Here are a few ideas on how to use vinegar as a cleaning agent. Its advantages? It's very cheap, it's non-toxic and it's readily available - and it works like a charm. You can substitute it for many of those toxic and environmentally damaging chemicals which are to be found in most people's kitchen cupboards!

You can wash windows with water and a dash of vinegar. Then, polish them with a rag, a microfibre cloth or old newspaper.
Newspaper is particularly good as it dries your windows to a nice even shine. Just keep rubbing until the glass is dry and the smears are gone. This usually does not take long. Just change the newspaper when it gets sodden.

Vinegar is also good for polishing surfaces and removing grease.
Use vinegar diluted in water for lots of cleaning and freshening jobs about the house - 1 dessertspoonful per pint of water is strong enough for most jobs.
Use this solution to clean floor tiles and lino too. Always test out a small area first. Because vinegar is a weak acid it may damage some finishes.

You can use a stronger solution (about 1:1 - i.e. one cup of vinegar for every cup of water) removing lime scale and for dissolving stains. Use it in kettles, on sinks and draining boards and on showerheads and around taps - anywhere where lime scale deposits gather.

What type of vinegar is best?

Spirit vinegar or white vinegar is ideal.
You can also use brown vinegar such as malt vinegar but it may stain certain surfaces, so test a small area first.

What about the smell?

Yes, it can smell a little but the smell soon goes. And there's no lingering, artificial smell left for hours afterwards. In fact, vinegar is excellent for removing bad odours and it can be used to freshen up rooms and to clean drains. Just put a bowl of vinegar in a draught from n open window. Your room will soon smell fresh and clean. This even works for cigarette smoke. You can use fruit vinegars such as raspberry vinegar for this, as it has a rather nicer scent of its own than spirit vinegar.

You can also combine it with other cleaning agents.
Vinegar works well with sodium bicarbonate - which is another useful cleaning and deodorising agent. You can now find it on sale in amounts suitable for cleaning in some health food outlets and food co-ops. In the UK Suma stock it.

You can also combine vinegar with salt - not just to add to chips! Salt and vinegar works well for cleaning metals such as brass and pewter.

Vinegar is acid, so be careful. Don't ever combine it with bleach. The fumes given off are toxic.

Use vinegar for cleaning and you will have no need for most of those toxic chemicals which manufacturers are keen for us to buy. Many of the ingredients are both toxic to the environment and toxic for us.