CasaSugar

How-To: Make Your Own All-Purpose Cleaner

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:00:00 -0700

It's not always easy being green - or clean. Combining the two can be downright impossible, but making your own products can cut chemicals, crud, and cost. I simplify things even more by using one all-purpose cleanser nearly everywhere in my pad.

To make the cleaner, just combine equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Before storing, label and date your homemade mixture. It should be good indefinitely, but it doesn't hurt to mix up a fresh batch every couple of months.

Spring cleaning on the mind? Other DIY options include a heavy duty surface cleanser, a window solution, and a tub and tile scrubber.

How-To: Say Goodbye to Salt Stains

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:00:23 -0800

If you live in a snowy climate, chances are that road crews are keeping the highways and byways of your hometown ice-free with the use of salt. It's likely that you, as well, are cutting down on ice on the steps and paths around your home by using salt. While salt can be a great tool, it can also wreak havoc on rugs and carpets inside your home - especially in the entry, where boots can too easily track salt all over these items.

Even if you've had salt stains on your carpets or rugs for most of this Winter, you can still banish them with some simple ingredients and a lot of elbow grease. To find out how to get rid of those stains, read more.

Start by vacuuming the carpet to get rid of any dirt, grime, and extra salt.
Mix 1 cup white vinegar with 1 cup warm water, and fill a clean spray bottle with the mixture
Thoroughly spray the mixture on the stain, and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
Use a clean sponge or towel to blot the area - don't rub or scrub it, which could make the stain worse.
Repeat as needed. Allow to air dry each time.

Source: Flickr User lakbdesign/fergusandme

Reader Tip: Keep Your Appliances in Their Best Shape

SavvySugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:00:39 -0700

Dishing out extra dough to fix pricey appliances is a real pain so it's in your best interest to keep them in tip-top shape. Consumer Reports recently put out a helpful guide to making appliances last, but washing machines didn't make the list. Thank goodness for the Thrifty Tips - Getting The Most Out of Life group in the SavvySugar Community. Beachwalker advises:

To keep your washing machine new, every few months fill the machine with warm water and a pint of vinegar. This will clean out the hoses and stop clogging. This works for the dishwasher as well!

Have you ever tried this tactic? Have a thrifty tip to share? Join the Thrifty Tips - Getting The Most Out of Life group in the SavvySugar Community and preach!

Another Reason to Dress Your Salad With Vinaigrette

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Ranch, blue cheese, and thousand island might make your taste buds happy, but they're pretty disappointing when it comes to nutrition. If you've been trying to fool yourself into thinking that a concoction of vegetables and saturated-fat-laden creamy dressing is healthy, it won't take long for your waistline to notice.

Enter your salad and weight-
friendly dressing, the vinaigrette. A medley of olive oil and vinegar, seasoned as you please and moderately portioned, is the best way to complement your greens. It's tasty, and what's more, new research from Japan suggests that ordinary household vinegar turns on genes that help fight fat.

Scientists put mice on a high-fat diet, and only some were given regular doses of acetic acid, the main chemical in vinegar. The mice who received the vinegar compound developed up to 10 percent less body fat than the mice who didn't receive it. Scientists believe that the acetic acid helps the body break down fats, which prevents fat buildup and weight gain.

Yummy Links: From In-N-Out to Home Brewing

partysugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:50:37 -0700

Will In-N-Out Burger finally become a national standby? - The Feedbag
There are so many ways (beyond salad dressing) to use vinegar and citrus. - Chow
If you love bruschetta, consider Spain's delicious variation, Pa amb Tomaquet. - The Atlantic
The latest on the Kentucky Fried Chicken riots. - Eater
Speaking of chickens, check out this hilarious ad for Swiss supermarket Migros. - Eat Me Daily
Recent James Beard winner Dan Barber on sustainable foie gras. - Serious Eats
Ten easy steps for brewing beer at home in your coffeemaker. - The Epi-Log

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Definition: Mignonette

YumSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:00:32 -0700

Mignonette
A classic condiment for raw oysters served on the half shell, mignonette sauce typically contains vinegar and shallots, and may also include oyster liquor, seasonings, and herbs.

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Casa Quickie: Salt Stains on Carpet

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:00:20 -0800

If you live in a snowy climate, chances are that family and visitors may be tracking salt into your home on the bottoms of their boots. Of course, the first line of defense is to ask everyone to take their shoes off in your entry. But what if your entry rug, or other carpeted space in your home, gets stained with the salt?

Just use a bit of distilled white vinegar and a scrub brush. Scrub gently, making sure to use a moderate (though not overly generous - you don't want a ton of splashing) amount of vinegar. Rub it in and then blot it with a dish towel. This also works well for carpeting in cars! Source

How-To: Ten Garden Uses For White Vinegar

CasaSugar — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:30:11 -0700

Now that you know the household uses for white vinegar, I thought you might like to know how you can expand its use to your garden. As you may remember, white vinegar is an eco-friendly product, and it's also cheap: You can buy a gallon of white vinegar for less than $3.

The word "vinegar" is from the French term vin aigre, meaning "sour wine." White vinegar is made from allowing a distilled alcohol, like white wine, vodka, or gin, to oxidize. This changes the chemical components of the alcohol, making it more sour, but also more useful.

To find out how you can use white vinegar in your garden, read more.

Pesky raspberry leave stains on your palms? Banish berry stains by rubbing your hands with white distilled vinegar.
Make sure your hummingbirds avoid toxic cleansers in their nectar by cleaning feeders with white distilled vinegar.
Rust on your tools or spigots? Soak them overnight in white vinegar to loosen and get rid of rust.
Dingy plastic patio furniture gets cleaner with a solution of one tablespoon white distilled vinegar to one gallon of water.
Hate slugs as much as I do? Say sayonara by spraying them with one part water and one part white distilled vinegar.
Azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and gardenias are all acid-loving plants. Add a cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water, and water them generously every month or so.
If you have weeds or grass in cracks in your sidewalks and steps, pour white vinegar in the cracks to get rid of the greenery.
If your terracotta pots have white mineral bits on them, soak the pots for an hour or two in a sink filled with half white vinegar and half water.
Make your cut flowers last longer by adding two tablespoons of white vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar to each vase. Fill with water, and enjoy.
Stop the ants from marching in by pouring white distilled vinegar on their paths, as well as in ant hills.

Do you have other garden uses for white vinegar? Tell me about them by commenting below!
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How-To: Ten Household Uses For White Vinegar

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:00:26 -0700

Not so long ago, I told you about some of the ways you can use baking soda around your house. Now, I've got some great uses for another eco-friendly product: white vinegar. Not only is white vinegar eco, it's also cheap: You can buy a gallon of white vinegar for less than $3.

To find out how you can use white vinegar for your household cleaning, read more.

Need some scouring power? Combine 1/4 cup baking soda with one tablespoon liquid detergent. Add a little white distilled vinegar so your paste has a creamy texture.
Do you have a stinky garbage disposal? Freeze white vinegar in an ice cube tray, then drop several cubes down the disposal while running cold water through it.
Get rid of soap scum in your dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through an entire cycle
Remove tea and coffee stains from mugs by scrubbing them with salt and distilled vinegar.
Polish chrome sink fixtures with a paste made of two tablespoons salt and one teaspoon white distilled vinegar.
Clean tarnished copper and pewter with a paste using equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and table salt.
Oops! Did you leave wet laundry in the washing machine? Banish the musty smell by pouring two cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and washing the clothes in hot water. Run the clothes through again with detergent.
Kill bathroom germs with white vinegar in a spray bottle. Wipe clean.
Get your brights brighter by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to your rinse cycle.
Your steam iron will work best if it doesn't have pesky mineral deposits in the steam vents and spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a mix of white vinegar and distilled water. Set it upright and let it steam for a few minutes. After the iron is cool, rinse the chamber with water, refill with water, and shake the water through the vents.

Do you have other household uses for white vinegar? Tell me about them by commenting below!
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Casa Quickie: Cleaning Chrome

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:00:47 -0700

Desire to Inspire recently wrote about her experience restoring a '70s chrome chair and shared her trick for removing tarnish from chrome — vinegar and aluminum foil! Moisten, but don't saturate, aluminum foil with some full-strength white vinegar, and rub the chrome with lots of elbow grease! A lot of scrubbing will do the trick, and then wipe off the black gunk with a soft cloth afterwards. She also suggests that you put on some gloves to avoid getting black stains on your fingertips. A good tip, huh? Do you have any chrome that needs polishing?
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