Amazing Vinegar

We all are familiar with vinegar in cooking. But regular white vinegar has many other uses that just culinary.  We will explore some of these uses this morning.

General Uses for Vinegar:

Deodorize the room: vinegar can help neutralize odors in the home, such as in the kitchen or refrigerator. Leave a dish filled with 1/2 inch of white vinegar in the offensive-smelling room until the smell dissipates completely.

Dissolve rust: for smaller rusted items, soak them in a bowl of white vinegar overnight. For larger items, pour white vinegar over it, let it sit, and rub clean.

Keep colors bright: using vinegar in your laundry is a natural way to keep your clothes bright and fresh. Add 1/2 cup of diluted white vinegar to your laundry load right before the final rinse cycle to help remove stains, eliminate odors, and remove mildew.

Whiten your whites: if you prefer not to use bleach in your laundry cycles, consider using vinegar to whiten your clothes. Vinegar's natural acidic properties lend itself to whitening fabrics. Add 1/2 cup of diluted white vinegar to your laundry cycle along with your detergent to help whiten dingy whites.

Clean faucets: vinegar can dissolve limescale, soap scum, and mineral deposits on faucets. To do so, soak a paper towel in vinegar, then drape it over your faucet. Leave it to sit for about an hour, then wipe.

Clean windows and mirrors: one of the common issues with cleaning windows and mirrors is leaving streaks behind, but using white vinegar can help with that. Diluted vinegar (1 part vinegar to 1 part water) cleans glass surfaces, mirrors, and windows well. Spray on a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the surface. Always wipe with the same pattern for mirrors and windows: the S movement (from top to bottom).

Descale your coffee maker: vinegar is excellent for removing mineral deposits and scale buildup in appliances like kettles and coffee makers. Mix equal parts of vinegar and water, run the mixture through the appliance, and rinse thoroughly.

Deodorize trash cans: scrub the inside of your trash can with a mixture of white vinegar and water using a long-handled brush. Rinse well, then dry.

Eliminate hard-water stains on glass: vinegar’s acidity is effective at breaking down hard water stains, limescale, grime, and stains. To bring your glass back from cloudy white stains, use a clean rag with distilled white vinegar on it, and rub the item. The vinegar will help remove calcium and magnesium buildup.

Get rid of coffee and tea stains in mugs: fill your mug halfway with white vinegar and the other with hot water, allowing the mixture to then sit for about 10 minutes. Drain the mixture and scrub the mug to bring it back to its former glory.

Remove mildew and mold: vinegar can help remove mildew and mold from bathroom tiles, shower curtains, and other surfaces. Spray or apply vinegar directly, let it sit for a while, scrub, and rinse.
Unclog drains: unclog a slow drain with vinegar and baking soda. (Don't mix these two in a closed container.) Mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural drain cleaner. Pour it down the drain, let it fizz and work for about 15 minutes, then flush with hot water to clear clogs and remove odors.

Fabric softener replacement: vinegar's laundry use doesn't stop at whitening and deodorizing—it can also act as an effective natural fabric softener. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to your washing machine's rinse cycle. It can help soften clothes, reduce static, and remove detergent residue.

Remove stickers and labels: trying to scrape off stickers and labels is notoriously hard, and there always seems to be residue left behind. simply soak the labels and stickers in white vinegar, then peel off.

Showerhead cleaner: vinegar is effective for removing hard water deposits and stains from showerheads and faucets in the bathroom. Fill a plastic bag with vinegar and secure it around your showerhead with a rubber band. Leave it for several hours to remove mineral deposits and improve water flow.

Neutralize pet odors: blot the accident up, then clean the affected area using a mixture of vinegar and water. The vinegar will neutralize the odor and help prevent pets from having a repeat accident.

Clean the dishwasher: your dishwasher needs to be cleaned every once in a while. Run your empty dishwasher with a cup of vinegar to remove odors and mineral deposit buildup.

Clean the washing machine: your washing machine can benefit from a vinegar rinse. Simply add 1 cup of white vinegar to an empty washing machine and run it as normal.

Clean floors: vinegar can effectively clean and sanitize floors, but make sure you only use it on specific types of flooring. Hardwood floors cannot be cleaned with vinegar, but tile can, for instance. For tile, mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1 gallon of water. Use this solution to mop your floors.

Drive away pests: keep ants at bay with vinegar. Mix equal amounts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spritz your vinegar solution any place that ants tend to gather, such as kitchen corners or crevices.

Stainless steel appliance cleaner: apply vinegar with a microfiber cloth, then wipe with the stainless-steel grain to remove fingerprints and smudges.

Kill weeds: besides repelling ants, vinegar is an effective weed killer as well. Vinegar's acidity kills weeds by breaking down the cell walls, while also removing moisture, causing them to shrivel. Make a simple weed killer with 1 cup of salt, 1 gallon of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.

Clean bath toys: children's bath toys are susceptible to mold and mildew growth from all of the moisture they're around. Give these toys a bath of their own in a large bucket or bowl filled with warm water. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar for every gallon of water, and allow the toys to soak for 10 minutes. Then rinse and dry them.

Shine silver: silver can easily be restored to its natural beauty with vinegar. Buff your silver items with a soft microfiber rag dipped in vinegar. Rinse the pieces and dry them.

Get rid of fruit flies: put a small bowl of vinegar covered in plastic wrap wherever fruit flies are a problem. Poke small holes through the plastic wrap so that the flies attracted to the vinegar will get trapped inside.

Clean your toilet: make a toilet cleaner by combining citric acid, baking soda and a few drops of essential oils for a good fragrance. When it's time to clean, coat your toilet bowl with the mixture then add white vinegar and scrub away any stains.

DIY a General All-Purpose Cleaner

1/2 cup of vinegar
4 cups of warm water
Use this mixture to clean everything from windows and glass to sinks and appliances.
For disinfectant purposes, use a 1:1 ratio. You can mix a 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water to wipe down doorknobs, handles, switches, etc., around the home.

5 Reasons You Should Choose Homemade Cleaners------

You can control the ingredients in cleaners you make
Homemade cleaners allow for better air quality in your home
Homemade cleaners are cost effective – average bottle of Mrs. Meyers spray costs $4.49
Homemade cleaners are environmentally-friendly and produce less waste
Homemade cleaners eliminate resistant bacteria

Fragrant cleaning products have been associated with a range of adverse health effects such as migraine headaches, asthma attacks, respiratory difficulties, neurological problems, mucosal symptoms, and dermatitis.

Fragrances are linked to a staggering number of health risks across multiple research studies. Chemicals used to make fragrances are classified as allergens, hormone disruptors, asthma triggers, neurotoxins, and carcinogens. Fragrances are highly toxic.

A clean home leaves fewer places for germs and bacteria to hide. Dust and allergens can build up in carpets and bedding and that can lead to worse allergies and respiratory irritation.

Things to Never Mix With Vinegar!!!!!

Vinegar doesn't mix well with certain other cleaning agents. Take care never to mix vinegar with:
Bleach
Ammonia
Hydrogen peroxide
Baking soda in a closed container
Mixing vinegar with any of these cleaning agents can result in dangerous chemical reactions, like toxic chlorine gas (bleach), chloramine vapor (ammonia), peracetic acid (hydrogen peroxide), and combusting containers (baking soda).

The following recipe is from Susan Carter and is tried-and-true.

Glass Cleaner

1 ½ cup distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) filtered water
½ cup rubbing alcohol
¼ cup white vinegar
½ teaspoon dish soap (any will do)
1 teaspoon of Thieves concentrated clearner to help with smell (optional)
Use a funnel to fill a spray bottle. Roll and shake until blended.
I use Norwex cleaning cloths with silver to clean mirrors (no spray necessary).

Q and A:

Can I use essential oils other than lemon?
Yes, essential oils other than lemon can be used. Orange, peppermint or tea tree oil would be other good choices. But use whatever you like!

Do these natural cleaners kill germs?
Vinegar has mild germ-killing properties, but is not as potent as bleach or hydrogen peroxide. It contains acetic acid, which can break down some bacteria. Using essential oils such as lavender or tea tree oil can add more antibacterial action. Thyme oil is one of the most powerful natural antimicrobials.

Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
You can use apple cider vinegar in place of white vinegar, but only the refined kind. Raw apple cider vinegar contains a “mother,” a type of live bacteria culture that can leave smears when used in a cleaner.

Will vinegar remove grease from surfaces?
No, vinegar isn’t very effective in cutting through grease. You’ll need to use a soap-based cleanser for that.

Can this cleaner remove carpet stains?
Vinegar may help with carpet stains, although it may not be powerful enough to remove deeply set stains. Apply equal parts cleaner and baking soda to stains and rub in using a soft cloth or paper towel.

Here are a few more tried-and-true recipes for natural cleaning products from Susan Carter:

Shiny Toilets (works great on sinks and bathtubs, too)

1 drop dish liquid
Bon Ami or Bar Keepers Friend
Put a small drop of dish liquid in toilet and swish. Sprinkle Bon Ami around the sides and swish/scrub. Wait a few minutes (while you scrub the tub : ) Swish again and flush.
If you have hardwater rings, use a pumice stone.

Lemon Scrub (or your preferred scent)

1 box baking soda (1 1⁄2 cup)
Lemon essential oil (or your preferred scent)

Find a nice glass jar (I use a wide mouth pint jar but a recycled jar works well.) Pour 1/3-1/2 of a box of baking soda in the bottom. Liberally shake several drops of lemon essential oil, 10-20 drops. Repeat alternating layers of soda and essential oils.
Stir to mix. Put on lid. Shake well.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

3 pints (6 cups) water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated coarsely (can substitute whole bar of Ivory or homemade soap)
1⁄2 cup washing soda (not baking soda)
1⁄2 cup Borax
1 quart of hot water (4 cups)
2 gallon bucket (I make mine in a large stock pot.)
Tip: mark a line at the 2 gallon mark on your pot. Note how many inches from the bottom = 2 gallons.
more hot water (tap water) to top off
Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan (or stockpot) with 3 pints of water. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Add 1 quart of hot water to a 2-gallon bucket OR stir in soap mixture and mix well.
Add more hot water up to the 2 gallon line. Mix well. Set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens.
Using a funnel, pour into recycled laundry jug. Use 1⁄2 cup mixture per load.