A life of vinegar

So, in the colder seasons we use the heater. Of course it's easier to say 'yes' to this very expensive luxury once you've had a baby. Although it is a convenience, it can also be a detriment to ones respiratory comfort. Last year we learned this the hard way. Our baby girl was stuffed up and uncomfortable, we didn't have a humidifier but we did have a vaporizer. Desperate to make her feel at ease ASAP {and desperate to get some SLEEP} we used the vaporizer almost every time she slept-during naps and at night. Until the inevitable build-up occurred.

I use Vicks Steam Guard vaporizer

Find out the difference between a vaporizer and a humidifier here

 We have hard water; hard water is fine but, it can lead to mineral deposits, particularly calcium, which can clog up the vaporizer which cause it to make LOUD gurgle sounds that we would all rather live without. Trust me, people. It gets absolutely obnoxious, not to mention unsafe.  I've been scraping the the inside of the vaporizer {see pics} consistently now for 2 weeks. Sometimes twice a day. Baby girl has had a cold and she needs this durn vaporizer to run all night in a quiet and efficient manner. Needless to say I'm tired, my fingernails are beginning to stain black and I just know that there has got to be a better way!

Enter in white vinegar. Please, hold your applause.

Ah, yes. White vinegar. My trustworthy, all time favorite, household cleanser. It cleans your dishes better, it detoxes your microwave. It even makes your counter tops and your insides sparkle! {I'm not so sure on the insides sparkling part but, it wouldn't surprise me if it did}. Apparently, it also helps with congestion. So, instead of using water you can use white vinegar in your vaporizer, it will help ease congestion and make it easier to breathe Yes, this thing even helps us breathe better! OR, if you are like me and can only tolerate the smell of vinegar in smaller doses, you can add 1/4 cup or up to 1 cup of white vinegar to your vaporizer with water and, voila! 

You may now applaud this wonder we simply call vinegar.

Distilled water is the way to go in order to not worry about calcium buildup or loud gurgle sounds or the peculiar scent of vinegar. I say if you have the extra cash-- go for it!

Here's what I do, too often, to clean the vaporizer. Today I added white vinegar to the mix.

I unscrew the top to gain access to the "build-up pocket"

I pull out the calcium infested prongs

Behold! Therein the pocket lies the calcium family which accumulated since the day before

I used an old bottle brush and this time I used vinegar to remove the buildup- genious!

I also for the first time soaked the prongs in a cup of white vinegar for about 30 minutes

The calcium was literally chipping off in layers. Like bark from a tree.

I just love white vinegar. Here are some more cool things vinegar can do for you. Enjoy! 

131 uses for vinegar