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No recipe today. Instead – a great household tip; great not just for your kitchen, and so so easy to make yourself.

In Russia, we used to wash windows with a solution of water and vinegar – it was incredibly effective, left streak-free windows, and best of all – was non-toxic. For whatever reason, when we came to America, we abandoned the practice. But now that our household contains one cute, furry animal who answers to Forrest, things have changed. When I clean out his litter box every couple of weeks, I do a major cleaning overhaul in his litter area. But I worry about spraying harsh chemicals around him; these things get on animals’ paws, and when they lick their paws, they are inadvertently ingesting toxic ingredients. [If this is how nuts I get about keeping non-toxic products around a cat, wait til I get a kid.]

So I turned to my beloved water and vinegar solution once more – and I’m loving it even more than my beloved non-toxic spray cleanser. In fact, I might never buy another spray cleanser again. Just a spray bottle filled halfway with vinegar (I’m pretty sure that everyone has a bottle stashed somewhere in their pantry) and another halfway with water. And voila – a cleanser that’s gentle on your household dwellers, the environment, and your wallet. If only I was this ingenious in every other way. What’s next – homemade facials?

Update: a few readers are sharing their tips on using vinegar at home. What’s yours? Let’s share and then I’ll repost the original post with all the updates!