Okay, So Mom Was Right...

One summer a few years ago, when I went home to find that my mother was on some mad cleaning-with-vinegar phase. I think there may have been baking soda with that, too. I thought she was a little nutty because, well...Mom can be a little nutty sometimes.

But you know, I've known most of my life that vinegar is the only thing that gets rid of hard water build-up because our well water (for outdoor use only) had extremely hard water and the city water we used inside the house was pretty hard, too. I've done a few cleanups scrubbing windows with vinegar.

I have known for just about as long that baking soda kills odors and when made into a paste, cleans silver jewelry quickly.

The coolest, weirdest thing I have known since college is that if you massage baking soda in your hair and then rinse it with cider vinegar you have bright, shiny hair that is free from styling buildup. Yea, I love that little chemical reaction on the top of my head! It's better than a nice beer rinse, I promise.

So, I really had no reason to roll my eyes at my mother as she was extolling the wonders of vinegar and baking soda on her already sparkling countertops. It makes sense and other people can attest to it--especially those frugal and natural homemakers out there.

I'd forgotten about vinegar and baking soda until a few months ago when I was cleaning the guest bathroom and noticed that the sink wasn't draining very quickly. I didn't have time to go to the store and buy drain cleaner before my company (it just so happens it was my parents) arrived, so I dumped some baking soda down the sink and chased it with vinegar and some boiling water. Some yucky stuff temporarily came back up during the chemical reaction. Ew! I'd love to describe it, but I don't even want to know what it might have been. But then the drain stopped spewing its cloggage and drained quickly. I felt like such a hero!

So, MY bathroom drain has been slow, which is no wonder considering the amount of beauty supplies I use, so today I tried the ole low budget base and acid cocktail to clear that drain right up. And while I was at it, I cleaned the sink and wiped the countertops with that same combination. Oh! My sink is so shiny that the Flylady would be proud! I thought it was old and beyond hope, but I guess not!

So guess who is going to be spiffin' up everything with soda and vinegar this week? That's right--Happychyck the Wannabe Homemaker! (Yea, it's not going to last. We all know that I'm not built for this.)

Oh, and in case you want learn more household tips today, there's a whole website that has all kinds of unexpected and creative uses for other various products. I bet my mom already knows about them. She's nutty like that--but in a cool way.