Thursday 8 March 2012

Kitchen Krafts - A Dash of Vinegar



My favourite natural fabric softener is white wine vinegar. You would think that this would be quite a stinky way to round off the wash load, but it really isn't. Not only does the vinegar not cover the cloth fibres with a whole lot of unnecessary weight as do fabric softeners, but it removes the excess weight, leaving your clothes feeling and smelling wonderful! Trust me, they won't smell like vinegar when they are done, they smell fresh and crisp and clean! Your clothes will also get a natural colour lift.

It also has the added benefit that while it softens your clothes, it cleans the washing machine and pipes from lime and other residues.
I usually add roughly about 50ml of vinegar to a wash load. I put it in the slot where the fabric softener goes so that it will be added to the final rinse.



I keep the vinegar handy in a spray bottle to use for perspiration stains and or odours that can be a pain to get rid of!
The laundry is not the only place I use vinegar though as it has proven to be effective in many other areas of my home.
I use vinegar when it is time to remove the scale from my kettle. I add a little to the water and boil, removes all the scale no problem!

Health-wise: I had a couple of success stories from some patients of mine who suffered from acid reflux. I recommended that they drink a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in some warm water 1/2 hour before they eat, and also before they go to bed at night. My one patient remarked how much it helped her, and that she no longer awoke in the middle of the night with awful heartburn.

It can pull out a fever. I have always used vinegar in a wrap if my children have had a high fever. I believe that it is important to keep a fever as it helps the body to remove and fight what shouldn't be there, but at the same time it should remain in a manageable range. 
To make a vinegar wrap: 2 facecloths, 2 plastic bags, a pair of stretchy socks, a bowl with warm water to which you add a dash of apple cider vinegar.
Place the face cloths in the water, wring out until damp and place under the foot, covering the top of the foot with the loose ends. Place foot in plastic bag and knot lightly to allow to stay in place. Now put sock over bag. Repeat on other foot. Crawl into bed and allow the vinegar to do its' thing for 30 minutes. Do check on your patient every couple of minutes though as it can pull the fever out of the body pretty fast. Once the fever is down to a manageable temperature (or after 30 minutes) get some rest and then repeat after an hour if necessary.

It is also great for combating lice and can relieve sunburn.

Taste-wise:  Balsamic vinegar is an absolute favourite of mine. It enhances salad sauces and is DIVINE with strawberries.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar.
Here the recipe:

1 punnet strawberries
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar




Cut strawberries into quarters and toss with sugar and vinegar.





Cover and allow to stand for about an hour, then chill for about 30 minutes.

Serve on some crackers and with a dollop of cream if you so desire. Should be eaten the same day. Enjoy!


Pity you can't scratch and taste hmm?
I would love to hear some of your tips and tricks from the kitchen or household. Have you got a favourite recipe you would like to share? Share it below and remember to link back to this site. Please visit others listed below for more great ideas.

If you would like to use this button on your blog or website, just right click and "save image as".




Thanks for coming by.

x

2 comments:

  1. I agree - vinegar is nature's cleanser! Vinegar is also a great rinse agent in a dishwasher. It also cleans out the interior and pipes in the dishwasher and gets rids of any musty smell. I hear it works well to clean coffee makers, too.

    I do have to admit that during pregnancy I tried it to relieve heartburn but I could get past the apple cider vinegar taste. I do love some balsalmic though :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shannon,

      Thanks for the extra info, I agree it is great for almost everything that needs a good clean. Many years ago, my hubby had an accident and was bleeding. In the confusion of running around some blood dropped onto our white carpet. After dabbing it with some white wine vinegar and allowing it to stand for a while, it washed right out afterwards! The stuff is amazing!

      Thanks for the visit.

      x

      Delete

Thanks for visiting my site and leaving a comment, I really appreciate each and every one.
I will reply to each of your comments, sometimes it does take a while to get around to all of them, but I will reply within 24 hours of you posting. :)

Blog Archive