Weekly Cleaning Tip

Vinegar 101

White distilled vinegar is an essential housecleaning and laundry aid. I buy it bulk at Costco (its about $3.50 for 2 gallons).

1. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your dishwasher for sparkling clean dishes. I also like to run an empty dishwasher every month or so with 1 cup of vinegar to give it a good cleaning and to eliminate soap scum and odors.

2. Remove calcium deposits from faucets by soaking a towel or paper towel with vinegar and then wrapping it tightly around the faucet. Let it sit for several hours or overnight.

3. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your next load of laundry to (add to water at beginning of cycle along with your regular laundry detergent) to help eliminate odor and to also soften your laundry. I also like to add 1 cup of vinegar to my empty washing machine and run a cycle to clean the inside and remove odors. I like to take a scrubbing pad and scrub the inside while the water is filling up.

4. Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to gallon of water to wash non- waxed floors.

5. Boil 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of water in your microwave to loosen food and deodorize.