Sour Power

"Men are like wine: some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age" - Pope John XXIII

Yes, it's been a while, and I've been up to no good. Since my last entry and today, I've had too many martinis in Chicago, found myself an amazing pair of gold vintage cowboy boots and the Vikings.... well, what can I say about that? If you are anything like the five million or so Minnesotans, you might still be feeling a bit sour given the impending Super Bowl. With that in mind, I thought it would be fitting to talk about the benefits of something that leaves a bad taste in your mouth: Vinegar.

Of course, we all know the joy of a good vinaigrette. Some may know the pleasure of macerated strawberries in a balsamic vinegar, but did you know the good graces of vinegar go much deeper that this? There are those who believe it is a magic diet aid warding off even the strongest of sugar cravings. Others swear by its ability to cure varicose veins.

My personal love of this sour friend is, indeed, a profound one. A few months ago my husband and I were at wits end with a dishwasher that wasn't working. After a tedious and disgusting dismantling of said washer produced no more than the same film that had been coating our dishes for weeks, we began the process of looking for a new machine. Before the purchase was made, we tried one last theory. Four cups of vinegar was added to a cycle, and eureka! The problem was solved. The dishes came out sparkling, and a $3 bottle of vinegar saved us from a $600 sticker shock. The film that had been building up on the dishes was the result of mineral deposits from our hard water. Those same minerals had been clogging the water feeds in and out of the washer. The vinegar provided the chemical reaction to thwart those pesky deposits. To this day, we add a cup or so of vinegar to keep the minerals at bay.

With my new vinegar romance in full bloom, I went looking for more miracles it could perform. Low and behold, I found more. I came across recipes for both an all purpose household cleaner as well as for a glass cleaner. I've faithfully been brewing these concoctions since for a fraction of the cost of those chemically laden cleaners I carelessly sprayed about. My piggy bank is bulging these days, and it is sparkly to boot.

Here are the recipes:

Homemade Glass Cleaner

1 Cup rubbing alcohol
1 Cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar

Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with national brands. This can also be used to give a nice shine to hard tiles, chrome, and other surfaces.


Alice's Wonder Spray

1 Cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons borax
4 Cups hot water
20 essential oil (optional)
1/4 Cup liquid dish soap

Combine vinegar and borax with hot water. Add an essential oil (if desired for fragrance) and dish soap. Place in a spray bottle and be sure to label it.