There is no need to buy fancy chemical-based cleaners for most jobs. In fact, vinegar is the best all-around cleaner that I know of. Here are some of the ways that I use it:
10 Uses for Vinegar
- De-stink your kitchen towels. Tammy's Kitchen has a great solution for getting rid of the sour stink.
- Trap fruit flies. I learned this tip from Tammy's Kitchen, too. I set out a dish of red wine vinegar to trap fruit flies, and it worked really well.
- Remove soap scum and hard water spots. Our glasses, plates, and bowls get coated in soap scum after three or four trips through our dishwasher. They are clean, but the look and feel dirty. When that happens, I soak them for an afternoon in white vinegar. Problem solved.
You can even remove spots from a faucet this way. Soak a towel or rag with vinegar and put it on the faucet for a while. They stains will be gone before the towel dries. - Remove coffee or tea stains. A solution of 1 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup of white vinegar will get tough stains out of your mugs. You may have to scrub a little, but mugs (even china) should come clean.
- Remove build up from your automatic dishwasher. Add a cup or two to your dishwasher once a month to keep the soap and grime from building up inside and clogging the jets.
- Deodorize a drain. Pour a cupful down any drain that gets stinky - even your garbage disposal. Let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, then flush with water.
- Clean and deodorize your refrigerator. Use a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar. The smell will disapate as it dries, and the whole refrigerator will be fresh and clean.
- Clean and deodorize your microwave. Mix ¼ cup white vinegar with 1 cup of water. Heat it for 10 minutes or so. The steam will loosen debris and get rid of any lingering odors.
- Remove stains from pots and pans. Boil a solution of 3 tablespoons of white vinegar per each cup of water for 30 minutes, then wash with hot, soapy water.
- Clean and deodorize used jars. If you like to reuse glass jars (like the ones that mayo and pickles come in), wash the empty jar, then rinse with white vinegar to remove any lingering odors.
Next Tuesday, I'll share some food-based uses for vinegar. No macaroni salad, I promise!
What do you use vinegar for?
Have you seen the rest of the series?
Happily submitted to Top Ten Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, and Works for Me Wednesday
Forloveorfunny says
I use vinegar and water to wash my tile floors. 🙂
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
That's brilliant! Thanks for sharing that tip!
Crystal'sCozyKitchen says
Pour a tsp of vinegar over baking soda placed on food coloring stain on counter top. Let sit for 5 minutes. It helps!
Tansymom says
When I was younger and before sunscreen, I used vinegar to "take the heat " out of sunburns. Soaking a cloth in vinegar and placing it on the sunburn seemed to cool the skin.
Amy says
I know this isn't "in the kitchen," but I use equal parts vinegar and water for a feminine wash. I just keep it in my old feminine wash bottle and it works so much better. I feel cleaner and fresher and don't have odor problems like I used to.
Rachel Davis says
I use vinegar to clean my laminate (wood looking) floors. It gets them streak free every time.
Karyn says
Wow, thank you, thank you! I didn't know you could do all these amazing things with vinegar!!!