Vinegar's virtues endless

Dear Heloise: OK . . . NOW I believe! I've read for years your hints about the wonders of vinegar — but wasn't impressed until now. I had a small, blue pitcher that my now-deceased mother had painted and fired years ago. At some point I had ivy growing in water in it, so the insides were crusted with many layers of debris and deposits. Yesterday, I filled it to the brim with vinegar and let it sit outside. I just brought it in and rinsed it, and my pitcher is now a presentable memento again!

Thanks, Heloise, for extolling the virtues of vinegar! — Susan Pieper, Bergheim, Texas

Try vinegar once and you're a believer! And the best news is that vinegar is cheap and so easy to use. Not only will it remove hard-water deposits in pitchers and vases, but it works wonders on clay pots, coffee makers, glasses and just about anywhere hard-water deposits are a problem.

I also use vinegar for cleaning the plastic drip tray of my water/ice dispenser in the refrigerator door. If it's removable, just place it in the sink and pour full-strength vinegar into it, let it stand for a while, scrub, then rinse with water. If not, carefully pour vinegar into the tray — let stand, then soak up the excess vinegar and wipe away the deposits with paper towels.

There are too many vinegar hints for me to list in my column, so I've put together a pamphlet that has tons of cleaning solutions using vinegar for everything from air-conditioning grilles to windows and windshields. To receive yours, send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (63 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. FYI: Vinegar will also clean the hard-water buildup and gunk on plastic shower curtains. Just wash the curtain in the washing machine with a towel for scrubbing action, and add a cup or two of vinegar (white or apple cider) to the rinse cycle. — Heloise

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