Going green and being eco-friendly does not mean you need to spend a ton of money on fancy cleaning products. Basic ingredients can be found in your home and can clean just as effectively. One of those ingredients is distilled white vinegar, which can kill mold, germs, viruses, and bacteria. Here are the top ten uses for distilled white vinegar.

• Clean your countertops. Simply apply an undiluted solution of distilled white vinegar to your countertops and they will shine.
• Is your garbage disposal stinky? Make undiluted distilled white vinegar ice cubes. Place the ice cubes down the garbage disposal and run. The ice cubes will disinfect and clean the garbage disposal blades. The result is that you will have a fresh smelling sink!
• Do you have coffee and tea stains on your cups? Use equal parts distilled white vinegar and baking soda and apply the paste to the cups, scrub, and rinse. The coffee and tea stains will be gone. You will not be embarrassed to serve coffee and tea again.
• Does your child’s lunchbox smell? Sometimes the odors of a delicious lunch can linger, especially in a plastic lunchbox. Simply soak a piece of bread with vinegar and place it in the lunchbox. Leave it there overnight. In the morning take the bread out and the odor should be gone.
• Tired of ants, fruit flies, and moths? Spray undiluted distilled white vinegar near and around the entrance points to these pesky critters. The vinegar should deter them from wanting to make a home in your house.
• Are your sponges smelly but you don’t want to throw them away? Place your sponges in a bucket with water making sure they are covered, then add ¼ cup of undiluted distilled white vinegar. Let them set over night. In the morning you should have clean smelling sponges.
• Is your kitchen or bathroom grout looking dark and dingy? Place undiluted distilled vinegar on the grout, let it sit for a minute, and then scrub with an old toothbrush.
• Germs just live in the bathroom. By spraying undiluted distilled white vinegar throughout the bathroom daily you are ensuring the germs do not want to stay.
• Deodorize your toilet bowl with undiluted distilled white vinegar. Add three cups of vinegar to your toilet bowl and let it sit overnight or for several hours.
• To clean your children’s toys add ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar to a bucket of soapy water. The distilled white vinegar will kill almost 100 percent of all germs, viruses, and bacteria.

Distilled white vinegar is such a versatile ingredient to have around the house. There are hundreds of uses! Not only is it versatile, it is cheap and readily accessible at all grocery stores.