Amazing Things You Need to Know About Vinegar

One of the most economical and versatile cleaning ingredients is probably already in your pantry – Vinegar!

What is Vinegar? 

Vinegar is an alcoholic liquid that has been allowed to sour. Vinegar is made from a variety of diluted alcohol products, the most common being wine, beer, and rice. It is mostly used to flavor and preserve foods and as an ingredient in salad dressings and marinades. The word is from the French vin (wine) and aigre (sour). 

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It is non-toxic and eco-friendly, making it the ultimate multipurpose cleaning solution. And the best part, it’s super cheap. 

Amazing Vinegar

Different types of vinegar include: 

• apple cider vinegar 
• white distilled vinegar 
• balsamic vinegar 
• red or white wine vinegar 

White Distilled Vinegar 

I am going to focus on white distilled vinegar. It is the best vinegar for cleaning because it doesn’t contain a coloring agent so it won’t stain surfaces. 

Just where to use white distilled vinegar? 

Kitchen and Bathroom 

Use in the kitchen to clean countertops, range surfaces, and backsplash areas. Vinegar is especially good to remove grease.  Because vinegar is a natural disinfectant, use it to clean and disinfect countertops. For tough stains, add a few drops of Dawn soap to one part water and two parts vinegar.  

• Clean your refrigerator with a mixture of vinegar and water. 
• Freshen vegetables by soaking wilted vegetables in 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of vinegar.
• Clean your microwave by heating a half-cup of vinegar in the microwave on high for three minutes. Let the vinegar sit for fifteen minutes, remove and wipe down the inside of your microwave with a damp sponge. 
• Eliminate onion odor by rubbing vinegar on your fingers before and after slicing.
• Unclog a drain by pouring a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water. 
• Use white vinegar to remove water stains from a stainless steel sink or appliances.

Vinegar can also remove odors from countertops, but it shouldn’t be used on granite or marble. Use a natural stone cleaner instead. The acid in vinegar can diminish the luster of natural stone.  

In the bathroom, use to clean countertops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet. Leave a couple cups full of vinegar in the toilet bowel overnight then scrub with a toilet brush in the morning.

Use a half vinegar, half water mixture to clean vinyl floors. 

For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave until barely hot.  Spray shower walls with the warmed solution generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse.  The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.  

Here’s another great list: 35 Unusual Things To Do With Dryer Sheets

Vinegar in the Laundry 

• Use one cup of white vinegar and a quarter cup of baking soda (in addition to the laundry detergent) in place of a bleaching product to whiten and brighten your clothes. 
• Add a half-cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to remove any leftover soap residue from the clothes. 
• For stains caused by grass, coffee, tea, fruits, and berries. Soak clothing in full-strength vinegar. 
• Keep colors from running by immersing clothes in full strength vinegar before washing them the first time. 
• Brighten fabric colors by adding 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Personal Uses For Vinegar 

• Used as a hair rinse, vinegar neutralizes the alkali left by shampoos. 
• Make a remedy for age spots. Mix equal parts of onion juice and vinegar and use it daily on age spots. This will take a few weeks to work, just like its expensive relative from the store. 
• Put a mixture of half vinegar half water in a spray bottle and spray on sunburn to relieve pain for quite a while.  
• To relieve a sore throat, use 1 tablespoon vinegar to an 8-ounce glass of warm water and gargle every hour. 
• Soothe a bee sting by dotting the irritation with vinegar and relieve itching. 
• Clean eyeglass lenses. 

Other Household Uses for Vinegar

• Get rid of bad household odors by heating white vinegar on the stove for a few minutes. You will smell vinegar for a few minutes, but when the vinegar smell is gone, so is the offending odor. 
• Use vinegar for cleaning windows, mirrors, chrome, and tile. Wipe down with newspapers and there will be no lint left behind. Coffee filters can also be used for lint-free drying. 
• Kill grass on walks and driveways by using full strength. 
• Remove labels and decals by brushing a couple of coats of vinegar and soaking. 
• Make an Air freshener - use 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 2 cups of water. After it stops foaming, mix well, and use in a (recycled) spray bottle into the air. 
• Deodorize pet stains on the carpet by pouring a small amount of vinegar directly on the carpet. Let the vinegar sit and dry to remove the odor. 
• Chewing gum dissolver - saturate the area with vinegar. If the vinegar is heated, it will work faster. 
• Deter critters with vinegar. Spray vinegar around doors, appliances, and along other areas where ants are known to gather and the vinegar will keep them away. You can also sprinkle some vinegar in areas you don’t want Fluffy to hang out, scratch, or sleep. 
• Preserve cut flowers and liven droopy ones by adding 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water in a vase. 
• Add a tablespoon of vinegar in the water when poaching eggs to help them keep their shape. 
• Also, add a small amount of vinegar to the water when cooking hardboiled eggs. If one cracks, it will not boil out of the shell. 
• Vinegar and olive oil make a frugal salad dressing. 
• Use as an inexpensive meat tenderizer. 
• Remove rust from tools by soaking them in full-strength vinegar for several days. Once the rust is gone, rinse and dry! 

Here’s a USDA Guide To Washing Fresh Produce

One of the most economical and versatile cleaning ingredients is Vinegar and it's probably in your pantry. #Vinegar #Cleaning #Health Share on X

Use These Handy Vinegar Cleaning Recipes

• Kitchen and Bathroom All-purpose cleaner

Mix in a sprayer bottle:  

1 cup white vinegar 
1 cup of water 

• Glass cleaner

Mix in a sprayer bottle:  

1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol  
1 cup of water 
1 tablespoon white vinegar 

• Clogged Drain Cleaner

1 cup salt 
1 cup baking soda 
1 cup vinegar 

Mix, then pour down the drain.  Follow with 2 quarts very hot water.

• Coffee Pot Cleaner

1 cup of water 
1 cup white vinegar 

Mix together.  For automatic coffee pots, put in a clean filter and pour the water vinegar mix into the water reservoir.   After brewing, discard the filter and run another pot to rinse.

• Dishwasher Rinse-Aid

Fill your dishwasher rinse dispenser with full strength white vinegar.

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