Post by MrsDeweySmith on Jul 7, 2005 22:09:23 GMT -5
This is another tidbit from my friend...
Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs
Vinegar is a mainstay of the old folk recipes for
cleaning, and with good reason.
The "vim" of the vinegar is that it kills bacteria,
mold, and germs.
Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references
numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent
solution of vinegar-such as you can buy in the
supermarket-kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent
of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). He noted
that Heinz can't claim on their packaging that vinegar
is a disinfectant since the company has not registered
it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
However, it seems to be common knowledge in the
industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial.
Even the CBS news show 48 Hours had a special last
December with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good
Housekeeping Institute that showed this.
Just like antibiotics, common disinfectants found in
sponges and household sprays may contribute to drug
resistant bacteria, according to researchers of drug
resistance at Tufts New England Medical Center.
Furthermore, research at the Government Accounting
Office shows that many commercial disinfectants are
ineffective to begin with, just like antibiotics.
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5
percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting
board, and in your bathroom, and use them for
cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting
board before going to bed at night, and don't even
rinse, but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar
dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is
also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it
on and wipe off.
More on vinegar:
During the time of the Black Plague a family of
perfumers robbed the dead. As perfumers they knew well
the antiseptic essential oils, and they infused them
in vinegar and rubbed them on their bodies; by doing
so they protected themselves from certain death. The
doctors of the time used the same herbs and essential
oils to to protect themselves while tending so many
who were contagious. They wore big cloaks over their
heads that reached down well below their shoulders.
Attached to the cloak over the nose and mouth was a
10" long canoe-like shaped beak full of antiseptic
herbs and essential oils. Here is the famous Vinegar
of The Four Thieves recipe; it is sometimes called
Grave Robber's Blend.
Place a small handful each of dried lavender,
rosemary, sage, rue and mint in a large jar, and cover
completely with organic apple cider vinegar. Cover
tightly and set for six weeks. Strain into a spray
bottle. Whereas no home can be made to be sterile,
spray the powerfully antiseptic Vinegar of Four
Thieves recipe in areas of concern, such as on cutting
boards and door knobs, always making sure to avoid
your eyes.
1. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on the toilet
bowl rim.
2. Poison Ivy Killer
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on poison ivy.
3. Cutting Board Deodorizer
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on the cutting
board. Let set for at least ½ an hour. Rinse.
4. Window Cleaner
Add ¼ cup of white distilled vinegar to 2 cups of
water, and a dab of liquid soap or detergent to a
spray bottle.
5. Wood Cleaning Rinse
After washing wooden floors, add 1 cup of vinegar to a
gallon of water to the rinse water. The detergent or
soap, and many odors, are neutralized by the vinegar,
and the floors are left very clean.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Beauty Tips
Apple cider vinegar has been the Wise Woman's beauty
ally for centuries; Now science tells us that it
promotes blood circulation in the small blood
capillaries that irrigate the skin. It is also
antiseptic, combating yeasts, viruses, and bacteria
that can cause infection.
Apple cider vinegar is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids,
helping to dissolve fatty deposits on the skin's
surface and reducing scaly conditions, promoting a
softer, smoother appearance. This miracle fluid also
regulates the pH of the skin.
You won't believe how many ways apple cider vinegar
can be used to promote healthier skin and hair! Find
out some of the couldn't-be-simpler ways to put it to
work for you, below:
1. Hair rinse: Apple cider vinegar gets rid of residue
build-up on hair, leaving it soft and shiny. Mix 1/2
cup apple cider vinegar with 1 quart water and use as
a final rinse after shampooing.
2. Stain remover: If your hands are stained from
chopping berries, dab some straight apple cider
vinegar on the stains and they'll disappear like
magic.
3. Tired, swollen hands or feet: Rub a little apple
cider vinegar on tired, sore, or swollen hands or feet
and feel the soothing difference.
4. Overnight facial: Get rid of blemishes and make
your skin more youthful by patting apple cider vinegar
on your face before bed. You'll have softer, smoother
skin in the morning!
5. Sunburn bath: If you've been singed by the sun,
find soothing relief by adding a cupful of apple cider
vinegar to your bath and soaking for 10 minutes.
6. Topical skin burns: apply ice-cold apple cider
vinegar to prevent blistering.
7. Lightening age spots: Dab areas with straight apple
cider vinegar and leave on overnight.
8. Dandruff fighter: Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to
3 parts warm water to balance scalp pH and control
dandruff. You can also apply undiluted vinegar to the
scalp. Allow it to penetrate, then shampoo with a mild
shampoo.
Here is the homemade poison ivy vegetation killer
spray that I've found is safe and effective:
Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer
1 cup salt
8 drops liquid detergent
1 gallon vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to
dissolve the salt. Cool the vinegar, add the
detergent, and pour some of the liquid into a large
spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can also just
pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray
bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill
all the vegetation, so make sure that you are only
spraying the plants you want to kill.
Eighty-five to 100- percent of weeds at all stages of
growth are killed with a 20 percent solution of
vinegar, according to researchers at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research
Services
Neutralize Pet Odors:
Pets tend to return to the same place in the house
when they make their periodic pee and other mistakes.
Pets have an excellent sense of smell; in fact, they
can smell the residue from their previous error, and
this makes them feel as if that marks the spot for the
next error.
Neutralize the odor by alternating baking soda and
vinegar. I always follow cleaning up a pet mess by
sprinkling the area with baking soda, leaving that
overnight, and then sweeping or vacuuming it up. Pet
urine often has both acidic and alkaline components,
so the next step is to neutralize the alkaline baking
soda and residual alkaline odor using a strong vinegar
wash; I use 2 cups of white distilled water to 1
gallon of water. Wash the area with the vinegar wash,
and then rinse. The strong smell of the vinegar will
dissipate in a few hours.
Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs
Vinegar is a mainstay of the old folk recipes for
cleaning, and with good reason.
The "vim" of the vinegar is that it kills bacteria,
mold, and germs.
Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references
numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent
solution of vinegar-such as you can buy in the
supermarket-kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent
of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). He noted
that Heinz can't claim on their packaging that vinegar
is a disinfectant since the company has not registered
it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
However, it seems to be common knowledge in the
industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial.
Even the CBS news show 48 Hours had a special last
December with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good
Housekeeping Institute that showed this.
Just like antibiotics, common disinfectants found in
sponges and household sprays may contribute to drug
resistant bacteria, according to researchers of drug
resistance at Tufts New England Medical Center.
Furthermore, research at the Government Accounting
Office shows that many commercial disinfectants are
ineffective to begin with, just like antibiotics.
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5
percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting
board, and in your bathroom, and use them for
cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting
board before going to bed at night, and don't even
rinse, but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar
dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is
also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it
on and wipe off.
More on vinegar:
During the time of the Black Plague a family of
perfumers robbed the dead. As perfumers they knew well
the antiseptic essential oils, and they infused them
in vinegar and rubbed them on their bodies; by doing
so they protected themselves from certain death. The
doctors of the time used the same herbs and essential
oils to to protect themselves while tending so many
who were contagious. They wore big cloaks over their
heads that reached down well below their shoulders.
Attached to the cloak over the nose and mouth was a
10" long canoe-like shaped beak full of antiseptic
herbs and essential oils. Here is the famous Vinegar
of The Four Thieves recipe; it is sometimes called
Grave Robber's Blend.
Place a small handful each of dried lavender,
rosemary, sage, rue and mint in a large jar, and cover
completely with organic apple cider vinegar. Cover
tightly and set for six weeks. Strain into a spray
bottle. Whereas no home can be made to be sterile,
spray the powerfully antiseptic Vinegar of Four
Thieves recipe in areas of concern, such as on cutting
boards and door knobs, always making sure to avoid
your eyes.
1. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on the toilet
bowl rim.
2. Poison Ivy Killer
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on poison ivy.
3. Cutting Board Deodorizer
Spray straight white distilled vinegar on the cutting
board. Let set for at least ½ an hour. Rinse.
4. Window Cleaner
Add ¼ cup of white distilled vinegar to 2 cups of
water, and a dab of liquid soap or detergent to a
spray bottle.
5. Wood Cleaning Rinse
After washing wooden floors, add 1 cup of vinegar to a
gallon of water to the rinse water. The detergent or
soap, and many odors, are neutralized by the vinegar,
and the floors are left very clean.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Beauty Tips
Apple cider vinegar has been the Wise Woman's beauty
ally for centuries; Now science tells us that it
promotes blood circulation in the small blood
capillaries that irrigate the skin. It is also
antiseptic, combating yeasts, viruses, and bacteria
that can cause infection.
Apple cider vinegar is rich in alpha-hydroxy acids,
helping to dissolve fatty deposits on the skin's
surface and reducing scaly conditions, promoting a
softer, smoother appearance. This miracle fluid also
regulates the pH of the skin.
You won't believe how many ways apple cider vinegar
can be used to promote healthier skin and hair! Find
out some of the couldn't-be-simpler ways to put it to
work for you, below:
1. Hair rinse: Apple cider vinegar gets rid of residue
build-up on hair, leaving it soft and shiny. Mix 1/2
cup apple cider vinegar with 1 quart water and use as
a final rinse after shampooing.
2. Stain remover: If your hands are stained from
chopping berries, dab some straight apple cider
vinegar on the stains and they'll disappear like
magic.
3. Tired, swollen hands or feet: Rub a little apple
cider vinegar on tired, sore, or swollen hands or feet
and feel the soothing difference.
4. Overnight facial: Get rid of blemishes and make
your skin more youthful by patting apple cider vinegar
on your face before bed. You'll have softer, smoother
skin in the morning!
5. Sunburn bath: If you've been singed by the sun,
find soothing relief by adding a cupful of apple cider
vinegar to your bath and soaking for 10 minutes.
6. Topical skin burns: apply ice-cold apple cider
vinegar to prevent blistering.
7. Lightening age spots: Dab areas with straight apple
cider vinegar and leave on overnight.
8. Dandruff fighter: Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to
3 parts warm water to balance scalp pH and control
dandruff. You can also apply undiluted vinegar to the
scalp. Allow it to penetrate, then shampoo with a mild
shampoo.
Here is the homemade poison ivy vegetation killer
spray that I've found is safe and effective:
Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer
1 cup salt
8 drops liquid detergent
1 gallon vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to
dissolve the salt. Cool the vinegar, add the
detergent, and pour some of the liquid into a large
spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can also just
pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray
bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill
all the vegetation, so make sure that you are only
spraying the plants you want to kill.
Eighty-five to 100- percent of weeds at all stages of
growth are killed with a 20 percent solution of
vinegar, according to researchers at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research
Services
Neutralize Pet Odors:
Pets tend to return to the same place in the house
when they make their periodic pee and other mistakes.
Pets have an excellent sense of smell; in fact, they
can smell the residue from their previous error, and
this makes them feel as if that marks the spot for the
next error.
Neutralize the odor by alternating baking soda and
vinegar. I always follow cleaning up a pet mess by
sprinkling the area with baking soda, leaving that
overnight, and then sweeping or vacuuming it up. Pet
urine often has both acidic and alkaline components,
so the next step is to neutralize the alkaline baking
soda and residual alkaline odor using a strong vinegar
wash; I use 2 cups of white distilled water to 1
gallon of water. Wash the area with the vinegar wash,
and then rinse. The strong smell of the vinegar will
dissipate in a few hours.
