All-Purpose Cleaner

Vinegar is given nearly no credit in today’s America.

I’m sure even now when you read the word, something in your mind cringes. That stuff you dye eggs with? Ehhhk.

Before you decide to turn away, think about vinegar historically.

Vinegar has been revered throughout the ages. It was the first medicine and cleanser, and quickly became a staple preservative for food. It has been used to treat wounds, mixed with water and sweetener to be consumed as a drink of vitality, and used to flavor foods of all cultures. Vinegar, which is the product of old wine left in open air, is an acid with a very low pH. Germs and viruses can’t withstand it, and so it has been used throughout the centuries to cure many illnesses, ranging from soothing an upset stomach to dissolving warts.

If I were capable of throwing my body back into ancient times, I would know even more about how remarkable this liquid is. It may seem somewhat distant to think of these uses– since many of them we don’t use vinegar for today– but consider the world at the time. Anything that could be so versatile and heal you, as well as feed you, was indeed a miracle of sorts, and was held in high esteem.

Vinegar is no less useful today. I use vinegar for a whole slew of things in my home, but today I would like to start with a simple cleaner. I use this cleaner nearly every day to wipe down painted wooden shelves, clean my sinks, mop my floors– every surface of my home. The smell of vinegar is undetectable when you add essential oils, and if there is any lingering scent it is always gone when the cleaner is fully dried.

It is both healthful and economical to use this cleaner in your home. Chemical cleaners are full of fumes and untested compounds that build up in our tissue over time, and cause who knows what (because no one really does the research to know.) They are harmful to your little ones scooting about on the floor, or your animals, or you. Chemical cleaners are also higher priced, and are on such a germ killing rampage that the bacterias in your home are completely wiped out. We do have to live in harmony with bacteria in this world– and they aren’t all so bad– millions of them aid in your digestion every day. Some speculate our overly sanitized world is a cause for allergies and other auto-immune illnesses. By cleaning with vinegar you can be promised your home will be clean of harmful viruses and  bacteria, but the balance will not be thrown to extremes.

I trust you are reading this because you have an interest in the idea, and so I hope you’ll go and make this cleaner for yourself. No other product can boast that it has been in use since the dawn of civilization, and can be used to satisfy such an array of needs. This cleaner is but one block in the massive structure that is the uses for vinegar, and I sincerely hope you delve into them all.

All-Purpose Cleaner:

You will need:

• 1 large spray bottle
• water
• distilled white vinegar
• hydrogen peroxide (optional)
• essential oils (optional)

Directions: Mix your bottle with 1/3 vinegar, a heavy splash of hydrogen peroxide (if using) and the rest water. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil if desired (I use tea tree oil.) Use this loosely in a mop bucket for cleaning floors, and in a spray bottle for reaching everywhere else.