Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Image taken from: http://informalbrain.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/potbefore.jpg
Have you ever forgotten a sauce or turned on a burner and walked away only to come back to a burned-on mess? I did this yesterday to my gorgeous and somewhat new saute pan and thought all was lost. I attempted to us a de-glaze method, but that still left some brown makings and residue. I was so bummed because I really thought my pan would never be the same. I was about to start the waterworks when I remembered that I had used vinegar in the past to remove smudges and white residue from my pans and decided that it was worth a try. After about a minute of scrubbing with white vinegar, the pan looked shiny and new--with no brown spots to speak of. I was so happy. This may be something that everyone already knows, and I am the last one to figure it out, but I thought I would share anyway. I really love vinegar- even though my husband things it stinks. I have used it to clean floor sticky spots, rinse chlorine/shampoo residue from my hair and even to conquer a wicked case of stinky feet one time when mere soap couldn't cut it. Anyone else know some handy unexpected uses for vinegar, or any other cool tips like this?

5 comments:

Tippy said...

Yeah, there are all sorts of "green" usages for vinegar! I think I've been told that vinegar on windows, if wiped with newspaper, delivers a very clean streak-free window (though I've not tried it!).

So glad your pan came out OK. I use Barkeeper's Friend on my stainless pans.

magnoliabelle said...

Oh, thanks for the tip. One of my pans was a victim of a tortilla frying accident several years ago and I thought I had tried everything. I'll have to give it a try:)

Unknown said...

The salt that is spread on sidewalks and roads here during the winter will kill leather shoes. To protect them, always wipe shoes with a rag that has a little bit of vinegar on it.

Like Mom x 2 said, vinegar is a great alternative to chemical cleaning products. Personally, I find there are few stains and messes in my house that can't be fixed with some very hot water and vinegar. Just a few tips, and things to remember if you have little ones around and don't want them exposed to chemicals.

CRICKET said...

I use it outside instead of roundup. For windows a use dawn detergent, haven't tried vinegar.

StylishSuburban said...

Thanks for the tip! I use vinegar to clean my wood floors and they always look like new.
I left you something on my blog.

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