36 Ways To Use Vinegar
Using Vinegar 36 Ways!
Want to save money? Use vinegar! A few months ago, I stumbled across a fantastic site called Vinegar Tips. It is absolutely packed with different ways you can use vinegar. I never realized it was such a versatile product!
Here are some of my favourite vinegar tips from the website:
1. Clean Drains
Clean and deodorize your drains by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then 1 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, and then run hot water down the drain.
2. Shine Chrome
To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime build-up, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar. Rub on chrome and rinse off to clean.
3. Clean Microwave
Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
4. Clean Oven
To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.
5. Clean Dishwasher
Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring 1 cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do this monthly.
6. Clean Tea Kettle
Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.
7. Clean Mugs
Remove stains from coffee and tea mugs/cups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean.
8. Clean Plastic Containers
For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.
9. Clean Pots
Remove dark stains on an aluminum pot by boiling a mixture of 1 cup white distilled vinegar and 1 cup hot water.
10. Clean Can Opener
Clean the wheel of a can opener using white distilled vinegar and an old toothbrush.
11. Remove Stickers
To remove a label, decal, or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide right off.
12. Clean Sponges & Rags
Renew sponges and dishrags by placing them in just enough water to cover them. Then add 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. Let them soak overnight.
13. Clean Faucets (Calcium Deposits)
Get rid of calcium deposits on faucets by soaking a cloth or paper towel in white distilled vinegar and wrapping the area tightly. Let this sit for a couple of hours or overnight.
14. Clean Faucets (Soap Buildup)
Remove soap buildup from faucets by scrubbing them with a solution of 1 part salt to 4 parts white distilled vinegar.
15. Clean Faucets (Lime Deposits)
Rid a faucet of lime deposits by tying a plastic bag containing 1/2 to 1/3 cup of white distilled vinegar around it and leaving it there for two or three hours. If mineral deposits don’t wipe off, scrubbing with an old toothbrush should complete the job.
16. Clean Grout
Clean grout by letting white distilled vinegar sit on it for a few minutes and scrubbing with an old toothbrush.
17. Clean Shower
To remove grime, mildew, and scum from the tub, tile, shower curtain or door, wipe with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Rinse with water.
18. Clean Shower Head
To clean a scummy shower head, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water.
19. Deodorize Toilet
Deodorize the toilet bowl by allowing 3 cups white distilled vinegar to sit in it for about a half hour before flushing.
20. Clean Toilet
To make the toilet bowl sparkle, pour in 1 cup of diluted white distilled vinegar and let it sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with the toilet brush and flush.
21. Clean Floors
For an economical and environmentally friendly floor cleaner, mix a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.
22. Clean Pet Accidents
Clean up pet accidents by first blotting the area and then adding a white distilled vinegar and water solution. Blot until it is almost dry. Then sprinkle baking soda over the area and let it dry. Vacuum up the residue the next day.
23. Remove Water Rings
Remove white water rings from wood with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and vegetable oil. Rub with the grain.
24. Clean Baby Toys
To clean and disinfect baby toys, add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water. Rinse clean.
25. Brighten Whites
Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.
26. Remove Sweat Stains
Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.
27. Kill Weeds
Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.
28. Prevent Itching
Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.
29. Clean Hairbrush
Clean a hairbrush by soaking in white distilled vinegar.
30. Long Lasting Nail Polish
Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.
31. Shine Cars
Make your car extra shiny by adding a few drops of white distilled vinegar to your bucket of soapy water.
32. Trick Cats
Discourage a cat from sitting on a certain windowsill or other surface, or from scratching upholstery, by spraying white distilled vinegar on the item. Test first on an unnoticeable area to be sure there won’t be a discoloration.
33. Remove Cat Odors
Remove cat litter odor by pouring 1/2 inch of white distilled vinegar in an empty litter box. Let it stand for 20 minutes, swish it around, then rinse with cold water.
34. Prevent Cats From Marking Territory
Cats hate the smell of vinegar. If you have a cat that is marking its territory around your house, spray the area with white distilled vinegar then rinse.
35. Freshen Wilted Vegetables
Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.
36. Keep Vegetable Colour
When boiling or steaming broccoli, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their colour. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements.
How do you use vinegar in your home?
Comments
Other uses are vinegar and water for window washing. Use old newspaper and it cleans better than store bought products. Also use vinegar for cleaning you coffee maker or tea kettle.
thanks for your tips Jennywren!
Vinegar is awesome. The entire main floor of my house is done in granite tiles. All cleaning products leave smear marks on it so the only way to wash it is with hot water and white vinegar mixed in. Works like a charm. Plus I have two naughty little dogs and vinegar disinfects doggie doo doos and removes any smells that might make them want to do it again!
I tried the vinegar on weeds tip this past summer and it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, our driveway was overrun by them, and it is is about 50 feet long so it would have taken A LOT of vinegar. Great tips there, I do a few of them already.
I love vinegar. When I buy another bottle of fabric softener I empty it into my previous bottle halfway and fill both bottles with vinegar. Lasts twice as long and gets rid of any odors in the clothing!
I LOVE white vinegar! I use it for everything! My favorite use is to get the stale smell out of clothes that have sat in the washer too long (I get distracted!) or wet clothes that somehow were hidden at the bottom of the hamper for a few days. Just run them through the wash with 1/2 cup of white vinegar (or a little more, depending on how big the load is) and the smell is gone! Also, it helps dissolve powdered laundry detergent better than water alone, for those how have sensitive skin or are frequently finding powdery film on some of the clothes after washing them!
sarah, i didnt know they got the gross smell out of clothes if they sit too long. thanks! i will have to keep that tip in mind 😀
I buy very little household cleaners anymore. I use white vinegar for pretty well everything. One tip my mother recently gave me was for cleaning the inside of the microwave. Using equal parts vinegar and water in a microwave safe bowl or container. Heat to a ROLLING boil. The splatters wiped off like butter. I will never scrub the microwave again. :o)
it is great for cleaning tiles, i do it all the time and they look as if they where brand new. Vinegar can be great for cooking also, it tastes great on fries.
I wash my hair with a baking soda water solution of 1 tbsp baking soda to 2 cups warm water (to dissolve baking soda) then I rinse with a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar to 2 cups water. Saves money and gives your hair a nice clean and shiny hair without the cost of shampoo and conditioner. You can also use apple cider vinegar with the Mother in it. Also helps with sores and dandruff on your scalp. Look it up on the Internet. Called the “no-pooh” look
Also great for fruit, place your berries in a large bowl, add enough water to get them floating, and a couple of splashes of vinegar, and they will last a lot longer in the fridge. Take your melons, esp. cantaloupe, and your bean sprouts, both potential sources of salmonella, and use the same method to disinfect.
oops …forgot to add that you should rinse and drain the fruit 😉
I use vinegar for just about everything including many of the tips here. I no longer use fabric softener; I just rinse with vinegar. Vinegar, lemon juice, salt and baking soda are about the only cleaning agents I use. better for the evironment, better for my health and quite frankly, more effective than store bought cleaners
I use a lot of these tips already. I must say they really work.
Removes urine from bedding and clothes
Another great use for vinegar – if your car is frozen in the early morning – spray a mixture of vinegar and water on it – wait a few minutes and it comes off easy. No freezing yourself scraping your windows.
These are awesome suggestions . Thanks a bunch
Hi everyone,
I just want to share another tip for the use of vinegar. I must tell you that when a friend first mentioned this to me, I was thinking wow that’s crazy, it won°t work. I was desperate because my daughter kept coming home from school with headlice. I was treating her with the store bought headlice treatment and doing everything like laundry and combing them all out . I would treat her head & even leave it on longer then the directions stated but I just couldn°t seem to be successful at getting rid of them. One day I was so frustrated because the school had called me everyday for 2 weeks stating that she still had an infestation although I spent hours to solve the issue. One day a friend said try the following:
Put unused cooking oil on her hair, make sure her hair is completely covered then put a shower cap on her head for 30 minutes and have her sit in a chair away from anything that I had already prepared for getting rid of them like the bed for example. After that 30 minute is over you rinse it out of her hair then spray her hair with vinegar. ( I put the vinegar in a spray bottle to make it easier). When you spray their hair you want to make sure it has her hair completely covered in it. You then cover the hair again with the shower cap and leave the treatment on their hair for 45 minutes. When that time is out you rinse it out and brush their hair with the regular hairbrush that you haven’t sanitized yet, Doing this will make it much easier to put the lice comb through it. I was shocked after I treated her hair I could see all the dead headlice come off her hair and go down the drain. I proceeded to use the lice comb and do the usual process. It actually works very well as I now know that my daughter hair has build a resistance to the store bought treatment. I know it sounds way out there and maybe gross for some people but I was desperate and I am always ok with trying new things as long as their is no chance of harm. I swear by this method now. It may not be for everyone but if you find your child comes home with a case of lice and you are very short on $$$ it is a inexpensive option until you can get the store bought product but after you try this you will fine this is a good solution. Thanks to everyone for reading my post.
I love white vinegar and use it for everything…but I can tell you it doesn’t deter my cats from getting on anything…I didn’t even realize they don’t like it because I have 4 and they will happily sit their butts on freshly cleaned (with vinegar) windowsills lol
vinegar is the best streak free window cleaner ever!
Leave a bowl vinegar out in small bowls and it will absorb all those nasty alcohol and/or smoke odors
I use a half-vinegar/half-water (more or less) solution in a spray bottle as an air freshener in my home, especially my husband’s bathroom.
Christelle, nice of you to post this to help others, whom I’m sure will appreciate having this option to try.