A bottle of white vinegar is probably sitting somewhere in the back of one of your cabinets. Perhaps forgotten, there has never been a better time to put this inexpensive and non-toxic cleaning product to work.

After your half-marathon training runs or Zumba workouts, are you faced with sweaty, smelly exercise clothing that never seems fresh again, even after several washings?  How about the stubborn odor of your teenage son’s t-shirts or socks?

It pays to keep a big bottle of white vinegar in the laundry room.

Vinegar is terrific for restoring the fresh scent to your clean clothes and linens. Simply add ¼ cup of white vinegar with the detergent in the washing machine and offensive odors will be banished.

For cleaning your house, car or boat interior: Fill a spray bottle ¾ with water, add a drop of liquid dishwashing detergent and top it off with white vinegar.  You may also want to add a few drops essential oil for fragrance, peppermint or grapefruit work well here.

This all-purpose cleaner is great for glass and virtually any surface, even hardwood floors.

If a dirty surface needs a little grit to remove the dirt, sprinkle some baking soda on the area before you spray the vinegar solution and rub to release the dirt.

If you have a sluggish drain, pour about a cup of baking soda into the drain, follow this with a “chaser” of about ½ cup of white vinegar.  Cover the drain with a plug or damp dishcloth to form a seal so the “volcano” can do its work inside the pipes.  After about 20 minutes, remove the plug and pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain.

Sherry Brooks is healthy, happy and trim “Frugalista” living the lean and green life in and around Malibu in sunny southern California.

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