New uses for vinegar...

Continuing our series on new uses for common ingredients, here's how to make vinegar useful all over the house!

• To clean your windows, mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water and pour into a recycled squirt bottle. Spray on and wipe with newspaper for a sparkling, streak-free windows!
• There are many laundry uses for vinegar. For grass stains, mix 1/3 cup white vinegar with 2/3 cup water and blot on stain to remove as much green as possible, then wash as usual. To make your laundry fresher and your colors brighter, add a capful of vinegar to the load. It will also take out strong smells (maybe someone in your house tangled with a skunk) but you'll have to add more! When pressing pants, dab a 50/50 vinegar and water solution onto the crease and press as usual. Those creases will be sharp!
• For carpet cleaning, try this cleaning solution: one part white vinegar, one-sixteenth part lemon juice and eight parts distilled water. The vinegar neutralizes pet smells too!
• Cleaning produce is a snap! Mix one part vinegar with three parts water in a spray bottle. Spray on fruits and veggie to remove toxins and rinse with water. Claims state that this method kills 98% of bacteria on produce.
• All you gardeners know sometimes cats are a problem, when they dig in your flower beds, that is! To deter them, simply pour vinegar around the edge of the beds every few months. Problem solved!
• In a sticky situation vinegar can help you out. Just rub a cloth dipped in vinegar over those spots left by price tags or that glue mess your toddler left for you. It also cuts grease!

In addition to saving money, you can also feel good that your home is cleaned naturally, without toxic chemicals. You and your family will reap the many benefits, so give yourself a pat on the back.

"Tart words make no friends; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar." -Benjamin Franklin