The method: Make a solution of water and vinegar using 1 tablespoon vinegar per 1 cup of water. Pour into the container and let the solution sit for 1 to 2 hours. Wipe clean, rinse, and dry.
The plastic and glass surfaces on most small kitchen appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, and toasters, are safe to clean with vinegar, but you want to avoid any rubber parts or metal that vinegar can corrode.
Use a nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner. Rinse with clean water and dry with a clean, soft cloth. Avoid using abrasive cleanser that may scratch the plastic. Use a tub/tile/sink cleaner; nonabrasive, all-purpose cleaner; or a paste of baking soda and water.
Vinegar is also great at removing hard water spots. Lemon, vinegar, and baking soda are all organic cleaners that will lift discoloration from plastic.
Soak for 30 minutes or until the stain is gone. Then, rinse in warm soapy water. Freedman favors distilled white vinegar as a stain-buster: Fill the stained plastic with 1 part water and 1 part vinegar. Soak overnight or until you see the stain fade.
Baking soda not only cleans the plastic but removes the scents of dishes past, often after just one wash. Before working with baking soda, clean the plastic in warm water, not boiling, and dish soap.
The method: Make a solution of water and vinegar using 1 tablespoon vinegar per 1 cup of water. Pour into the container and let the solution sit for 1 to 2 hours. Wipe clean, rinse, and dry.
Soak the plastic item in a small bucket filled with vinegar for five minutes. If the cloudiness continues, sprinkle the item liberally with a layer of baking soda and immerse it in the vinegar bath. This should dissolve the film that clings to the plastic and creates that cloud.
To whiten plastic, wipe the surface of the plastic with a bleach solution. To make the solution, mix 1 tablespoon of bleach per 1 cup of water. To prevent discoloration on your skin, wear latex gloves when you handle the bleach. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the bleach into the plastic until it's clean.
As a general rule, wherever you find rubber, keep the vinegar away. The vinegar's acid can eat away at rubber just as it does natural stone. Soap and water or a solution of soap and baking soda are the best grime busters for rubber parts.
Both distilled and white vinegar can be used in cooking, cleaning, food preservation, and for medical and laboratory purposes. However, since white vinegar is stronger than its counterpart, it is more suitable for cleaning and disinfecting.
White vinegar has 5 percent acidity; while cleaning vinegar, on the other hand, has 6 percent. Although it's only a one percent difference in acidity, it actually results in cleaning vinegar being 20 percent stronger than white vinegar.
After washing your containers with hot water and dish soap, fill them with white vinegar and let them sit for at least three minutes to remove icky, lasting smells. Then, pour out the vinegar and wash again with soap and water. Store them overnight (or longer) with newspaper.
Baking Soda And Vinegar
Although mixing vinegar and baking soda is not considered dangerous, you should still avoid mixing these in a container. Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic.
Adding vinegar and baking soda together creates a fizzy chemical reaction that can help dissolve stains and loosen up gunky messes. This makes them a handy cleaning combo, even though the actual solution left behind is basically salt water!
Vinegar is an acid and as such can be corrosive, even in weak solutions. Distilled white vinegar has a pH around 2.4, making it more acidic than almost everything except stomach and battery acid.
Its acidity can cut through grime, eliminate stains, and stop odor in its tracks, making it a great tool for cleaning your toilet and a great way to avoid common cleaning mistakes.
Vinegar and baking soda: Add 1 or 2 cups of vinegar to the toilet bowl along with a few sprinkles of baking soda. Swish the solution around the bowl with your brush for a few minutes and then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Scrub the stains with your brush (or pumice stone).
The most common vinegar cleaning solution contains one cup of vinegar mixed with one cup of warm water. Warm water helps to dissolve grease and hard water spots more quickly. People who are filling a spray bottle that they will use over time may want to mix the vinegar with distilled water, not tap water.
Use a 1:1 ratio of diluted vinegar and water and store it in a spray bottle. Then you can spritz and disinfect your kitchen sink, counters, or any other spots that you'd normally use bleach but want to be food-safe. To counteract the vinegar smell, you can use soapy water to rinse the sink afterward.
Luckily, bringing out the plastic's natural luster is easily done. By rubbing olive oil or using a heat gun on the faded area, you can help your plastic look as good as new. And, if all else fails, you can always use black spray paint to give your plastic a sleek shine again.