Vinegar has been around for years and it has thousands of uses! You can use it for anything from cooking to cleaning, to gardening and home remedies; white distilled vinegar is one of the most versatile and economical products you can have on hand. Definitely something you want to stick in your prudent pantry! I am going to give you twenty-five ways to use vinegar in cleaning and laundry.
1. Did you know that you could use vinegar in place of a (much more expensive) rinse aid? Simply pour it in the dispenser just as you would the rinse aid.
2. To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.
3. Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.
4. Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
5. Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, then run hot water down the drain.
6. Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.
7. Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.
8. Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
9. Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
10. Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.
11. Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.
12. Polish brass and copper with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar. Rub it on with a clean cloth until dry and shiny.
13. To clean grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full-strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.
14. Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.
15. Prevent lint from clinging to clothes by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle.
16. To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.
17. 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.
18. Some stains on clothing and linens can be soaked out using equal parts milk and white distilled vinegar.
19. Before washing a mustard stain, dab with white distilled vinegar.
20. Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.
21. Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.
22. Forgot that you left wet laundry in the machine and it now smells moldy? Pour a few cups of white distilled vinegar in the machine and wash the clothes in hot water. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.
23. Keep the steam iron clean and in good working order by getting rid of mineral deposits in steam vents and spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled water. Set it in an upright position and let it steam for about 5 minutes. When the iron is cool, rinse the tank with water, refill and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Test before using.
24. Remove scorch marks from an iron by rubbing it with a warmed-up solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and salt. If that doesn’t work, use a cloth dampened with full-strength white distilled vinegar.
25. Remove musky smells from cotton clothes by sprinkling them lightly with white distilled vinegar and then pressing them.
Stay tuned; next week I will give you some ways to use vinegar in your garden and for your health!
Nancy on the Home Front 