For The Love of Vinegar...Top 15 Ways to Use it in the Home

My Dearest Bottle of Vinegar,

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways....

• You effortlessly kill 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold and 80% of germs.
• You are absolutely, 100% safe to use.
• You are inexpensive!
• Mixed with water and stored in a spray bottle, you make the perfect kitchen sanitizer for counter-tops and cutting boards (antibacterial kitchen sprays need not apply!)
• Combined with baking soda, you make an awesome sink scrub.
• You ROCK at keeping mold & mildew at bay in my shower!
• You keep my windows clean and shiny without harsh chemicals like ammonia.
• You soften my laundry and help reduce static cling without yucky animal fats.
• You make a safe & effective floor cleaner.
• You kill germs in the toilet.
• You helped remove pet odors back when I had cats.
• You work wonders as a hair rinse.
• You freshen my drains and help keep them muck-free.
• You help keep my sponges clean and fresh.
• I couldn't make a salad dressing without you! :)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something...How do YOU use vinegar in the home?

This is my post for this week's edition of the Spring Cleaning: Get The Junk Out! carnival, about getting rid of antibacterial cleansers, hosted by Katie at Kitchen Stewardship.

 

Comments

[Michelle]

Oops. I forgot to say that I also use it in my dishwasher every now and then. You can use it in place of Jet-Dry or just pour some into the bottom of the dishwasher before you run it for totally spotless glasses.

And poured over baking soda in a clogged drain, it works like a charm.

One more thing... helps create an awesome volcano in the sand box!

[Chriss]

Ahhhh Vinegar!

use full strength to clean patent leather, removes stubborn urine odors, soften harden paint brushes, spritz 50/50 mix of vinegar and water while cooking to remove odors, clean and disinfect the cutting board with full strength vinegar, cleaning your coffee maker, and remove hard water stains with full strength vinegar let stand 5 mins and rinse.

[Micaela]

Chriss - I'm glad you mentioned leather cleaning. I recently heard that vinegar is good for removing salt stains on leather shoes. Just be careful because too much vinegar will dry out the leather. I would dilute it in water - half & half.

Michelle - yes - I forgot to mention the dishwasher! Vinegar is an awesome spot remover.

[Lenetta @ Nettacow]

What a great list - living in a super hard water area, I use it to get the mineral deposits off of stuff. Thanks for sharing!

[Janet]

I am SO glad to see vinegar getting some much deserved attention. My husband just laughs at how much I use in a week!

I also use a vinegar/water mix and a microfiber cloth for dusting. It works much better than dry dusting alone.

[Zee @GreenBlossoms]

Well hello vinegar! I'm starting to see you in a different light..I knew you had many uses but I didn't know you also make a good hair rinse! I'm a little worried about the smell though...has anyone tried using vinegar on their hair?

We have a DIY Spa Series every Friday featuring various (delicious!) homemade recipes! We will definitely feature vinegar one of these days...;)

[Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship]

I'm a vinegar lover too! I even use ACV as a detangler instead of conditioner. It's got to be the most frugal as a Jet Dry replacer, like Michelle said.
Stumbled ya!
:) Katie

[liz]

We use a.c.vinegar as a face cleanser, half and half. My daughters acne has cleared up.

[Kim S.]

I just "shampooed" my carpets using diluted vinegar and skipping the carpet shampoo. Those carpet shampoos, besides being full of who-knows-what also leave behind soap residue that turns sticky and actually attracts dirt making your carpets even dirtier than before. The diluted vinegar removed the soap residue and the dirt and left my carpets feeling clean. They also dried more quickly than in the past. We have dogs and therefore really dirty carpets but after using the diluted vinegar I'm no longer grossed out letting my daughter play in the living room!

[Kimberly]

I have started purchasing white distilled vinegar in bulk because I use it so much! We use our humidifier virtually every night and every few nights thoroughly clean it with a mix of 50/50 water and vinegar. I use it as an all-purpose cleaner around the house, but mainly in my bathroom and for pet accidents. Here's a link to recipe: http://bambinosteps.com/2010/04/p-p-p-p-p-poison-poison/.

[Kimberly]

I've started to purchase white distilled vinegar in bulk because I use it around the house so often! It cleans our humidifier really well and I use it as an all-purpose cleaner. Here's a recipe: http://bambinosteps.com/2010/04/p-p-p-p-p-poison-poison/.

[Jeremy]

I drink diluted cyder vinegar (organic) to settle my stomach and digestive system and as a general tonic. It really works for me! If I feel like waking up in a hurry, then a capful of the neat stuff.
White wine vinegar is a great cleaner, and great to read all these tips...

[mold inspections five boros]

Thanks for the handy home remedy recipe.It is essential to know this and also make sure that there is no mold in the house.Because it has cause health hazards and even deaths in the house.

[Skin Moisture]

Thanks for the home remedy. I am glad to know about its uses. I used vinegar mainly when I need to settle down my stomach problems. Now I will keep its extra uses in mind.

[Zara]

Great list of vinegar uses! I just know by now that it kills bacteria in the toilet. Hmmm I must never forget to buy lots of vinegar because of these.

[Kasi Andrade]

LOVE vinegar! (white, acv) I use it for most of the stuff you already listed.. I have a "steam cleaner" with a carpet attachment & would like to use 50/50 vinegar & water on my icky carpets, but I don't want to mess up my expensive steamer.. Any thoughts? Much appreciated & thanks for the refresher on all the OTHER things I can do with my vinegar!

[jane mckenzie]

pour it in the compost bucket.. it keeps smells down and bugs away. LOVE IT!!

[Micaela]

Jane - yes - I pour vinegar in my compost bucket all the time! Thanks for visiting Mindful Momma!

[robert]

it definitely works at getting hard water deposits out of items like tea pots and coffee makers, but i also use it for a sunburn, apply liberally to sunburn with soaked washcloth a couple of times the first day and it really helps.

[Micaela]

Interesting point about using vinegar for sunburn relief. Thanks for sharing Robert!

[Telula]

I use vinegar in at least a half dozen places in my home, and I never heard of pouring some in the Compost. What a great tip!

One of the main uses for me is in the laundry room. If I have a new item that has never been washed before I add about 1/3 of a cup to the wash and it sets the colour and prevents it from bleeding and fading.

[Micaela]

Good point about using vinegar to "set" colors in new clothes - thanks Telula!

[Brain Ventris]

I use vinegar a lot in cleaning. It's a potent antibacterial solution when mixed with baking soda. I sometimes use it to clean and disinfect my carpets. It's a true wonder liquid.

[Natalie]

I use so much vinegar to clean with, my hubby buys it for me at Costco in those big cartons. I keep spray bottles of it in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room....keeps ants away too! I use it with baking soda on tough baked on pots and pans... Make sure to wear gloves though, it can really hurt your skin at full strength. Great site, by the way, just discovered it! :0)

[Micaela]

Hi Natalie - Glad to hear you are as big a fan of vinegar as I am! I buy big jugs of it too. Hope you stop by Mindful Momma again soon!