It's Vinegar Friday! Every month, we celebrate vinegar on the first Friday. It's amazing to me that I keep discovering new uses for vinegar. If you have any I haven't covered here or in my book, I would love for you to send them to me. Or, if you'd like to guest post about vinegar, shoot me an email.
We're going to be working on some painting projects over the next week or so. Naturally, that means I needed to look up some painting-related vinegar tips and I thought I'd share them with you.
For many of us, when we start to pull out supplies, we discovered the dreaded zombie paintbrushes -- stiff, misshaped, and... well... pretty much dead. Allow vinegar to resurrect them by boiling a cup of distilled white vinegar (DWV). Immerse the bristles in the boiling liquid and let the vinegar perform it's magic for 10 minutes. Wash the brush with soapy water and rinse well. It will be good as new without resorting to toxic turpentine fumes!
Before putting that paintbrush to the walls or furniture, make sure you clean off all the dust, dirt, and mildew (this is important for garage sale finds or attic/basement treasures in need of a touchup). Undiluted DWV eradicates mildew and makes it easier to remove caked on dust, so just dampen a cloth or sponge with it and wipe away.
If plaster repairs are necessary prior to painting, you can help to keep it from hardening by adding 2 tablespoons of DWV to the mix. This will help you apply a smooth finish.
Grease is a problem in kitchens and on kitchen cabinets. Before painting, get rid of the grease by cleaning it off with vinegar. Make sure you find and clean any greasy fingerprints because, like oil and water, they will emerge through the paint when you're done like the ghosts of Christmas past.
Finally, no matter which kind of paint you use, there will be some fumes. Of course, you should always paint in a well-ventilated area. But what about when you're done? How do you keep the fumes from affecting you and your family? Simply place a few small bowls of DWV around the room and let the vinegar soak up the fumes for a few days.
There you have it. Painting tips on Vinegar Friday. Now... wish us luck. I hate to paint.
Keeping it green with vinegar,
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