Happy Slob Cleaning - What If You Hate Vinegar?

I received a very interesting email recently from Steph, a devoted Happy Slob:

"Hi Christina,
I love all of your vinegar cleaning ideas, but the smell of vinegar is absolutely nauseating to me. I read about adding EOs like orange or other citrus oils, and that sounds like the answer for me - but I was wondering if adding the oils, adding degreasing capabilities and making the vinegar solution better for some things, might decrease the cleaning power of the vinegar solution itself on other things. In other words, can I add the EOs to my Very Vinegar solution and still use it on anything I would normally use the VV on?
Thanks!
Steph"

What a dilemma! A newly converted Happy Slob, who hates the smell of vinegar. :) Okay, so maybe I DO go on and on and on about the virtues of the fabulous stuff...but I also realize that some people - like Steph - really cannot stomach the scent of it. What's to be done? Is there a solution?

Of COURSE there is! You COULD try to mask the scent of vinegar with EOs like orange (which I love by the way) but let's be honest. Vinegar is really potent - I just can't see the scent being easily masked. Try these other ideas instead...

• When you clean Happy Slob Style, it's not always about WHAT you use, it's about that you DO it at all. :) So, feel free to visit your local health food store to find groovy new natural cleaners. They'll likely smell a lot nicer than plain vinegar does.
• Or...if you still prefer to make your own cleaners at home, baking soda also makes a great all-purpose cleaner. I have a simple Baking Soda All Purpose Cleaner Recipe on my site.
• Essential oils such as tea tree oil and lavender are natural disinfectants, and are therefore great in homemade cleaning products. You could try this other recipe on my site: Homemade Lavender Spray It was originally designed as a home air freshener, but lavender has cleaning properties too - you could use this instead of our Very Vinegar spray and end up with a FAB smelling home.

Steph, I hope this helps. :) And don't forget -- good old soapy water is still one of the best cleaners we can ever use. If in doubt, give THAT a try - and it's dirt cheap too, which we cheapo slobs REALLY appreciate.

Hugs to you,
Christina