Vinegar Uses You Never Knew About

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Hi friends!

As many of y’all know, I love home hacks and, as Y'all have likely seen from my posts, I'm on a roll with them! So, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of uses for household cleaning with vinegar, because I either rely on them or have heard are great.

Cleaning with Vinegar

A few remedies of my own I already use, but this is actually where I was searching for a hack for a carpet stain. I have wanted to find a hack to remove a spot of soda from the carpet. Ordinarily, no beverages are allowed in carpeted areas in my room. However, I had come down with a bad, bad case of the flu. In all honesty, this was the worst case of the flu I'd ever had.

So with a sore throat and needing moisture on my throat to prevent a hacking cough, I usually had a bottle of water. No issue since the lid would be on. Well, I ran out of the case of water and grabbed a diet coke. Of course, the boy came in and kicked it over. Ugh! Well, I was searching for the carpet remedy and came across one with vinegar that said it was magical! I was really looking forward to removing this spot and, of course, it worked!

Save Money Cleaning with Vinegar

Could I really have a post with this title and NOT include my new favorite remedy? It’s truly magical and it’s hard to beat, in my opinion. Sure, it’s cheap so it doesn’t have a fancy label like some cleaners, I guess, but it has ‘remedy’ written all over it so I’m all about it! I did an entire post on hydrogen peroxide hacks, so be sure to check that out if you’re thinking of looking at more of my hacks!

Hacks will always be my number one, there is so much magic in how you can also save money with many of these hacks. One of my favorite things to do is clean and get a sparkle!  But, if you’re looking for the vinegar hacks, then I am positive you will find one that will help at least one issue for your home!

1. Remove Carpet Stains

Obviously, this will be my #1 favorite remedy. While you could barely see the stain after I blotted up the soda, I knew it was there and it haunted me lol. The vinegar solution removed it with ease.

The remedy that worked for me was creating a mixture of 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in 1/2 cup white vinegar. Rub it on and let the solution dry. Once dry, vacuum. Viola!

If that one doesn't work for you because your stain is deeper, darker or more set in, then try one of these:

• Create the mixture above of  2 tablespoons salt dissolved in 1/2 cup white vinegar, add 2 tablespoons borax to the mixture. Rub it on and let the solution dry. Once dry, vacuum.
• Make a paste of 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Rub into the stain using a dry cloth. Let sit for two days. Vacuum.
• You can make a spray-on spot and stain remover, by simply filling a spray bottle with 5 parts water and 1 part vinegar. Fill another spray bottle with 1 part non-sudsy ammonia and 5 parts water. Saturate your stain first with the vinegar solution. Leave for 5 minutes. Come back and blot the moisture out as thoroughly as possible with a clean, dry cloth. Spray and blot with the ammonia solution.

 

2. Erase Ballpoint Pen

Have a little one that marks on the walls? I sure had this happen. Unfortunately, in my case it was Sharpie. He had just learned to write his name so he wrote his name everywhere, on everything with Sharpie. His aunt was watching him. Or not lol. She knew to never take her eyes off a child again lol.

Dab full-strength white vinegar on the affected area using a clean, dry cloth or a sponge. dabbing until the marks are gone.

 

3. Revitalize Leather

If your leather furniture looks dull and dirty, then you can restore it with vinegar. This can be accomplished by mixing equal parts white vinegar and boiled linseed oil in a spray bottle. Shake it up well and spray it on. Using a soft cloth, wipe the solution over your furniture evenly. Leave it a few minutes and then wipe it off with a clean dry cloth.

4. Drain Cleaning with Vinegar

To effectively clean a drain, it's an inexpensive remedy of vinegar and baking soda. Also important is that it is gentle on pipes.

Using a funnel, pour 1/2 cup baking soda followed up by 1 cup vinegar down the drain. After the foaming subsides, flush the drain with hot tap water. Let sit 5 minutes. Flush again but with cold water. While this will clear your clogged drain, it will also clean and deodorize.

5. Remove Candle Wax

Getting melted candle wax on your expensive furniture is just the worst feeling. To remove the wax, start by softening the wax using a blow-dryer on the hottest setting while blotting up as much as you can with paper towels. Remove what’s left by rubbing the remaining wax with a cloth soaked in a solution made of equal parts white vinegar and water. Then, wipe clean with a soft, dry, absorbent cloth.

6. Clean Your Kitchen

Cleaning your chrome and stainless steel is easy with a light misting with undiluted white vinegar from a spray bottle. Finish by buffing it out with a soft cloth to bring up the shine.

Make easy work of cleaning even the most difficult microwave by placing a glass bowl filled with a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar in 1 cup water inside the microwave.  Microwave for five minutes on the highest setting. After the bowl fully cools, dip a cloth or sponge into the liquid using it to wipe away those stains and splatters from food and grease on the interior.

If your silverware (and silver jewelry)  looks dull, soak them in a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for two to three hours. Finish by rinsing them in cold water. Dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. They'll shine like new.

A dirty coffeepot will cause your coffee to taste bitter or 'off'. To clean it, fill the decanter with 2 cups white vinegar and 1 cup water. Place a filter in the machine, then pour the vinegar solution into your coffeemaker’s water chamber. Turn on your coffee maker and let it run through a full cycle. Next, remove the filter and replace it with a fresh one. Finish up by running clean water through the machine for two brew cycles, replacing the filter each time. Clean your coffee maker once a month.

7. Bug Problems

Yes!  Cleaning with vinegar extends to pest control. If you have insects in your cupboard or pantry, then fill a small bowl with 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of Dawn. Leave in the pantry for about a week. It will attract the bugs, drowning in the bowl. Finally, empty the shelves, giving the interior a thorough washing with Dawn or 2 cups baking soda in 1 quart (1 liter) water. Discard any wheat products you have (bread, pasta, flour, etc), and wipe off canned goods before placing them back in.

8. Degrease

When cleaning grease from the kitchen, make light work of it by wiping greasy surfaces down with a cloth dampened in a vinegar solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. This will not only remove the grease, but the vinegar will also counteract odors. For daily cleaning to fight grease, mix Dawn and 3-4 tablespoons white vinegar.

9. Disinfect

Remove smelly odors and disinfect your lunchboxes by soaking a slice of white bread in white vinegar, leaving it in the lunchbox overnight. The smell is not so strong that it will be there by morning; however, you will want to remember not to use the bread for a sandwich.

To remove odors and disinfect your refrigerator, prepare a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Wash interior and exterior, especially the door gasket with the solution. Use full strength vinegar to clean the top of the refrigerator of the built-up grease, dust, and grime.

Clean and disinfect your wood cutting boards by wiping with full-strength white vinegar after each use. Vinegar is so effective that it even works against even the strong E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus.

10. Hard Water Stains and Film

If you need to clean and remove hard water stains from plastic ice trays, then let them soak in undiluted vinegar for approximately four to five hours, then rinse with cold water and let dry.

If your glassware has lost its luster and has a film, add vinegar to your rinse water or dishwater. For everyday use, add 1/4 cup vinegar to the dishwasher’s rinse cycle. For the extra tough film on glassware, heat a pot with equal parts white vinegar and water (turned off once the water is heated)and let them soak in it for 15-30 minutes. Scrub then rinse. For your good crystal, add 1 cup vinegar to a basin of warm water and gently dink in the solution. Rinse and air dry.

11. Clean the Bathroom

Clean your bathroom and give it back its shine by cleaning with full-strength white vinegar. Afterwards, rinse with clean cold water. White vinegar will remove hard-water stains from your porcelain. Simply fill the tub and pour 3 cups white vinegar under running hot tap water. Allow the tub to soak for four hours. After the four hours, drain and scrub the tub. Also, whiten grout by dipping a toothbrush in white vinegar and scrubbing.

Your glass shower doors can be sparkling clean by wiping down with a clean cloth wettened with a vinegar solution (1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, and 1/4 cup baking soda mixed in 1-gallon warm water). It will also remove water spots! Yay!

You can also remove mineral spots and blockages from showerheads by cleaning with vinegar! For removable showerheads:  Remove and place them in 1 quart of boiling water (do not use boiling water on plastic showerheads) along with 1/2 cup distilled vinegar. Then, soak for 10 minutes. After removing from solution and rinsing, all obstructions should be washed away. For nonremovable showerheads: Fill a plastic bag half full with vinegar and tape it over the fixture, so the fixture is allowed to soak. Let soak at least 1 hour, then remove the bag.  Wipe off any remaining vinegar from the showerhead and run some water through the showerhead. It should be clean and free of obstructions.

12. Nitty Gritty

Clean and disinfect shower door tracks by filling the tracks with full-strength white vinegar. Let soak three to five hours. For more stubborn, stuck on dirt and grime, you can heat the vinegar in a glass container for 30 seconds in your microwave before pouring into the tracks to soak. After soaking, pour some hot water over the track. This will flush away all the gunk. If there is remaining dirt, it will come out easily with a small scrub brush.

Mold and mildew problem in your bathroom? To remove and hinder mold and mildew in your bathroom, first make a solution of 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 teaspoon borax, and 2 cups hot water in a clean, spray bottle. Spray the vinegar mixture on anywhere you see mold and mildew.

Clean, disinfect and remove unwanted toilet smells by pouring 2 cups white vinegar into the toilet bowl. Let the solution soak overnight with no flushing. Doing this weekly cleaning will not only clean, disinfect, and keep smells at bay but will also help keep away water rings.

13. Laundry

As you've been reading this, I know that you are now aware of the many great uses for the inexpensive wonder product vinegar. But the top way I use it at home is with my laundry.

Because of its acidity, it is a wonder with rust, removing soap that builds up over time and a great disinfectant.

Where I live, hard water is a major problem. The problem with hard water is not just the stains from the metals in it which causes abrasiveness to your skin, but it dulls your clothes and actually prevents your cleaning products from working. There's a very simple remedy to counteract the effects of hard water is to simply add 1/2 cup to your final rinse. This not only works but it's affordable.

It's not only great on the stains from hard water but almost every stain, yellowed whites, and just overall dullness. At your first sight of the stain, soak the stained material overnight in a simple combination of one part vinegar to 12 parts water. After it has soaked 24 hours, wash as normal adding a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse.

For the items that are already showing the ill effects of hard water, soak overnight in a vinegar water solution. Follow by a regular wash with 1/2 cup vinegar in your final rinse.

Vinegar will also remove smells from fabrics that are retaining strange odors. Hard to believe something that itself is odorous can remove smells but it will. Trust me. In removing odors, you'll add 1/2 a cup to your wash cycle.

Finally, consider switching to only vinegar for your fabric softener. Store bought fabric softeners residue gets built-up in your washer and clothes thereby causing bacteria and growth of mold and mildew. Consider going all natural with cleaning and fabric softeners this year by switching to homemade laundry detergent as well as vinegar for your fabric softener and using wool dryer balls.

 

If you’re looking for some good hacks, then there are a bunch in my Lifestyle section under Hacks that you can access on the Hacks page! Have a great day, my lovelies! Thanks for stopping by! xoxo.

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