10+ Ways I Use Vinegar at Home
Vinegar is an inexpensive, practical and effective home cleaner. Here are 10+ Ways I Use Vinegar at Home.
So it’s May, and I have a spring cleaning itch. Everything is starting to green up and it’s so fresh outside, that it makes me want to clean my house. Weird I know…I’m kind of weird like that. Plus, I’ve been tackling some nasty stains in my carpet that the kids made, and I am just amazed at how much better my carpets look, so I just felt like I had to share how amazing vinegar is at home. I know a lot of people use vinegar, and for me, it’s one of my most favourite cleaners! Some people don’t like the smell of it, but I don’t find that a problem. After an hour or so, I find that the smell is gone.
10+ Ways I Use Vinegar at Home
Please use these methods at your own risk: Spot test first! 😉
Vinegar type: I use just regular white vinegar.
1. Vinegar as an All Purpose Cleaner
In a spray bottle, make a 1:1 vinegar:water solution. I use this solution to clean so many things in my home – really it’s my main cleaner, and I always have a bottle of it made. Use it on:
- Countertops
- Inside the Fridge
- Walls
- Bathroom fixtures
- Sinks & Tubs
- Windows
- Pretty much any surface in your home (be careful with wood, don’t use it if it is unsealed wood)
2. Vinegar as a Ring Cleaner
2 parts vinegar and 1 part hydrogen peroxide (in the right dilution – I use a 3% solution). Let your ring soak for about 10 minutes. Scrub with a small brush & rinse well.
3. Use Vinegar as a Coffee Maker De-Scaler and Cleaner
Run 2 cups of undiluted vinegar through your coffee maker, then run at least 5 full cycles of water through to rinse. I even run a full pot of coffee through as the last cycle, and dump it. After that there’s no vinegar after taste. I clean mine once a month or every 2 months or so.
4. Vinegar as a Carpet Spot Cleaner
I just started doing this, and I can’t believe the results! I use my spray bottle of 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water. I spray it on spots on the carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and dab (press down, don’t rub) the spot. It gets out almost everything! Here’s what it did with the marker in my carpet! Amazing! BUT PLEASE spot test and make sure it doesn’t harm your carpet. It hasn’t harmed mine in any way – I have even used it on my Pottery Barn rug in my living room. But just in case, do a spot test first!
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| This is marker on my carpet before and after the vinegar treatment. |
5. Use Vinegar to Clean Funky Smelling Towels
I originally saw this on lifehacker, and I just had to try it. You know how sometimes bath towels and kitchen cloths get that weird bad smell? Try this! Wash your stinky load of towels in hot water, first with 1 cup vinegar (no soap or fabric softener). Then run another complete wash cycle with just 1/2 cup baking soda (again, no soap or fabric softener). Dry as normal. The smell disappears! I’ve tried it and it’s amazing!
6. Use Vinegar for a Veggie & Fruit Wash
Fill your sink 1/2 way with lukewarm water, add 1 cup vinegar. Soak veggies/fruit for 10 minutes. Rinse well. For a full tutorial, you can have a look at my original blog post on this here.
7. Use Vinegar to clean your Dishwasher
Add 1 cup vinegar to a completely empty dishwasher (don’t add any detergent). Run a full cycle through.
8. Use Vinegar to clean your Garburator
To get rid of bad smells, and kill bacteria, dump 1/2 cup of baking soda into your garburator, followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes, then run your garburator with hot water for a few minutes to rinse.
9. Use Vinegar as a Degreaser
Again, a 1:1 ratio of vinegar:water solution works well as a degreaser.
- Remove grease from stove (after it has cooled down). I like to use it after cooking bacon.
- Wash that weird layer of grease that ends up on cupboards in kitchen.
- Use it on the outside of your BBQ.
10. Use Vinegar to Remove Mineral Deposits
Our city water leaves mineral deposits on everything! And again, vinegar is my friend! I use my 1:1 vinegar:water solution to remove mineral deposits from:
- Irons
- Taps
- Shower Heads
- Sinks
I know the list of uses for vinegar is muuuuuuch longer, but this list is of uses that I have tried and know work for me! I have many other uses I want to test (especially as a weed killer – I’m trying this next)! I’ll keep you posted!
What type of vinegar do you use for all of this? Anything in particular?
Hi Melissa! I just updated my post – I should have mentioned that it’s just plain white vinegar!
Thanks for stopping in!
Jo-Anna
Oh I had no idea it had so many uses! Such great info!
Awesome post. Looks like I need to pick up vinegar at the store tomorrow. 🙂
So many great ideas, Im definitely pinning this for future reference. Thanks for sharing.
I need to try a couple of these ideas, especially the ring cleaner and the dishwasher!
Melissa
http://www.lovebugliving.com
Vinegar is my go-to cleaner for everything. Even my hair! I’ll have to try it to clean my ring, thanks for the tips.
I’d love for you to join my new link party!
http://www.chickenscratchny.com/2012/05/whats-cluckin-3.html
I love to use vinegar for all my cleaning. I just started noticing a funky smell on my husband’s towel and I am going to go wash it in vinegar right now! Thanks for the great post!
Thanks! This is such an amazing tip! It really does work!
Jo-Anna
Just a quick question. Do I need to use warm water for my carpet cleaning or will regular temp water work?
These are such awesome ideas! We would love for you to come share it at our weekly link party and enter to win a $50 gift card to Mikarose Clothing!
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/05/strut-your-stuff-saturday-link-party_11.html
Love,
The Sisters
Add this to your vinegar list – soak your feet for 20 minutes in half vinegar, half water and it makes your feet amazingly soft! Plus, it kills bacteria and removes all the cracks and rough spots. I do it once a week and then follow up with my favorite foot lotion.
I love this idea! My feet could definitely use this, so I’m going to try it!
Thanks!
Jo-Anna
Thanks for the great list. I just started making my own cleaners, so this is a great resource!
Very nice post, thanks for all your “tested” vinegar uses! I have some experience with weed killing vinegar, it’s super awesome! You can find out what I found out on my blog, Camp Wander.
http://campwander.blogspot.com/2012/04/can-vinegar-really-kill-weeds.html
I use vinegar to kill weeds that grow by the entrance steps. Then I just sweep them off with a very rough broom the next day. Works quite well.
Wow, ok!! I need to go get vinegar tomorrow! I use it to clean off cat pee (1:1 vinegar:water and 1/2 baking soda) It’s the best to repell the cats from doing it again in that spot, it really neutralize the amonia in the pee. BUT, the vinegar smell stays a while so I was wondering if cleaning everything with it would leave a vinegar smell in the house? Do you have any tips regarding that? 🙂
Hi Caroline! I use vinegar for 90% of my cleaning, and I haven’t found residual smell to be a problem at all. It seems to disappear pretty quickly! It also depends on how much vinegar you use – the 1:1 I use seems to be fine. Hope that helps!
Jo-Anna
This is great as a weed killer – and I don’t have to worry about my daughter or dog being around. I use it on my pathways all the time.
I really must try this! Thanks for the reminder!
Jo-Anna
So, here’s one more.
Know a smoker? Are one? Take a bowl that you do not care about (the vinegar will ruin the bowl) and put 3/4 of an inch and no more of white vinegar in the bowl and place it in a high spot in the room. Change it wach day for 5 days and you will not know the room was smoked in.
Then, just change it once a week. My friends tell me it won’t work…until they try it.
Wow! This sounds amazing! Thanks for the tip!
Jo-Anna
When I use vinegar wash on my floors and they are sticky. Any help advise?
Thank you kindly!
These are such great ideas Jo-Anna. A must try. I do have a quick question….with the towels, I have an HE washer and don’t use any powder detergents. I am trying to figure out how to use the baking soda in the wash, any suggestions?
I use vinegar ( 1/4 – 1/3 c) in my washing machine rinse (put in softener dispenser) It removes residual detergent – great for allergies and skin sensitivities. I also think it keeps clothes from getting dingy looking and reduces soap residue build up in the washer. I often do a second rinse, but it isn’t necessary. Do not use fabric softener, as it defeats the purpose.
I’ve also heard that vinegar works as rinse agent in dishwashers
“10+ Ways I Use Vinegar at Home” was a incredibly excellent post, .
Keep writing and I’m going to keep reading! Thank you ,Marianne
You must be Canadian….we are the only ones that say Garburator….Thanks for the tips
Hilarious! I am in fact a Canadian! I didn’t know it was a Canadian term…but come to think of it, most of the time it is referred to as a garbage disposal! Too funny!
Your method of explaining the whole thing in this piece of writing is actually nice, every one can simply understand it,
Thanks a lot.
Another great vinager use is on tile. Mix equal parts with warm water and mop the floor. It is the best for glossy tile because it won’t create build up like most cleaners do AND it sanitaizes.
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data, thanks for providing these statistics.
Just use the carpet spot remover …it worked I’m SOOO excited ,,
apparently vinegar is a miracle, indeed our selves we produce it, especially date’s vinegar (100% naturel), I personally use the it diluted with water or natural juice to rid myself of toxins in my body and to protect myself against food poisoning, sometimes it in case of insect bites, it’s great, all the redness quickly dissipate.
I would like to pay your attention that on the shelves you could find chemical vinegars and not necessarily natural, read well the labels.
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We just bought a home and the driveway is stained with grease and oil . Please help