The magic of vinegar

I have many talents, but keeping a clean house is not one of them. I do keep up with certain things: I sweep the floors daily, I wash my dishes immediately after using them, I scoop the litter boxes three times a day, I keep up with the laundry, I change the bed linens weekly, and I clean out the fridge every Sunday. Trash and recycling are also taken out regularly.

Aside from all that, any cleaning I do is sporadic at best. Years of living with a chain smoker and having as many as 13 (currently ten) pets in the house at one time, plus a chronic illness that for years made it impossible for me to exert myself much physically, plus a tendency toward hoarding, have combined to take a heavy toll on the state of my home. One of my goals for this year is to whip this place into shape because it's become a major source of stress and anxiety for me.

I've done a bit here and there over the past couple of years, replacing some of the flooring and furniture (and I plan to replace more flooring this year) and getting rid of some of the clutter, but I have a long way to go and it's very daunting to think about how much work it's going to be. So I'm not going to think about that or I'll just give up. The only way to tackle it is to take it in small chunks, but to keep the momentum going so that the small chunks will actually add up to something.

So today I decided to try out a cleaning tip from my friend Jessica, who has become very environmentally conscious over the past year since she decided to go vegan. She told me that she doesn't buy cleaning products any more because she doesn't like to use chemicals in her home. She cleans her house (which, by the way, is spotless) with vinegar, water, and baking soda. There's no need to buy a whole array of products -- one for floors, one for mirrors and windows, one for countertops, one for the stovetop, one for the bathroom, etc. Vinegar and baking soda are cheap and effective.

Today I used a bucket of vinegar and water in equal parts to scrub down the kitchen appliances, the kitchen floor, and the door that leads from the kitchen to the laundry room. The appliances are now all shiny and gleaming and the white floor and door are actually white again. Even the crustiest gunk came right off quickly and easily with just a gentle scrubbing. I had to change out the water/vinegar solution a couple of times but used a total of about a half-gallon of vinegar for the entire kitchen. It was WAY cheaper and more effective than an equivalent amount of PineSol or some other cleaning product would have been, and without the harsh smell or the drying effects that such cleansers usually have on my skin. Yes, vinegar does have a strong smell of its own, but it's not nearly as harsh as a chemical cleaning agent and the vinegar smell dissipates quickly as soon as it dries. Oh, and as a bonus, the vinegar also cleaned my diamond rings and made them all sparkly!

So, vinegar, water, a sponge, a scrub brush, and about an hour of my time. That's all it took. And seeing how much better the kitchen looks makes me want to keep going. Tomorrow I'm attacking the dining room. Onward!