Vinegar & Line Drying: A Throw Back to Hippy Days

I may just be finding my true Hippie-self or maybe it's just cool to go GREEN! Whatever the cause, I have rediscovered using these two things! They are so natural and eco-friendly! In my pursuit to question why I do things the way I do things, I realized that often times the way I do things is just because that's how I grew up doing it or the way the "American life" says to do things, because it is more convenient. I LOVE convenience and I'm still going to be using my dryer, no worries there. BUT...as I've been doing cloth diapering, I have to hang my diapers out to dry and the sun is a natural stain remover.

Line Drying: That led me to thinking why don't I just hang up some of our clothes? It is 100 degrees every day right now and they would dry faster than in my dryer if I put them outside! At first I thought that line drying our clothing would make them all crunchy and stiff and make them smell like outside, but since I used Downy on our clothes, it really wasn't the case. I just gave them a shake and folded them up. It was awesome, because as you take down each item, you fold it and put it in your basket, so you walk in the house with a complete load of laundry folded, ready to put up. No baskets just sitting around for days waiting to be folded! I do LOVE that!

Growing up, I had the influence of my best friend's mom who is the pro at doing things naturally! While it may be cool to call it GREEN, it really is as old as the hills to line dry! Maybe try it out! You might be pleasantly surprised!

Vinegar: I have had a rash on my ring finger, under my rings for about a month and a half. I have tried every cream or lotion, even something prescription to help with no avail. I started looking around on the Google and discovered that a lot of people get this problem with platinum wedding rings or other jewelry. The solution was to soak your rings in 2 parts vinegar and 1 part Hydrogen peroxide, then boil your rings for 15 minutes. I was a little nervous to boil my rings, so I decided to just try the solution, first. I poured vinegar on my finger, which completely burned, and soaked my rings overnight. I am so surprised that my finger is already healing (worth the burn)!

I had heard about using vinegar to clean and do things for a long time, but never tried it. Thus again, the commercialism of our country got me sucked into using powerful cleaning agents that are, when it comes down to it, just plain toxic to our health. I decided to start using vinegar and am LOVING it! A simple cleaning solution is to mix half vinegar, half water in a spray bottle to wipe down counters, etc. I also am really loving this because it isn't toxic to my crawler who happens to be in and under every kitchen cabinet in my house. It's also SUPER cheap!

I searched around on the web and found this awesome list at the Vinegar Institute for the million uses of vinegar.

Some of my favorites are:

• Garbage disposal cleaner:
  Garbage disposals may be kept clean and odor free with vinegar cubes. Vinegar cubes are made by filling an ice tray with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and enough water to fill the ice tray and then freezing it. Run the mixture through the disposal, and then flush it with cold water for a minute or so. 
• Coffee maker cleaner (automatic):
  White distilled vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers from hard water. Fill the reservoir with white distilled vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished. (Be sure to check the owner’s manual for specific instructions.)  
• Clean the microwave:
  Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize. 
• Bathtub film:
  Bathtub film can be removed by wiping with white distilled vinegar and then with baking soda. Rinse clean with water.
• Kill weeds:
  Spray white distilled vinegar full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved. 
• Increase soil acidity:
  In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons, gardenias or azaleas. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.
• Get Rid of Odor on a Smelly Dog
  Wet the dog down with fresh water.  Use a mixture of 1 cup white distilled vinegar and 2 gallons water.  Saturate the dog’s coat with this solution.  Dry the dog off without rinsing the solution.  The smell will be gone! 
• Boiling eggs:
  When boiling an egg and it’s cracked, a little vinegar in the water will keep the white from running out.
• Fruit and vegetable wash:
  Add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar to 1 pint water and use to wash fresh fruits and vegetables, then rinse thoroughly.  Research has shown that vinegar helps kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables. 
• Relief from Heartburn
  For relief of heartburn or acid indigestion, take one or two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Lessen Morning Sickness (Gonna try this next go around!)
  Drink some apple cider vinegar in water, with honey added.  This concoction can help calm a queasy stomach. 
• Soft Feet
  Combine 1 cup white distilled vinegar to 2 gallons warm water.  Soak feet for 45 minutes then use a pumice stone or file to remove dead skin from heels and callused areas of feet.

Maybe this will change the way you use your toxic cleaners? Just the thought that I can ingest something that is also a powerful cleaner makes me feel so much better about using it!