Flashback Vinegar Friday -- some tips for the holidays

This was previously posted in December 2011.

Today, I thought I'd give you a couple seasonal tips (not in the book):

If your artificial Christmas tree looks a bit worn and dusty, revive it with a good spritzing of distilled white vinegar (DWV) and water (50/50) mix. Of course, you want to do this before you hang the lights (unless they're indoor/outdoor and are made to withstand moisture). 

While our cats never bothered with our trees, other people seem to have problems keeping them away from the dangling ornaments and sparkling tinsel. Here's where you want to grab your apple cider vinegar (ACV) and give a generous spray around the base of the tree. Cats hate the smell of vinegar and will tend to stay away. Of course, as I wrote about in Chapter 14 of the book, I bathe my cats in ACV, so they might be immune to its repellant qualities. And keep in mind, this will only work for cats and not toddlers! You'll have to come up with a different solution for your rugrats.

Expecting an overnight frost? Keep it off your windshield by spraying it with a 50/50 mix of DWV and water. It should be frostfree when you head out in the morning. This is also a good solution for cars in the parking lot at work or at the mall. Keep a spray bottle in your car and spritz the windshield before you head into the office or shopper's paradise. If you're concerned about the paint or wax on your car, simply place a towel or rag along the bottom of the windshield as you spray. Problem solved.

Okay, that's it for today. Just 3 tips to ease a little holiday/winter stress. If they don't help with that, a Christmas cookie (without artificial dyes) just might do the job! Have a fabulous Friday!

Keeping it green with vinegar,