Looking for uses for vinegar? You’ve come to the right place!
Most of us have vinegar in our kitchen cupboards. It is often used in cooking and for making colors for dying Easter eggs. However, you can use it for SO much more than that! While there are HUNDREDS of ideas out there, I’ve got 25 Uses for vinegar. Put this product in ways you may not have thought about before!
1. Make your own buttermilk. Many recipes may call for buttermilk, but who wants to purchase a quart to use less than a cup? You can actually make it yourself by using vinegar!
Simply check the recipe and use a bit less. For example, if you need one cup of buttermilk, simply measure it out. Then, remove one teaspoon of milk and replace it with a teaspoon of vinegar. Viola! Instant buttermilk!
2. Clean your computer and mouse. These get pretty dirty (and are germ magnets0. Before you being, turn off your components. Then, mix equal parts water and vinegar. Dampen a cloth and then use your fingertip to lightly wipe and scrub your screen and keyboard. You can dip a Q-Tip into the solution to get into those hard to reach places. Make sure you to NOT spray the solution onto your devices – always use a dampened cloth.
3. Remove ball-point pen and crayon. If you find an ink mark across your table, or your little Picasso’s masterpiece is on her bedroom wall, you can use vinegar to easily remove it. Just dab some vinegar onto the spot and scrub lightly with a cloth and it should buff right on out!
4. Remove water rings. There is nothing more frustrating seeing those annoying water rings on your wooden furniture. You can remove them by mixing equal parts vinegar and olive oil together. Use a cloth, dampened in the solution to rub out the spot. Make sure you always scrub along the grain of the furniture. When the spot has been scrubbed, use a dry cloth and buff it dry and to make it shine!
5. Keep the cats away. If you have an area of your home where you do not want your cat to perch or hang out, you can spray some vinegar and your kitty will not approach. You can spray a door way to keep it out of room or even the back of furniture you may not want them to climb on.
6. Remove urine. If you have a pet, you have probably dealt with an accident or two on your floor. You can clean it up, but the smell may still remain. You can use vinegar to help remove the smell completely (and keep your pet from wanting to mark the same spot again in the future).
If it is on carpet or a rug, simply blot the area until it is dry. Then, pour a little bit of vinegar on the spot. Blot that with a towel. Pour a bit more vinegar on the spot again and allow to air dry. As it evaporates, the odor will evaporate with it.
If the spot is on any other floor, you will first need to test the area to make sure the vinegar will not stain. Just find a place that is out of regular sight to do this. Then, mop the floor with equal parts water and vinegar and then dry with a towel.
7. Removing vomit smell. It seems that the minute your child says that his or her tummy hurts they throw up. Of course, before you have a chance to get them to the bathroom or even a bowl to catch it.
First, clean up any pieces (I know, that is such a disgusting thought). Then, mix a solution of 2 parts water to one part vinegar. You might want to add a drop or two of dish or laundry soap to your solution as well, which can give it a boost. Spray the affected area with vinegar and allow to sit (it needs to saturate). If, in 24 hours, you still smell some of the odor, you can spray again.
You can also try the urine removal method above, which will result in pouring water onto the carpet instead of just spraying it.
8. Clean your paintbrushes. No matter how well you scrub them after painting, you might still have a few bristles which have paint on them (or you may have forgotten to clean your brush after your last project). Use vinegar to clean it up!
Just boil 2 cups of vinegar and then place the brush in the pan and allow to “cook” for 10 minutes. Then, wash in soapy water and it should be clean. The hot vinegar loosens the paint allowing the brush to come clean!
9. Eliminate pests. If you have a garden of fresh fruits and or veggies, you want to keep the bugs from eating them. However, since you will be eating them, you do not want to use dangerous chemicals. You can use a natural version instead! You will need to fill an empty 2 liter soda bottle with 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of sugar. Then, slice up a banana into pieces and place it inside. Finally, fill the bottle with cold water and put on the lid and shake it. Then, remove the lid and hang from a low branch near your garden and that will attract the pests and keep them out of your garden!
10. Keep animals out of your garden. We took care of the six legged pests above, but what about those on 4 legs? To keep out deer, rabbits and other little critters from eating your fresh foods, you can use vinegar. Soak some old rags in vinegar and place them around the garden. You will want to soak them weekly, to ensure the vinegar smell is fresh (which is why they do not like them).
11. Get rid of weeds. If you have weeds growing in unwanted areas of your lawn or in the cracks of your sidewalk and driveway, you can eliminate them with vinegar! This time, you need to use the apple cider variety and just spray the cracks and other areas first thing in the season, which can kill the weeks before they start to grow. If you find one that has already taken root, spray a stream as close to the root as you can get and it will soak down and then kill the weed.
12. Get rid of ants. If you’ve ever had ants invade, you know how difficult it is to get them to leave. Ants are another pest which does not like the smell of vinegar. You can use a spray bottle to cover the areas where you see them and where they may be entering your home. If you see ant hills around the outside of your home, you can spray it on there as well – so that they do not come into your house.
13. Clean your washing machine. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but sometimes, your washing machine will start to smell musty. You can clean your washer by using 2 cups of vinegar. Do not include any soap or clothes in the cycle. The vinegar will run through the pipes and drains, cleaning them out and making it smell fresher!
Note: If you are in doubt if you can do this on your machine, make sure you do proper research as some people have reported that the manufacturer does not recommend this method of cleaning.
14. Make towels and dishcloths new again. After time, these items can build up an odor. You can actually strip them clean and make them new again! Learn how to do this for your bath towels as well as your kitchen dish cloths.
15. Clean your iron. I know many people do not iron their own clothes. However, if you are like me, it is an easy way to save money if you or your spouse needs to have pressed clothes (or like the way they look). Mineral deposits can develop inside of your iron and steam vents. A way to help eliminate these is to clean your iron with vinegar.
Switch on your iron and make sure it is on the steam setting. Pour vinegar into the spout (where you normally place water) an let it steam for 5 – 10 minutes. Then, fill the chamber back up with clean water and repeat the process. You can also hit the steam flash button and it can help to shoot out the deposits and build up. Just make sure you have a cloth on beneath it to catch the small particles which will come out.
16. Clean your bathroom. Rather than use the harsh chemicals, you can use vinegar to clean your bathroom! You can spray vinegar onto mildew stains and use it to scrub them clean. Scrub your sinks and bathtubs with full strength vinegar and then follow by rinsing with water.
You can clean your glass shower doors by making a solution of 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of baking soda and warm water. Then, use the solution to wipe down your doors (including those horrid water spots).
You can mix a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar to clean your mirrors. Use one cloth to scrub and then another to polish it clean. It works best to polish with a microfiber cloth (as it reduces streaks).
Finally, pour 2 cups of vinegar in your toilet before you go to bed. In the morning, flush it down and it can naturally clean the toilet for you!!
17. Keep your car windows from frosting over. If you do not have a carport or garage, you can keep the frost from building up on your windows. Spray the outside of your windows with a vinegar solution (3 parts vinegar to 1 part water). Unfortunately, this won’t stop the snow from piling up!
18. Clean your wiper blades. If you notice streaks, but your wipers are not yet needing to be replaced, it may mean that they are just dirty. Use vinegar to wipe down the blades, keeping them from streaking your windshield.
19. Deodorize your disposal and drains. This is a fun one that my kids love to help me with – because it is science!! Place around 1/2 cup of baking soda into your drain. Then, add around a cup of vinegar. You will see it bubble and fizz back up out of the drain! Once the bubbling stops, just run hot water for a minute. Then, allow it to sit for at least another 10 minutes and then run cold water and it should be fresh again!
20. Clean your stainless steel appliances. These always get the worst finger prints and smudges on them. Mix 2/3 water with 1/3 vinegar. Spry and wipe them clean with a lint-free cloth (I do not recommend microfiber as it does not work very well).
21. Naturally freshen the air. If you find last night’s dinner or the trash you forgot to take outside is still lingering, you can use vinegar to naturally freshen the air. Mix a pot filled with 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of vinegar. Allow to boil until the mixture is nearly gone and the smell should disappear too!
22. Get rid of fruit flies. It always amazes me that we can be fruit fly free one minute and then have several of them fluttering around our kitchen a few minutes later! You can actually make a trap for these pests. Just fill a bowl with apple cider vinger. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it. The flies will go in and can’t get back out.
23. Clean your produce. When you get home from the store, you want to make sure you clean those fruits and vegetables before you consume them. Just mix 1 part vinegar to one part water and put into a spray bottle. Douse the produce with the solution and then rinse with water.
24. Freshen your laundry. By adding a capful of vinegar to your laundry (along with the regular detergent) you can freshen the clothes and even brighten the colors!
25. Flea control. Believe it or not, you can even use vinegar to keep fleas away! Mix a solution of equal parts water and vinegar and spray onto your dog’s coat. Work it in with your hands and allow it to dry. This will not only repel those fleas, but also help treat and heal the bites they might already have.
What other tips do you have to add to our list? We know there are SO many more – so we’d love to hear from you!!!