Reading Time: 9 minutes 50+ Uses for Vinegar – Home, office, car, garden, beauty, health, and pets
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Oh, vinegar! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… 50 ways to be exact. This started as a list of about 50 ways to use vinegar, but it will keep growing. Check out all of these uses for vinegar!
Vinegar has so many uses in the house, office, car, and garden, for beauty, health, and pets. There is a variety of vinegar.
Experiment with different types, but don’t use dark vinegar (such as apple cider vinegar) on porous materials. It could stain.
Before using vinegar for any of these tips, please test a small sample to make sure there is no reaction or staining.
Here are 50 uses for white vinegar, or whichever vinegar you prefer.
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Table of Contents
Ways to Use Vinegar Around the House
Remove stickers and sticky residue.
To get stickers off that have “decorated” furniture and other surfaces, moisten with vinegar. Then, let it sit for at least ten minutes, then remove it.
Remove candle wax.
First, soften the wax with a hot hairdryer and blot up as much of the wax as you can. Next, get rid of the rest by using a clean cloth dipped in a mixture of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar.
Get rid of odors.
Rinse jars with a half and half mixture of vinegar and water to remove garlic or other strong odors. Boil water with several spoons of vinegar to remove the smell of burnt food from your kitchen.
For persistent room odors, leave out a bowl of vinegar in the room overnight. For bags or lunchboxes, soak a piece of bread in vinegar and leave it in the bag overnight.
Carpet spills and stains.
For spills on the carpet, use a sponge or cloth to soak up as much liquid as possible. Then spray with a mixture of half vinegar, and half water. Let stand for about two minutes, then blot with a towel or sponge. Repeat as needed.
As parents of 3 little kids, Force of Nature is our go-to all purpose cleaner. It's nontoxic but is EPA approved for use against Covid-19.
We love vinegar, but we use Force of Nature every day.
For more persistent stains, use a mixture of 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, and 1 cup warm water. Finally, you can dry it with a hairdryer set on low.
Related: Revive Your Dingy Carpet with Our Foolproof, Time-Saving Shampoo Method
Vinegar for window cleaning.
To clean windows, spray with half vinegar, and half water. Then, wipe off with either newspapers or cloth.
We also love Force Of Nature for window cleaning.
For full instructions read our post: Revive Your Vinyl Windows’ White Brilliance!: How To Get Rid Of Yellow Grime For Good
Clean silver, pewter, copper, or brass.
Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in one cup of vinegar. Next, add flour to create a paste (1/4 cup or more). Then, apply the paste to the metal item, and let stand for at least fifteen minutes. Rinse with warm water and polish with a soft cloth.
For complete steps: How to Clean Silver – Easy DIY Silver Cleaners (No Harsh Chemicals)
Clean no-wax floors.
Use a solution of 1 cup vinegar per gallon of water for a shinier surface. How To Clean Wood Flooring: A Landlord Answers
Clean wood paneling.
Use a mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 2 cups warm water. Next, apply to paneling with a soft cloth. Dry with a clean cloth.
Clean window blinds.
Using cotton gloves, dip your hands in a mixture of half water and half vinegar. Then, rub your hands along both sides of the binds flaps. Continue dipping your hands back in the mixture and rinse off the gloves periodically.
Prepare for painting.
Vinegar helps paint stick to surfaces. Before painting a surface, scrub with vinegar and let dry.
Uses for Vinegar In the Bathroom
Remove corrosion or chemical build-up on showerheads and faucets.
Soak in vinegar overnight in order to remove chemical build-ups on faucets.
Get rid of toilet bowl stains.
Remove stains from the toilet bowl by spraying with vinegar.
Prevent shower mildew.
Spray shower walls and shower curtain with vinegar to help prevent mildew.
The Many Vinegar Uses In the Kitchen
Clean the coffeemaker.
Run a few cycles of vinegar through the coffee machine and then, follow up with a few cycles of water. Read more about How to Clean Your Keurig – Easy and Quick here.
Deep clean your oven with vinegar.
Read more about How to Easily Clean Your Oven Without Chemicals, Non-Toxic (with pictures) here.
Clean the microwave with vinegar.
To clean your microwave without harsh chemicals, fill a glass bowl with 1 cup water and 1/4 cup vinegar. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
After the mixture has cooled down, use it to wipe the inside down with a sponge or paper towel.
Are you tired of dirty microwaves? Need to get rid of grease and gunk? We have just the right solution for your problem.
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- You can do the same thing with a bowl of vinegar
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Keep ants and other bugs away.
Spray vinegar along doorways, windowsills, countertops – anywhere you might see ants. If you find an ant trail then clean it with vinegar too.
In the pantry have a bowl filled with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish detergent. Keep it in there for a week or so.
The bugs will be attracted to it and fall into the bowl. For fruit flies, partly fill a jar with the same mixture. Then, cover it with a lid and poke a few holes in the top.
For more see Get Rid Of Pests Quickly Without Harsh Chemicals
Stinky sinks or garbage disposals?
To remove odors from the sink or garbage disposal, pour in a cup or more vinegar. Do not rinse out again for at least an hour.
Can you use vinegar to open Clogged drain?
To open a clogged drain, first pour in 1/2 cup baking soda. Then add an equal amount of vinegar. When the mixture finishes bubbling, rinse with warm water.
(Note: some garbage disposals do not react well to this cleaning method; check with the manufacturer first.)
Remove strong food scents from your hands.
Wipe your hands with vinegar after chopping. It will remove strong scents like onion and garlic, as well as stains from fruit juices.
Clean wooden cutting boards.
Wipe cutting boards with vinegar.
Remove coffee or tea stains on dishes.
Clean with a mixture of vinegar and salt to remove dish stains.
Get fluffier rice.
Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the boiling water in order to get fluffy rice.
Use vinegar to make buttermilk.
In a cup of milk add a tablespoon of vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes.
Lemon substitute.
No lemons? Use 1/4 tablespoon of vinegar to replace 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Egg substitute for cooking.
Use one tablespoon of vinegar for each egg you are replacing. Replacing egg with vinegar will work as long as you have baking powder, yeast, or self-rising flour already in the recipe.
Make Easter Eggs.
Coloring eggs by dipping in a mixture of 1 teaspoon of vinegar to 2 cups of hot water with a few drops of food coloring is so easy.
Keep cheese fresher for longer.
First, wrap cheese in a cloth dipped in vinegar. Then, place it in a baggie or container and refrigerate.
Vinegar as a fruit and vegetable wash.
Add half vinegar and half water to a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on your fruits and veggies and then rinse.
Related: 12 Kitchen Hacks that Reduce Food And Financial Waste
Ways to Use Vinegar In the Laundry Room
how to Keep colors from running.
Soak your laundry in vinegar before washing in order to preserve colors.
Decrease lint.
To decrease lint on clothing, add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Remove clothing stains.
Many persistent stains can be removed with vinegar: coffee, chocolate, ketchup, jam, cola, and wine. First, gently rub the stain with vinegar, then wash.
Brighten your whites.
To make your brights brighter, add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Clean cloth diapers.
For cleaning cloth diapers, add one cup of distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will break down uric acid and remove both lingering stains and scents. See a comprehensive guide to clean cloth diapers.
Remove soap residue from the washing machine (or other machines like a dishwasher).
To clean your washing machine, run an empty (no laundry) cycle with one cup of vinegar added.
Remove the smell of smoke from clothes.
Add a cup of vinegar to a tub of hot water. Then, let clothing hang in the same room for several hours.
Using Vinegar for Pet Care
Keep cats away from unwanted surfaces.
To keep cats off windowsills or other surfaces, spray with vinegar. This will also keep them from scratching upholstery (spray an unnoticeable area of the fabric first to make sure the vinegar doesn’t cause a stain).
Keep dogs from scratching their ears.
Clean with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.
Dog meets skunk.
If your dog should have a run-in with a skunk, then vinegar will take care of the smell better than even tomato juice.
Using vinegar diluted 50% with water, rub the dog’s fur. Next, rinse with warm water. Repeat as needed.
Many Uses of Vinegar in the Office
Clean computers, peripherals, and office supplies.
First, make sure everything is turned off. Then, using a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and water, dampen a clean cloth, wring it out, and remove excess water. Next, carefully wipe down your computers, printers, mouse, stapler, and more.
For a step by step guide: Best Ways To Clean A Mouse Pad + How To Clean RGB Mouse Pad
Finally, use a Q-tip for those tight, hard-to-reach spaces.
The home office is another area that we love Force of Nature as an alternative to vinegar.
Vinegar for Beauty and Health
Home remedy for athletes foot.
For 15 minutes, 2 times a day soak your feet in a mixture of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water. Be sure to dry your feet well after soaking.
Bee stings and jellyfish stings.
Use vinegar in order to relieve itching from stings and bites.
Cure for colds?
In the morning, mix a few ounces of apple cider vinegar with a spoonful of honey. Drink a few times a day. Blech! I have tried this and it’s pretty hard to swallow, though one of my mom’s friends swears by it.
Vinegar hair rinse.
To add some highlights, rinse your hair with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water. This mix is also great for removing soap scum and oil.
Vinegar uses outside and in the garden
Kill weeds and unwanted grass.
Pour vinegar over the weeds and grass you want to remove.
Make flowers in a vase last longer.
Use two tablespoons of vinegar, and three tablespoons of sugar in a vase of warm water.
Test your soil with vinegar.
In a container of soil add 1/2 cup of vinegar. If the soil bubbles, it is alkaline.
Ways to Use Vinegar in the Car
Frost-free car windows.
The night before, wipe the windows with a mixture of 3 parts vinegar to one part water.
Clean rusted tools.
Overnight, soak tools, bolts, and more in diluted vinegar.
