We’ll Drink to That: 5 Ways that Vodka Can Clean your House
When you think of DIY green cleaning recipes, you probably picture whipping up recipes with vinegar, baking soda, salt, lemon, and maybe a little borax, but did you know that you can use vodka for cleaning in pretty much any room of your house?
The alcohol in vodka makes it a powerful disinfectant, and it works great as a degreaser, too. You can even use vodka to deodorize fabrics. Who needs toxin-filled Febreeze when you’ve got vodka in the liquor cabinet? What I love about cleaning with vodka is that the recipes are simple, and you don’t need any special ingredients.
I know, you probably think of vodka as your reward for cleaning the house – not a tool for the actual cleaning – and I definitely encourage you to relax after all of that scrubbing with a tasty organic vodka cocktail! Before you mix up that lemon splash martini, though, check out some of these vodka cleaning recipes:
1. All Purpose Cleaner
In a spray bottle, combine one part water to one part vodka. You can use a new spray bottle or wash and reuse the one that used to hold your store-bought all purpose cleaner.
The all purpose cleaner does what it says it does! Use it to clean countertops, cabinet doors, and to spot clean small messes. You can even use it to clean windows and mirrors. To clean glass streak-free, use reclaimed, crumpled newspaper to wipe the all purpose cleaner away, instead of a rag.
2. Disinfectant
You don’t need toxic triclosan to disinfect in the bathroom or the kitchen. Vodka to the rescue! Just fill a spray bottle with straight vodka, spritz it on any problem areas, and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping the surface down.
Vodka disinfectant works well anywhere that you’re worried about germs, like on your cutting board, on the kitchen counter after preparing meat, or in the bathroom.
3. Beat Soap Scum with Vodka
That bottle of disinfectant does double duty by cutting through soap scum like a breeze. Think of this as the natural alternative to those terrible-smelling, chemical-laden Scrubbing Bubbles. You use it in pretty much the same way.
Generously spritz shower doors, tile walls, or any other area giving you the soap scum blues with your all-vodka spray. Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes to work its boozy magic, then wipe soap scum away with a damp rag. Easy peasy!
4. Deodorize Fabrics
Have you seen the Febreeze commercials where the mom sprays Febreeze on every single piece of fabric in her son’s room? I was horrified the first time I saw that commercial. Who would want to soak their kid’s environment in chemicals this way? Luckily, you don’t need Febreeze to get the stink out of fabrics!
Instead, just spritz fabrics with a little vodka to deodorize them. You may want to do a little spot-test to make sure the alcohol won’t make the color fade first. If you’re worried about the boozy smell, don’t fret! The alcohol will evaporate, and the smell will fade as the fabric dries.
5. Vodka to Cut Grease
Hand-washing pots and pans is one of my least favorite parts of cooking, especially when I’m dealing with something extra greasy like a casserole dish. You can add a little vodka to your hand-washing routine to make cleaning even greasy dishes a breeze.
Next time you fill up the sink for some hand-washing, add a few tablespoons of vodka to the mix. The alcohol cuts right through the grease to make scrubbing those oily dishes much, much easier.
Do you guys have any favorite vodka cleaning recipes? I’d love to hear more ideas in the comments!
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Nico Nelson
