Ever use white vinegar to clean your house? Ever use HOT
white vinegar? Let me tell ya, it’s the best thing ever.
Last night, I decided to descale my year-old Kuerig machine
with, you guessed it, white vinegar. The procedure is dead simple – you fill
the tank with vinegar, run it through the machine, then follow with a whole
tank of clean water – and well worth the two dollars that you spent on the
vinegar. But, two dollars is two dollars and I can’t help feel a little bad
pouring it straight down the drain.
As I was standing there waiting for the first cup to “brew”,
I dropped a couple of spoonfuls of baking soda down the drain. I chased it with
the hot vinegar and stood back to let it do its magic while I pushed the button
on my machine for the second cup.
Cup number two ended up on the stove top. I let it stand until
it has cooled down enough to mop up with a sponge and, holy cow, did that stuff
ever make my white stove top GLEAM.
I ended up using the last cup to give my countertops,
toaster, kettle and the exterior surfaces of the Kuerig itself a good wipe-down.
Sure, my kitchen smelled like a chip wagon* for the next hour, but it dissipated
by bedtime and everything was so darn clean.
With two (three?) jobs, plus a teenager to feed and water,
the time that I spend at home is precious. As much as I love a clean house, I
want to spend as little time as possible scrubbing and scouring so that I can
do more exciting stuff. This little life hack gave me an extra 15 minutes to do
my nails. And dream about chips.
*some might see that as a bonus.
