We arrived at the drive-through window of the liquor store at 11:00 A.M., still in our pajamas and sitting sweetly in the family-friendly, white minivan. My mother smiled at the nonplussed employee and chirped, āI need the biggest bottle of your cheapest vodka!ā Interestingly, Momās not a drinker ā¦ but sheĀ had a craving for that vodka so she couldĀ fulfill a vital need: a clean home. My mother had just discovered theĀ benefits of cleaning with vodkaĀ ā and not much can stop her from using the alcohol toĀ clean just about everything.
You can freshen your laundry with vodka; simply spray it on your clothes and hang to dry; the vodka kills bacteria that cause bad smells. Vodka also shines bathroom/kitchen fixtures on your sink. A mixture of vodka and sugar will keep your bouquet beautiful for longer, or skip the sugar and spray it on your skin to repel bugs. You can add vodka to your shampoo for lush locksĀ ā and while youāre at it, you may as well spray it in your shower or tub to do away with mold and mildew. If youāre feeling a bit dentally dismal, swishing a shot of vodka in your mouth will aid with toothache relief.
You may prefer your vodka with an olive, but when youāre done with that martini glass, hand it to me: Iāll clean and disinfect it with my vodka-saturated cloth.
For more information on cleaning your home naturally, check out these simple, natural nontoxic cleaning ingredients. You can also keep a wabi-sabi cleaning cupboard, or if youāre pressed for time, check out environmentally safe commercially available products like Method.
Photo by Adrian HoffmannĀ
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I've been using Everclear as a disinfectant for years, thanks to Dr. Hulda Clark and her books. I keep a spray bottle that is 1/2 water, 1/2 Everclear. Use it to spray doorknobs and handles in the kitchen and bathrooms to avoid spreading cold and flu germs. I spray the air as I vacuum to knock the dust and crap out of the air so I get more picked up. Yes, it does raise an eyebrow when I go to the liquor store and buy Everclear - it's about the nastiest liquor they seem to know of :-) Nope - have never actually tried to drink the stuff!