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Vinegar is really great stuff with many cool uses. Here are the the 2 best ones I know of.
Source: My own experiments. It works!
I have stopped buying expensive and fume cleaning products and have gone to vinegar for everything. It is the oldest, safest and most effective cleaning product there is.
Clean Blocked Drains - Pour half a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar into the blocked drain. It'll foam for a while but the drain will get cleared out. Wash with hot water. This can be used to clean toilets too.
I keep a bowl of white vinegar on my stove to keep cooking odors down. When a closet or room starts to smell musty or stale, I put a bowl of white vinegar on a shelf for a few days.
Adding a bit of vinegar to your home humidifier can help freshen the air. This is a guide about adding vinegar to your humidifier.
After a nasty fall in my bath tub, I became extra careful to not have it happen again. My first idea was to always just throw a facecloth in the tub to stand on.
This is a guide about vinegar and dish soap fruit fly trap. A simple effective fruit fly trap can be made with apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap.
Vinegar is a great odor eliminator, not only is it natural and non-toxic but it really works! Learn how to use vinegar as a natural odor eliminator in this guide.
This is a guide about using white vinegar for dandruff. Instead of trying expensive medicated shampoos, try using vinegar instead.
This common fermented liquid can be an inexpensive product for many household uses. This guide is about frugal uses for vinegar.
A frugal and effective natural cleaner is vinegar. It can be used to disinfect surfaces, soften and brighten laundry, deodorize and much more. This is a guide about cleaning with vinegar.
This guide offers some advice about treating your hair with vinegar to remove shampoo build up. Vinegar works well to remove hair product buildup. Some people also use it to treat dandruff.
There are several common household products that can be used to remove mildew. This is a guide about vinegar for removing mildew from a tent.
Spray clothes with a mixture of vinegar and water prior to ironing to help remove creases. This is a guide about removing creases with vinegar spray.
Newspaper is relatively lint free and works well with vinegar to clean windows, leaving them streak free. This is a guide about use vinegar and newspaper for cleaning windows.
Warning: Mixing vinegar and bleach creates chlorine gas. The two together make a stronger cleaning solution but can be very hazardous to your health. Don't mix vinegar and bleach.
If you don't have any cleaner in the house, you can always use vinegar. It makes your floors shine and cuts the grime off your floor. It makes your house smell cleaner than regular cleaner.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
There are tons of uses for vinegar. From cleaning to killing weeds. Post your ideas.
Use vinegar soaks to clean dentures, rusted tools and faucets
By imaqt1962
Vinegar adds an amazing sheen to dark hair.....(similar to lemon juice for blondes) ....apparantley!
I use white vinegar in the rinse-aid dispenser of my dishwasher. My dishes are squeaky clean and my glasses shine.
A huge saving.
My showerhead clogs after a while. I just remove it and soak in vinegar all night . The next day its perfect and ready to go.
Use vinegar in your fabric dispenser in your washing machine. Clothes will not smell like vinegar and they come out of the dryer real soft.
I like to use a mix of vinegar and baking soda to clean my drains. It can often unclog them (found this out in a clogged bath tub drain). I also use vinegar and water to clean my ceramic-top stove (leaves it with a nice shine). Vinegar and water clean my car windows and my house windows.
I am a big fan of natural, non-toxic cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar. My question is, can you use vinegar to kill germs? For example, would vinegar be sufficient to kill germs from raw meat on your counter? Also, I am assuming that vinegar is totally non-toxic - please let me know if this is not correct! Thanks.
Ann in Mint Hill
Here is just one site I found that says vinegar kills germs. I had heard about a study that proved this a few years ago...so use it without guilt!!!
http://www.care lutions/home/164
Vinegar is a wonderful cleaner; but, there are two options I would suggest. 1st: spray the vinegar on the area that you want and let it sit 5 minutes and wipe that off and then spray hydrogen peroxide and do the same thing. separately sprayed on they kill germs well. mixed together they are not as effective. 2: my recommendation and what I use, I add a tsp of tea tree essential oil to a sprayer bottle of about 1 cup of water. shake each time before you use it. Tea tree oil kills just about everything. Ecoli and salmonella. And it smells clean as well and you only have the one step.
Is vinegar sprayed directly on a laminate surface, such as the kitchen counter, and then left to stand for 5 or more minutes harmful to the counter top? It seems like it would be too harsh to use undiluted.
If you use a chopping board for all raw meat, (kept solely for that purpose - do not mix chopping boards for cooked and raw foods), you can wash it in very hot water with detergent and then just wipe over with vinegar if you want - but this should not be necessary as long as all food residue and fat is scrubbed off in very hot water. Allow to dry thoroughly following cleaning.
Regards
Jo
for mkymlp
I don't believe vinegar should hurt your counter top even if left on for 5 minutes. You do not need to use it full strength however. I would think 1 part water to 1 part vinegar would be a good disinfectant. If you know the manufacterer of the counter top you may want to google them to see if they have a website. Often they have cleaning tips or even a support number or email address where you can contact them.
Susan from ThriftyFun
Thanks for the info. I'm glad to know I can use the vinegar to kill germs. My countertops aren't anything special so I don't worry about harming them...maybe something like marble would be a problem. I've never had a problem with it damaging anything. I've poured it full strength on carpet and upholstered furniture (when napping children have wet the furniture) and it's never done anything to the fabric.
I work for a commercial cleaning agency and I found that using vinegar to rid indoor brick of a dusty appearance caused by soap residue seems to work best. However I would like to know is there a ratio of vinegar to water that can be used in over a 1000 sq ft area? This is simply to help with cost.
What are some alternative uses for vinegar around the house?
By Holly from Lancaster, WI
I use iron out in my laundry to get my whites whiter. I saw on this site about using white vinegar, does this really work and how much do I use?
