I was looking through a bookshelf in an old house and found this wonderful book called The Complete Vinegar Book packed full of health tips and recipes for vinegar. What is not so well known today – although I remember my granny telling me – is that vinegar can also keep things sparkling clean. As we are striving to use as few chemicals as possible for cleaning our homes I thought you may find these tips useful.

Vinegar is actually an acid and because of this it acts as a powerful disinfectant. It is a natural product of nature and this means it is biodegradeable and has no harmful chemical reside or toxics fumes to contend with. Here is how you can begin to clear out the bottles of chemicals and use a bottle of vinegar instead.

Kitchen: • To clean cutting surfaces, utensils and hands that have been used to prepare meat/ chicken or fish (to prevent the spread of salmonella) wipe down the surface with vinegar and rinse hands and utensils in a vinegar solution. • Kitchen counters can be disinfected by using a solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle – squirt onto the surface and wipe dry with a clean cloth. • To sterilise baby bottle teats, add a teaspoon of vinegar to a glass jar filled with boiling water and microwave for 1 minute. • To get dishes sparkling clean and disinfected add a cup of vinegar to the rinsing water, or to the bottom of the dishwasher before the cycle. • To clean the inside of a microwave, use vinegar. Vinegar can also be used to absorb odours in a microwave. Add a cup to a shallow dish and microwave on high for 2 minutes. • Clean drains by pouring half a cup of baking soda and then 1 cup of vinegar. Do this once a month to help dissolve any grease build up in the pipes. We will publish more tips on vinegar in the next newsletter sign up to receive your copy on the homepage www.lifeinbalance.co.za Tips taken from The Complete Vinegar Book by Kathleen Gips, Natural Garden Press