Vinegar: It's a lean, mean, cleaning machine

Dear Readers: Have you ever wondered what the top five Heloise vinegar hints are? Wonder no more; here they are:

1. Coffee maker: Use to clean and remove mineral deposits. Just fill the reservoir with undiluted vinegar, turn it on and let it go through the brew cycle, turn off, pour the vinegar back in and let sit 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Follow by running water through several times. Bonus hint: Put 1/2 cup baking soda down the sink drain, then pour in the hot vinegar. Let sit 10 minutes and flush with 30 seconds of cold water.

2. Cloudy drinking glasses: Soak in warm to hot, fullstrength vinegar for half an hour or so, and scrub with a ball of nylon net. If they still look milky, they are etched.

3. Tenderize tough cuts of meat, like pot roast: First, pierce the meat with a sharp knife, then marinate in 1 cup of apple-cider vinegar mixed with enough water to cover the meat. Cover the container and let the meat marinate in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours. Remove meat, pat dry and cook or broil.

4. Make a great moneysaving window cleaner: Mix equal amounts of household vinegar and water. Put in a spray bottle and label. Along with newspaper, use this to make windows sparkle.

5. Weeds be gone: Pour full-strength vinegar onto weeds growing around curbs or sidewalk cracks.

Dear Heloise: Hard water seems to accelerate the buildup of soap residue on my clearglass shower door. I tried shampoo because it is formulated to rinse hair completely. It works like a charm, with little effort. The type of shampoo doesn't seem to matter. Put a small amount of shampoo on a cloth and go over the surface. Rinse, use a squeegee, and you are done. I've also used shampoo to clean a clear-vinyl shower curtain.

-- Delores, via e-mail

Dear Delores: Shampoo is safe, cheap and perfect to clean many bathroom items: bathtub, sink and hairbrushes!