10 Uses for Vinegar

Ten Great Ways to Clean With Vinegar

1. Remove crayon marks from clothes with a few dabs of vinegar.
2. Remove stickers and price tags by dabbing a little vinegar on the sticker.
3. Disinfect cutting boards by wiping it down with vinegar after every use.
4. Wash away mildew from your shower curtain by spraying vinegar on it after you bathe.. 
5. Remove stains from pots and pans by mixing 1 cup vinegar 2 tbs baking soda 1 cup water.
6. Peel off wallpaper by mixing equal parts of water and vinegar and spraying directly onto the wallpaper.
7. Clean and disinfect baby toys. Then rinse them well so babies don't taste it when they put them in their mouths.
8. Fabric softener by adding about 1/4 cup of vinegar to your laundry load to soften your fabric.
9. Gum remover — spray vinegar on the area where the gum is stuck & the gum will dissolve.
10. Get shinier, streak-free glasses by adding a cup of vinegar to your dishwasher with each load.

DIY Homemade and Affordable Dishwasher Detergent

DIY Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Ingredients

In my never ending quest to find more affordable and greener alternatives to brand name products I recently started searching out better dishwasher detergents. Using Pinterest and Google I looked up several different homemade options for dishwasher detergents. The majority of them were very similar in ingredients and combinations. So I tested out a few options and here is what I came up with!

First, let's make sure you have optimal dishwasher conditions. Clean up your sink, run some water down the garbage disposal, and then put in 1 cup of bleach. Let the bleach sit for a few minutes before running hot water and the garbage disposal. This will get the muck out of your system, and help your dishwasher run better.

Second, do the same with your dishwasher. Empty the dishwasher, pour 1 cup of bleach in the bottom of your dishwasher, and run a short, hot cycle. This kills any lingering bacteria in your dishwasher, and cleans out the muck in the pipes. I frequently toss my sponges in the dishwasher (top rack) when I do this.

Now, knowing your system is at its best, here's the cheapest, and incredibly effective homemade, dishwasher detergent! 

DIY Dishwasher Detergent Ingredients-
1 box Borax (4lbs 12 oz or 76 oz ) (I found it by the laundry detergent) $5.15
1 box Arm and Hammer Baking Soda (2 lbs box) $3.59
White Vinegar $1.19

Mix the Borax and baking soda in a bowl, and store in a dry container. And that's it! Ta da! No fancy anything to it! All you need is 1 tablespoon of the dry mixture! Put it in the detergent dispenser of your dishwasher.
The vinegar is in lieu of other rinse aids. Fill up your rinse aid dispenser with the vinegar.

The ingredients at full cost only come to $9.93. But because I'm always looking for ways to make things even more affordable, I went to ArmandHammer.com and got some coupons! I got a full dollar off the baking soda, and when I got to the store it was on-sale $0.75 off! Woo-hoo! Bargain!

This detergent 'recipe' makes about a 6 month supply! Math- 76 oz + 64 oz = 140 oz. 1 tablespoon = .5 ounces. Which comes to 280 "servings." If you do 1 load a day, that's 280 days, which is closer to 9 months. But you may want to use just a touch more for heavy loads, and sometimes you may do 2 loads a day. So we'll compromise and say it is a 7.5 month supply of dish detergent for under $10 (or $8 if you use the coupon)!

It's cheap, but DOES IT WORK?!
Before-

One dirty, older glass, before it went in.

And the after! I see no need for another rinse agent.

Other versions included adding citric acid, kosher salt, or epsom salts. One even said to add lemon rinse. None of these products add to the effectiveness of cleaning, so I don't see the point in using them. (I really don't get the point of the salt!) If you have hard water you may want to add the lemon rinse (which was not cheap) to get shinier glass. I have really hard water, but this method worked just fine for me!

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Make your home eco-friendly

Tips on "green mortgages," green living, and making your home healthier!

5 Green Jobs Saving the Planet

The US Green Building Council, a non-profit group that promotes eco-friendly building practices, suggests that green-friendly construction projects will add $7.9M green jobs and $554B to the American economy over the next 2 years. The US federal government included $750M in green job training in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of February 2009 that will make these green jobs possible. As a result, the next big surge in jobs will be in green sectors technology.

#1- Home Energy Auditor
These professionals will usually have a professional history in residential home construction. They evaluate homes for what kind of improvements will increase home energy efficiency.

#2 Green Teacher
As industries become more aware of green opportunities, the need for teachers to train others about green technology is growing. These teachers are not trained education professionals, but individuals with a background in interior design and architecture. To get involved in these types of jobs it is important to become Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. LEED is a green building standard that certifies a building was constructed using environmentally friendly techniques.
Information on LEED certifications and exams can be found on the US Green Building Council website.

#3 Green Engineer
Civil and mechanical engineers with LEED certifications that can consult on green building projects are in demand. They assist in determining water runoff design systems, cooling and ventilation systems, and other sustainable engineering efforts.

#4 Wind Power Salesperson
As homeowners begin to take advantage of the IRS renewable energy systems tax credits, sales for green items like wind turbines are going up! Salespeople can take advantage of this by getting on top of the next big thing and get jobs selling now.

#5 Weatherization Expert
These experts work with homeowners to improve and retrofit their homes with new windows, insulation and other product to improve their home energy efficiency. ARRA provided as much as $5B for residential weatherization improvement projects. According to the National Association of Home Builders the lack of skilled weatherization experts make this a potentially lucrative field.

Source: Fox Business

Green Starter Homes

More builders are offering green homes that won’t send you into bankruptcy or catapult you completely out of the mainstream. The following are just some of the available choices — including prefab, modular and sustainable subdivisions — for folks who want green but don’t have a lot of it to spend.

Read the rest at 7 affordable green starter homes on the Mother Nature Network