and last cleaner you need. It cleans toilets really well too (with a couple drops of Tea Tree Oil to make it smell good). And, the best thing is that it's cheap!

[Outi]

Hi there!
You know, you totally got me obsessing about soapnuts! We've been using some enviromental detergents for quite some time but soapnuts were a totally new thing to me. Also one of my friends got a pack of soapnuts from her sister and likes them too. So, just a second ago I ordered 1 kg pack of soapnuts from a Finnish eco shop :), can't wait! In general soapnuts are not quite as cheap here, but the pack I ordered is basically soapnut crumble that's left over when they pack the nuts, so I got 1 kg for 8 €. Not bad!