My Dearest Bottle of Vinegar,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....
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You are absolutely, 100% safe to use.
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You are inexpensive!
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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!)
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You keep my windows clean and shiny without harsh chemicals like ammonia.
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You make a safe & effective floor cleaner.
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You kill germs in the toilet.
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You helped remove pet odors back when I had cats.
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You work wonders as a hair rinse.
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You freshen my drains and help keep them muck-free.
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You help keep my sponges clean and fresh.
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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.

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!
Posted by: Michelle | March 23, 2010 at 03:32 PM
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.
Posted by: Chriss | March 24, 2010 at 03:21 PM
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.
Posted by: Micaela | March 25, 2010 at 11:10 AM
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!
Posted by: Lenetta @ Nettacow | March 25, 2010 at 01:41 PM
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.
Posted by: Janet | March 26, 2010 at 08:32 AM
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...;)
Posted by: Zee @GreenBlossoms | March 29, 2010 at 01:24 AM
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
Posted by: Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship | April 06, 2010 at 02:27 AM
We use a.c.vinegar as a face cleanser, half and half. My daughters acne has cleared up.
Posted by: liz | April 07, 2010 at 06:34 PM
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!
Posted by: Kim S. | April 11, 2010 at 06:11 AM
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/.
Posted by: Kimberly | April 28, 2010 at 07:41 PM
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/.
Posted by: Kimberly | April 28, 2010 at 07:42 PM
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...
Posted by: Jeremy | September 25, 2010 at 07:13 PM
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.
Posted by: mold inspections five boros | November 21, 2010 at 07:07 AM
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.
Posted by: Skin Moisture | February 10, 2011 at 08:13 PM
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.
Posted by: Zara | February 13, 2011 at 09:08 PM
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!
Posted by: Kasi Andrade | July 12, 2011 at 10:47 PM
pour it in the compost bucket.. it keeps smells down and bugs away. LOVE IT!!
Posted by: jane mckenzie | August 16, 2011 at 05:50 PM
Jane - yes - I pour vinegar in my compost bucket all the time! Thanks for visiting Mindful Momma!
Posted by: Micaela | August 18, 2011 at 08:11 AM
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.
Posted by: robert | September 15, 2011 at 07:06 AM
Interesting point about using vinegar for sunburn relief. Thanks for sharing Robert!
Posted by: Micaela | September 15, 2011 at 08:54 AM
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.
Posted by: Telula | September 15, 2011 at 07:16 PM
Good point about using vinegar to "set" colors in new clothes - thanks Telula!
Posted by: Micaela | September 16, 2011 at 09:17 AM
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.
Posted by: Brain Ventris | November 23, 2011 at 07:04 AM
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)
Posted by: Natalie | December 15, 2011 at 07:27 AM
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!
Posted by: Micaela | December 15, 2011 at 03:41 PM