How to Get Shiny Hair - Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse - Awesome

The store aisles are just loaded with hair products.

They are pretty, make wonderful promises and cost a lot of money!!

 All I wanted was for my dull hair to shine again without investing in expensive conditioners.

In fact the expensive conditioners in my opinion where actually causing more trouble. I decided it was time to get back to simple times, and remember when I was a kid how much my Grandma loved to used apple cider vinegar for everything to do with hair and skin.

I remember thinking she was crazy, that you should just buy the right product, but I realize now this is how her hair kept so shiny.

Products Build Up in our Hair Everything from conditioners to oils to shampoos all eventually create a buildup that takes away the shine. So give this a try. The only thing you need besides the apple cider vinegar is a clean spray bottle which you can get online or at the dollar store.

How to Have Shiny Hair Again!

Step 1 - Shampoo Your Hair as per normal but skip the conditioner.

Step 2 - Mix 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into 8 ounces of water and fill a clean spray bottle.

Step 3 - Spray the vinegar mixture onto your hair and leave for a few minutes.

Step 4 - Rinse if you wish (you can actually leave it on your hair as it is the same PH)

Step 5 - Style as normal.

That it!!

Do this at least once a week to remove build up of product from your hair.

You will be surprised at just how shiny your hair becomes, as well as no more itching dry scalp and it helps to naturally control dandruff.

If you home has hard water then it helps to get rid of that problem too in your hair.

Check out this video

There are so many benefits to using apple cider vinegar.

NOTE:  Don't use the white vinegar as it may be too harsh for your hair, best results are from the Apple cider vinegar.  Don't worry about the smell it disappears as your hair dries.

There have also been many claims that using this formula will prevent hair loss.  I don't know if that has been proven but I can tell you that your scalp feels awesome afterwards.

The spray bottle makes it easier, but if you don't have one, mix the formula in a jug that can pour and pour all over your head paying attention to the scalp and the hair ends and rub in well with your hands.

You can get apple cider vinegar in many sizes, obviously the bigger you get the more savings.  You can get it at most grocery stores but you can also get it online.

Best Homemade Window Cleaner with Vinegar - I was Totally Amazed at How Well This Works

My last house was floor to ceiling windows, and being in the country they attracted a lot of dirt and dust.  Cleaning them was a pain.

I would get out there with the ladders and cloths and newspaper, and yet somehow when the sun shone through those DREADED STREAKS APPEARED!!

After much research I came up with the best homemade window cleaner recipe or formula, and it is so simple.  I couldn't believe how much I had spend on commercial blue cleaners and the pile of used newspapers and hard work that surrounded me afterwards.

There is one necessary tool that will not only make this job faster, but leave you streak free!
A good Squeegee and sponge combination.


Skip the newspapers and polishing cloths!!.

Get yourself a good squeegee and this recipe and you will be amazed as I was and still am.  Save your shoulders and simply use a squeegee and sponge combo.  You can get them for under 20 bucks online.

How to Make Homemade Window Cleaner

Get a Bucket or some kind of container that will fit a squeegee.

What you Need:

Jug of Plain White Vinegar

Warm water

Tiny drop of dish soap

Method:

1.  Mix your formula at a 50 percent ratio.  Half amount of white vinegar and same amount of warm water.  Depending on how many windows you are doing, this could be enough for a spray bottle or a houseful of windows!  Just keep the ratio 50/50

2.  Place a tiny drop of dish soap into the mixture and mix.

3.  Make sure your windows are clear of bugs and spider webs by taking a broom or something similar and quickly run it over the outside window.

4.  Try to wash your exterior windows on a overcast day so the formula does not quickly dry on the window and only do one at a time.

5.  Dip your sponge side of the squeegee into your bucket of vinegar/water mixture and then quickly rub it on the window.  Using an extension pole is helpful for tall windows.

6.  What I love about this formula is that you do NOT NEED TO RINSE.

7.  Once you have cleaned the window getting into the corners, turn over the sponge to the squeegee side and slowly, starting at the top of the window drag the squeegee down to the sill.

8.  Have a cloth ready to wipe off the excess water from the squeegee or shake it out (as I did)

9.  Do it again until the window is completely clear, overlapping the lines that is left and then move onto the next.

10.  You will get the hang of the squeegee quickly.  I was so used to newspapers and a swirling motion that it took me a window to get used to it.

Enjoy your Clean Windows!

How to Repel Skunks with Vinegar - Natural Way to Deter Skunks - Win the Battle

We all love nature and the critters that come with it, but sometimes they cross the boundaries and into our abode, shed, yard or our space!

We don't want to hurt them, but they are not exactly pleasant smelling creatures.   We have one that likes to wander through my hubby's garage tent, and I am pretty sure he has been digging under our shed.  So after much research this works:

How to Deter Skunks with Vinegar

So, apparently they can't stand the smell of plain white vinegar, who knew??.  They smell ten times worse, but vinegar repels them.

What you will need:

Jug of plain white vinegar


Clean cotton rags or old towels that can be dedicated to this process.

Method:

Pour some white vinegar into a bowl and saturate a rag or two or how ever many you may need, especially if you are dealing with a army of them.

Slightly ring the rags out, and then place them where they have been frequenting.  If it is inside a shed the rag will last for a few days, but outside it may get rained on and you will need to repeat the process.

Do this for a week or two and they will be ticked off enough to go and find someone else's yard!

No Rags?

If you only have vinegar, place it in a bowl and place in shed, garage, basement or wherever they are and they simply do not like the acidic smell.

No Vinegar? - Used Cat Litter Will Work too!

Not the most pleasant smell, but they can't stand ammonia either, which cat pee does have a lot of.

Take a couple of chunks out of the used cat litter (make sure it is the pee not the poo) and place in the area they frequent.  Won't make your shed smell too nice, but will put them off enough for you to repair or close up the openings they are coming in through.

Vinegar or Used Cat Litter Makes a Great Skunk Repellent

But you will have to keep it up until they are out of the habit, and you can make some changes to your space.  This will not hurt them, it will just put them off.  To me the vinegar is the best method because at least the shed will smell nice!

Don't Want This Much Labor? - Other Options to Deter Skunks

Lighting - Obviously they are night time critters, and not a fan of lighting.  But not just any lighting...  Beady eye lighting!!

Imitates a Set of Predator Eyes 

This product has over 1800 reviews at the time of this writing. It is solar, so no need to plug in, and it imitates the eyes of a predator.  This will work for many of the night time critters that may roam into your space where you don't want them.

Protect Your Veggie Patch

Skunks love to dig in freshly turned soil to find insects and grubs, but they also like your veggies.  They are opportunists and a bit lazy, so if a meal presents itself, they go for it.  This unit will absorb the sun by day and will work by night.

It can be attached to a fence or shed.  It has a ton of positive reviews check it out.  For under 25 bucks you can repel skunks and raccoons and whatever else wanders in uninvited.

You can get ultrasonic equipment that repels all wild life, but if you own a dog or a cat this is not a good idea.

Humane Ways for Repelling Skunks

I love nature and the wildlife, and I have no desire to poison or hurt any of them, but at the same time we need to protect our space.  Using vinegar works but does require some time commitment, but this set of solar beady eyes, would be the perfect solution if you don't want the labor of vinegar rags, used cat litter, and no electrical install.

So What Repels Skunks?

Vinegar soaked rags, used cat litter, the above set of predator eyes, or you standing out all night screaming at them (yes my neighbor did this!).  I choose vinegar, and maybe the set of beady eyes!

How to Get Cat Pee Smell Out of Carpet with Vinegar

As the proud owner of 3 cats, I can totally understand the cat pee smell.  It is bad enough in the litter box, but when it ends up in your carpet, it just doesn't go away, no matter how many sprays and chemicals you use.

I found this recipe that totally works on cat pee smell in the carpet, check it out:

What you need:

1.  plain white vinegar

2.  hydrogen peroxide

3.  liquid hand soap or dish soap

4.  baking soda

5.  old soft brush such as an old tooth brush

Step 1 - Your nose is best.  Locate the smell the best you can, try and pin it down to a small area.  Maybe you had tried to soak up the pee accident but the smell persists.  This method works for even old dried pee!  As much as we love them, we can do without the smell!

Step 2 - Mix equal parts white vinegar with warm water - Pour on the pee area to get it saturated.  This way it gets down into the fibers instead of sitting on top.  The smell is coming from the base of the carpet where the pee soaked down.  If this is a fresh pee try and soak up as much as you can with a paper towel.

Step 3 - Let this mixture dry

Step 4 - Sprinkle lots of baking soda over this spot or area.

Step 5 - Mix up 4 parts hydrogen peroxide to one part of hand or dish soap

Step 6 - Brush the peroxide and soap mixture into the spot with a soft old toothbrush or any brush dedicated to clean up.

Step 7 - Let Dry

Step 8 - Vacuum



Don't Have all the Supplies to Get Cat Pee Smell out of Carpet?

The above recipe is the best, but in a pinch just using equal parts vinegar and water and pour a small amount right over the stain or smell and get it good and saturated and then let dry.

These supplies are available at the grocery store or online and have them delivered to your door.  Hydrogen peroxide is something I always keep on hand with pets because it is also used to get out skunk smell as well as first aid for humans and pets.

The trick is to pour it exactly over the pee spot.

Test a small bit of carpet behind a couch to make sure the vinegar doesn't react with the color, but I have not found this to be an issue as of yet.

Most chemical cleaners tend to deal with stains and smells on the surface, but with pee being liquid it gets right down into the fibers and that smell can go on forever.  Give this a try, I know in my house it works not only on old cat pee smells in the carpet, but also on stains left behind by my dog barfing.

How to Get Cat Pee Smell Out of Carpet Naturally

If the offender is something liquid it will get down deep into the base of the carpet and that is where you have to attack.  Vinegar totally neutralizes.  If you can gather the above supplies this works even better, so give it a shot.  Nothing chemical here!

Best Way to Remove Odors from a Refrigerator - With Vinegar

Have you ever opened your refrigerator and been met with a "not so nice" odor?  You are not quite

sure whether it is the leftovers from last night full of garlic, or that box of lettuce you have had a few days or maybe that container at the back of the fridge you can't remember putting there.

All I know is I leave an open box of baking soda in my

refrigerator.... it needs to be fired!

I found vinegar was the absolute best way to remove odors from a refrigerator fast.

WHITE VINEGAR!!

Step 1 - Empty as much as you can from your refrigerator.  I do this in stages as I don't want to unplug mine, so will quickly do a minute at a time then close the doors!

Step 2 - Put all the food on the counter, or in a cooler

Step 3 - Take out the vegetable crisper drawers (they are notorious for rotting foods way at the back) and empty them of produce and debris such as onion peels and what not, and then fill with hot soapy water to soak.

Step 4 - In the kitchen sink or a bucket, create a mixture of half and half white vinegar and warm water.

Step 5 - Quickly wipe down all the surfaces in your refrigerator with this solution and a clean cloth.  No need to rinse, but you may need to do the shelves twice, keep ringing out the cloth to get more mixture.  This disinfects as well as cleans.  Pay special attention to the area under where the crisper drawers live, it gets full of debris and rotting food.

Step 6 - With the refrigerator now closed and clean, go through the food items and begin to return to the refrigerator.

Take a look at boxed salads as rotting bits can be in the bottom and create smells in your fridge. Check the produce and compost anything not edible.  Check dates on salad dressings and toss if too old.

TIP:  If you love old smelly cheeses, get a container from the dollar store to keep them in to reduce smells in the refrigerator.  Nothing like the smell of old socks from chunks of Parmesan to greet you!

Step 7 - Wash and dry the crisper drawers and replace.

Step 8 - Refill your now clean refrigerator with good foods.

✅There are also some cool products on the market now to help you organize your refrigerator in such a way that you can find everything and store more produce, cans, your favourite foods and more..  Check this article on how to organize a refrigerator for tips.

What if you Simply Don't Have Time to Address the Stinky Refrigerator Today?

Take a coffee mug and fill it half full with white vinegar.  Place inside on a main shelf and leave it there until you get a chance to clean it out properly.  This will help to neutralize the odor.

I personally found white vinegar did a better job of this than leaving baking soda open in the fridge. My opinion of course, but I had some rotting lettuce I didn't realize I had and the white vinegar kept the smell away.

You still need to try and find the source of any heavy smells, but usually once you throw out that rotting science project in the back you have found it!

Plus you would be surprised just how bad a rotting lettuce leaf or cabbage leaf or any moldy veggie can smell!  I was amazed that just a handful of lettuce was causing such a stink!

I keep large jugs of white vinegar on hand. 

There are so many uses for it around the house and for personal use and cooking too.  It is affordable, better than chemicals for you and the environment and easy to use.

Plus its there for those french fries too!

How to Get Smoke Smell out of Car with Vinegar - Cheap, Easy and Effective

My husband is a smoker, and always smoked in the car.  But even with the windows rolled down while smoking the odor lingered.  Fast forward a few years and we wanted to sell the car, but no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the stale smoke odor out.

Here is a quick, easy and cheap method that totally worked!

Step 1 - Open all the windows and pull out the mats and ash trays and give the car a good cleaning with the vacuum and a dusting cloth.  Since other odors can add to the smoke smell to create an over all icky smell.

Step 2 - Once you have cleaned the car and checked for other odor sources, (don't forget the glove box, seat pockets, and especially under the seats, for rotting food, or wrappers), put the mats back in and other items.

Step 3 - Purchase a large jug of plain white vinegar from the grocery store or online.

Step 4 - Find two large plastic bowls, and two clean tea towels.

Step 5 - Place a tea towel in each bowl and then pour the white vinegar over them until just submerged.

Step 6 - Place one bowl on the floor of the back seat area and the other on the front floor.

Step 7 - Leave the car for overnight if you can, or at least 6 hours.

Step 8 - Remove the bowls, and your car will have a nice fresh scent.

Step 9 - DON'T SMOKE IN THE CAR ANYMORE!.  If possible restrict smoking in this car, but if not, get the smoker to do these above steps at least once a month to keep the car smelling fresh for others, its only fair!


Remove Smoke Smell From Car and Other Odors with White Vinegar

I remember how hard I would work to clean the car with dry shampoos, vacuuming, even scrubbing the roof liner, but the smoke smell always lingered until I tried this vinegar tip.

Vinegar Uses

Keep some white vinegar on hand as it has a ton of uses that many people don't think to try.  Check out the other posts in this blog to see just how handy this is.  Natural and cheap, no harsh chemicals.  I can't tell you the money I spent on other chemicals to get rid of the smoke smell in the car.

Use in Smoky Rooms in House Too

This method also works in rooms in the house.  If you have had a party and you have some lingering smoke odors or just a general icky smell that opening the windows is not clearing, then follow the steps above and place a towel soaked vinegar bowl in the room and leave overnight if you can.

This is the perfect natural air freshener for any room and without the use of harsh chemicals.

How to Age Wood With Vinegar - Really Cool Patina!

If you love the look of aged wood, you know that grayish patina that is left behind after years of

being exposed to the elements?

Guess what?  You don't have to wait that long.  Here is a very simple process that is somewhat organic, no harsh chemicals, and creates that look within an hour of application.

Lets Get Started aging your wood

What you will Need:

• White Vinegar
• Water
• Steel Wool
• Paint Brush
• Gloves
• Bucket with good fitting lid (for vinegar mixture)

Step 1 - Take a clean bucket with a good fitting lid, add your vinegar only (it is a 50/50 ratio to vinegar and water so if you plan on doing a lot of wood aging then use larger bottles of vinegar).

Step 2 - Put on the gloves for opening the steel wool pieces.  This helps the mixture form quicker as steel wool tends to be sold in clumps.  So unravel it and place the steel wool in the bucket with the vinegar and using a paint stick submerge it.

Step 3 - Patience.  Let it sit for approximately 4 days.  So if you are planning to work on your crafts or projects this weekend getting it started at the beginning of the week so you will have it ready.

Step 4 - Open lid.  It will look like mucky water.  Add the water (remember, same amount as of vinegar) and mix with stir stick.

Step 5 - Take your paint brush and paint the untreated wood (remember this really only works on untreated wood).  You will see it begin to change as it dries.

Step 6 - Let dry and your wood now looks like it has been outside for years but without the damage.

Video Below on Aging Wood with Vinegar

Another Option to Steel Wool - Old Nails and Bolts and Washers

I have done this process for years, and had never used the steel wool.  I just didn't have it around the house.  So I used old nails and bolts.  I had a container of these laying around, not really good for anything, but hated to simply toss them out.

Depending on how dark you want your wood, you can add more steel wool, nails, bolts or washers and let it sit for longer.  Keep diluting it with some water and you can use this mixture for many projects.

You can get everything online, delivered to your door, so you are ready to start!

Need Some Great Ideas for this Aging Process??

Unfinished Interior Barn Sliding Door

The latest trend in interior decorating is separating rooms with sliding barn style doors.  These are a really cool addition to a room and have become quite popular no matter what your decor style.

They come in many different stained colors especially online.  But here is a brilliant idea.  Get an unfinished and untreated door such as this one and then age it with vinegar and steel wool to knock that "newness" off of it and give you that awesome grey patina that doesn't seem to be sold in stores.

Assorted Wood Crafts

You can use this aging wood process on any unfinished wood, such as picture frames, tissue box holders, small wood pieces for other crafts. The sky is the limit.
Unfinished Wood Furniture

You can think big or small, but how about taking some unfinished and untreated furniture and giving it that aged look without stressing the wood.  It is a great alternative to the colored stains on the market.  There are so many ideas!  This is a very affordable way to stain any piece of unfinished wood.

How to Kill Weeds Between Patio Stones with Vinegar - This Works!

When I moved into my present house the yard had overgrown and I discovered an older patio under it

all.  Between all the pavers or patio stones were all these nasty weeds.  If it had been moss or something cute I would have kept it, but it was prickly weeds and creeping charlie.

I didn't want to take up the stones as my hubby suggested, so I tried different ways to remove the weeds between the patio stones, but to dig them all out was to labor intensive so I tried this idea and I have to tell you... It works like a charm!!

How to Kill Weeds Between Cracks on Your Patio

Step 1 - Invest in a garden sprayer.  A 2 gallon one is easy to handle.

Step 2 - Place approx. 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish liquid into the sprayer

Step 3 - Fill with White Vinegar

Step 4 - Pump it to create pressure  (follow instructions on package) and remove all your patio furniture, trim the weeds down with an edger or even the mower (that is what I did, yes mow your patio!)  and then spray in between the cracks.

Try to follow a grid pattern.  I like the garden sprayer because it is more exacting where is sprays and you don't waste your vinegar all over the stones, although it will help to clean them!

Cutting the weeds with the mower or a trimmer of some sort, will help to make sure the vinegar mixture gets right into the roots instead of sitting on top.  So cutting them will help.

WARNING - Don't let the spray get into your flower pots or garden because it may kill off your flowers or veggies.  Keep it to the areas you have in mind.

Killing Weeds Between Interlocking Bricks, Patio Stones, Paved Driveway and More.

It doesn't seem to matter how close you place the patio stones or interlocking bricks together, weeds seem to grow in the craziest of places.  I love nature, but these random weeds between my patio stones were annoying and quite often uncomfortable if I was in bare feet.

I don't like to use harsh chemicals, so the war was on.  I first started with a empty spray bottle, but that can quickly cause your hand to cramp and the spray is too wide.  So it is best to get yourself one of these garden sprayers, you can get them online for an affordable price.

You can get white vinegar in the grocery store but you can also get it online.  So check online for all your supplies and have them delivered to you, so that you can get this job done quickly without having to search all over town for your supplies.

Pick a Couple of Dry days to Remove Your Weeds

It is best if you can use this procedure one day and not have it rained on as this will dilute the solution.  Check the forecast and try to find at least 2 or 3 days without rain.  You will see the results happening by the next day.  By the 3rd day they are shriveled up.  I simply brushed them away.

They seem to stay away for a long time too.  But this is an affordable and more friendly way to kill the weeds between cracks in flagstones, pavers, driveways and more.  Worth a try!