A Cup of Coffee with White Vinegar

You know it's time to do something when your coffee maker takes forever to make the coffee and sounds like it's about to burst while it's doing it. Odds are it simply is crying out for a good cleaning and this article will tell you how to do that and more using the amazing green cleaning power of undiluted distilled white vinegar.

Cleaning the coffee maker is a snap. Simply pour in a cup of vinegar into the pot and fill with cold water. Pour this mixture into the reservoir and turn the coffee maker on. As the vinegar water solution passes through the maker it will cut the oil left by coffee and eliminate lime deposits left by tap water.

Once the water has cycled through, dump the water and let the pot cool. When it has cooled off fill it with fresh cold water and cycle that through the coffee maker to rinse the last of the vinegar. If it has been some time since you last cleaned the coffee maker you may have to repeat the process.

That takes care of the internal parts, now let's get rid of the pesky stains on the outside. Vinegar is just an amazing cleaning tool and the fact that it is non toxic is a huge bonus. What you may want to do is take an old spray bottle and fill it with a half vinegar half water solution. This way you always have it handy and don't have to mix a new batch every time you want to clean something. Spray this solution on the outside of the coffee maker and the lid of the carafe and watch those stains disappear.

Here are some other great tips on using vinegar around the house.

You can polish copper or brass by mixing 2 tablespoons of ketchup and one tablespoon each of vinegar and salt. Stir well and use a soft cloth to wipe the mixture onto anything made of copper or brass. Keep rubbing until you get a bright shiny finish.

If you have an ant problem at home, spray full strength white vinegar around your doors and windows and it will discourage them from entering.

Ok you took care of the ants, now it's time to get rid of pesky fruit flies. Just set out a saucer filled with vinegar and the little pests will drown themselves in it.

There are literally hundreds of uses for white vinegar. It's cheap and best of all it's green. Do yourself and the Earth a favor and make it your favorite household cleaner.