holy cow! WHAT a difference vinegar makes!

[billwendy]

Hi Everyone,

Where are you all finding the washing soda and Borax???? I cant seem to find it???

 

[TexasTom]

Thanks. I will go buy white distilled vinegar and put it in my laundry.

 

[Nicolepa]

Hi Everyone,

Where are you all finding the washing soda and Borax???? I cant seem to find it???

Borax should be pretty easy to find. I have found it at Target and every grocery store I've ever been in. The washing soda was harder to find. I finally found it at Fred Meyer. They are owned by Kroger so if you have a Kroger maybe try there?

 

[mom2brina]

I've used vinegar in my laundry for about 2 years now. I like the smell of the softeners so I mix half and half.

Just a few months ago I started using it in my dishwasher. I had this horrible problem with a white powdery film left on the dishes. I was ready to buy a new dishwasher until a neighbor said she was having the same problem. That led me to believe it was the water, not the machine or soap since those were different. The first couple times I poured about 3 cups of vinegar in the bottom of the DW & ran a normal cycle. Now I use about 1-2 cups in every cycle along with a DW liquid or powder. I also poured the vinegar in my rinse aid spot. Works really well.

Another CHEAP cleaning agent I use is ammonia. Works really well on soap scum & cleaning grease off the stove. Just be careful of the fumes - especially in the shower! Dilute it with water.

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

Borax should be pretty easy to find. I have found it at Target and every grocery store I've ever been in. The washing soda was harder to find. I finally found it at Fred Meyer. They are owned by Kroger so if you have a Kroger maybe try there?

I am very lucky. The local Kroger has the washing soda, Fels-Naptha, baking soda, and Borax all at the same place, but I noticed this has varied from store to store. Borax is also sold at some hardware stores.

 

[ski_mom]

The first couple times I poured about 3 cups of vinegar in the bottom of the DW & ran a normal cycle. Now I use about 1-2 cups in every cycle along with a DW liquid or powder. I also poured the vinegar in my rinse aid spot. Works really well.

We've had this problem in the past too - so do you still just pour the 1-2 cups in the bottom of the dishwasher and put the soap in it's compartment?

I'll have to try this.

 

[LackeyGang]

Wow! This there are some really great tips! I can't wait to start laundry and dishes

 

[khowell921]

Wow!!! I've added the vinegar to the laundry the past several washes. Without knowing this, my 10 year old son, said "Mom, are you sure these are my shirts, they feel so soft?" It really does work!!! Thanks so much for the tip.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I don't want to go back and read each post again. Would someone please post how much vinigar to add to the rince cycle if you use regular laundry soap.

OR

Will adding it to the soap cycle still make the cloths soft? If so how much do I add?

Thank you.

 

[TexasTom]

This evening I went to Sam's and bought a box of 2- one gallon white distilled vinegar for $3.38. On the box, it lists 20 tips for vinegar. Laundry is not one of them but I will try it anyway. Thanks.

 

[mom2brina]

We've had this problem in the past too - so do you still just pour the 1-2 cups in the bottom of the dishwasher and put the soap in it's compartment?

I'll have to try this.

Yep, I just pour it in the bottom every time. We go through a lot of vinegar at our house! But it is CHEAP!

 

[luvillians]

We love all the uses for vinegar! I do use it in the laundry and in a spray bottle for cleaning around the house. I will also add some lemon or orange essential oil to the spray bottle and mop water.
I never thought of using it in the dishwasher and have never noticed the list on the side of the Sam's Club box so I will be checking out both of those tomorrow.

When we used to host poker parties at our house years ago we allowed everyone to smoke in our house. Cigars and cigarette smoke was thick most of the evening. We would set out bowls of straight vinegar overnight and the smell would be gone in less than 24 hours. My mother would stop by the house the next afternoon and she couldn't smell and thing which is really saying something as she hates the smell.

 

[Leshaface]

For the past three years, I've been making my own All-purpose cleaner (trying to go green)

I bought a plain bottle spritzer (or use a windex bottle when it's all gone) and put the following:

-Fill the bottle half way with white vinegar
-Add one squirt of dish washing liquid (palmolive, joy, dawn, whatever you have)
-Add a few drops of essential oil (I use tea tree oil because it smells really clean; will try lavander once I'm out of tea tree)
-Fill the rest of the way up with water, and shake to incorporate

I use this mixture to clean sinks, counter tops, and bathtubs.

For a soft scrub for sinks I mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with a tiny squirt of dish washing liquid and add a little bit of water until a soft scrub is formed!

 

[NancyIL]

I just added ~ 1/4 cup of vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser, and I'm washing a mixed load of towels and underwear. We'll see what happens! I love the smell of Downy, but it really does make a mess of the dispenser.

 

[sydneysmom]

I just got done w/ 4 loads....sheets, towels, quilts. OMG!!!! Seriously, this is the most amazing tip ever! Our white sheets are so clean, bright and soft. the towels are definately fluffier. I was very skeptical of this....the first thing I thought was ...."who wants the smell of vinegar on everything"....no smell whatsoever.

I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who has any doubt. I can't wait to tell my mom and my sister!!! thanks for posting this !!

 

[Arkansan]

I add vinegar to all my loads as well. It helps colored clothes (especially really dark ones like jeans and black clothes) keep their colors and resist fading. Years ago when the "Benneton rugby shirts" were in style (gotta love the '80s!) you needed to soak them in a mix of vinegar and water before you could wear them so the colors wouldn't run.

A neighbor told my mom this trick when they hosted a garage sale together. My mom commented on how unfaded the woman's clothes were and she told her the vinegar trick. I wash inside out, too, which also helps.

Vinegar is great for towels, because fabric softener builds up on them and makes them less absorbant. The vinegar softens without buildup.

 

[ErinC]

Where do you buy your essential oil? I like the tea tree smell.

 

[2BOYMOM]

I just made my first batch of laundry powder. I couldn't find the Fels-Naptha, so I used Ivory soap. There is a Kroger about 6 miles from my house so maybe I'll swing by there tomorrow.

I first went to Wal Mart and all they had that I needed was the vinegar (gonna use that in my rinse) and the baking soda. So I went to a Hispanic grocery near my house and they had the Borax. At Harris Teeter (grocery) I found the washing soda. Can't wait for my load to be finished so I can see how it works! Doesn't take much to get me excited!

 

[Friendly Frog]

I just added ~ 1/4 cup of vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser, and I'm washing a mixed load of towels and underwear. We'll see what happens! I love the smell of Downy, but it really does make a mess of the dispenser.

Thank you

 

[ceecee]

Where do you buy your essential oil? I like the tea tree smell.

I buy Tea Tree oil at our health food store. HATE the smell though...supposed to be good for acne but you can't get it that close to your face!