The many uses of vinegar

From killing bacteria, dissolving warts, growing plants, killing weeds, cleaning lime deposits and stained pots, unclogging your drains, to relieving coughs … vinegar can be used.

Kill bacteria in meats

Marinating meat in vinegar kills bacteria and tenderises the meat. Use 1/4 cup vinegar for a 2-3 pound roast, marinate overnight, and then cook without draining or rinsing the meat. Add herbs to the vinegar when marinating as desired.

Dissolve warts

Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1 part glycerine into a lotion and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.

Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes

Apply white vinegar directly to the stain, and then wash as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions.

Grow beautiful azaleas

Occasionally water plants with a mixture of 2 quarts white vinegar to 1 quart water. Azaleas love acidic soil.

Relieve arthritis

Before each meal, drink a glass of water containing 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Give this folk remedy at least 3 weeks to start working.

Kill unwanted grass

Pour white vinegar in crevices and between bricks.

Remove corns

Make a poultice of 1 crumbled piece of bread soaked in 1/4 cup vinegar. Let poultice sit for 1/2 hour, then apply to the corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does not peel off by morning, reapply the poultice for several consecutive nights.

Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum from a washing machine

Once a month pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.

Cure an upset stomach

Drink 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar in 1 cup water to soothe an upset stomach.

Kill germs on bathroom fixtures

Use 1 part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe clean.

Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains

Simply wipe the surface with vinegar and rinse with water.

Deodorise the air

Vinegar is a natural air freshener when sprayed in a room.

Relieve itching

Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with vinegar straight from the bottle.

Clean limedeposits and calcium sludge from an automatic drip coffee maker

Once a month fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run through the brew cycle. Rinse thoroughly with 2 cycles of cold water.

Soothe sunburn pain

Apply undiluted vinegar to the burn.

Clean food-stained pots and pans
Fill the pots and pans with white vinegar and let stand for 30 minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.

Prevent bright-coloured clothes from fading

Before putting the article in the washing machine, soak it in white vinegar for 10 minutes.

Keep a garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh

Mix 1 cup of vinegar in enough water to fill an ice cube tray, freeze the mixture, grind the cubes through the disposal, and flush with cold water.

Clean a toilet bowl

Pour in 1 cup of white vinegar, let it stand for 5 minutes, and flush.

Clean dentures

Soak dentures overnight in white vinegar, and then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.

Remove perspiration stains from clothes

Apply 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water, then rinse.

Deodorise a room filled with cigarette smoke or paint fumes
Place a small bowl of white vinegar in the room.

Cure the hiccups

Mix 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water, and drink.

Eliminate odours from used jars

Rinse peanut butter and mayonnaise jars with white vinegar.

Condition dry hair

Shampoo, then rinse hair with a mixture of 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water. Vinegar restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil from hair.

Clean mineral deposits from a steam iron

Fill the water tank with white vinegar. Turn the iron to the steam setting and steam iron a soft utility rag to clean the steam ports. Repeat the process with water, then thoroughly rinse out the inside of your iron.

Remove light scorch marks from fabrics

Rub lightly with white vinegar, then wipe with a clean cloth.

Keep drains open

Pour 1/2 box of old baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup white vinegar. When the bubbling stops, run the hot water.

Remove decals or bumper stickers

Soak a cloth in vinegar and cover the decal or bumper sticker for several minutes until the vinegar soaks in. The decals and bumper stickers should peel off easily.

Deodorise a wool sweater

Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts vinegar and water to remove odour.

Prevent lint from clinging to clothes

Add 1 cup vinegar to each wash load.

Prevent ice from forming on a car windshield overnight

Coat the window with a solution of 3 parts white or apple cider vinegar to 1 part water.

Prolong the life of flowers in a vase

Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar plus 3 tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water. Stems should be in 3-4 inches of water.

Prevent cracked hard-boiled eggs

Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of water before boiling to prevent the eggs from cracking. The eggshells will also peel off faster and easier.

Clean windows

Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry with a soft cloth.

Eliminate unpleasant cooking odours in the kitchen

Boil 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 cup of water.

Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet

Blot up urine, flush several times with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse, and let dry.

Relieve a cold

Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup honey. Take 1 tablespoon 6-8 times daily.

Deodorize a stale lunch box

Soak a paper napkin in vinegar and leave it inside the closed lunch box overnight.

Prevent soapy film on glassware

Place a cup of white vinegar on the bottom rack of your dishwasher, run for 5 minutes, then run though the full cycle. A cup of white vinegar run through the entire cycle once a month will also reduce soap scum on the inner workings.

Unclog a showerhead

Unscrew the shower head, remove the rubber washer, place the head in a pot filled with equal parts vinegar and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Relieve a cough

Mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 4 teaspoons honey. Take 1 tablespoon when cough acts up. Take another tablespoon at bedtime.

Kill bacteria in meats

Marinating meat in vinegar kills bacteria and tenderises the meat. Use 1/4 cup vinegar for a 2-3 pound roast, marinate overnight, and then cook without draining or rinsing the meat. Add herbs to the vinegar when marinating as desired.

Dissolve warts

Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to 1 part glycerine into a lotion and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.

Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes

Apply white vinegar directly to the stain, and then wash as directed by the manufacturer’s instructions.

Grow beautiful azaleas

Occasionally water plants with a mixture of 2 quarts white vinegar to 1 quart water. Azaleas love acidic soil.

Relieve arthritis

Before each meal, drink a glass of water containing 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Give this folk remedy at least 3 weeks to start working.

Kill unwanted grass

Pour white vinegar in crevices and between bricks.

Remove corns

Make a poultice of 1 crumbled piece of bread soaked in 1/4 cup vinegar. Let poultice sit for 1/2 hour, then apply to the corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does not peel off by morning, reapply the poultice for several consecutive nights.

Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum from a washing machine

Once a month pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.

Cure an upset stomach

Drink 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar in 1 cup water to soothe an upset stomach.

Kill germs on bathroom fixtures

Use 1 part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe clean.

Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains
Simply wipe the surface with vinegar and rinse with water.

Deodorise the air

Vinegar is a natural air freshener when sprayed in a room.

Relieve itching

Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with vinegar straight from the bottle.

Clean lime deposits and calcium sludge from an automatic drip coffee maker

Once a month fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run through the brew cycle. Rinse thoroughly with 2 cycles of cold water.

Soothe sunburn pain

Apply undiluted vinegar to the burn.

Clean food-stained pots and pans

Fill the pots and pans with white vinegar and let stand for 30 minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.

Prevent bright-coloured clothes from fading

Before putting the article in the washing machine, soak it in white vinegar for 10 minutes.

Keep a garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh

Mix 1 cup of vinegar in enough water to fill an ice cube tray, freeze the mixture, grind the cubes through the disposal, and flush with cold water.

Clean a toilet bowl

Pour in 1 cup of white vinegar, let it stand for 5 minutes, and flush.

Clean dentures

Soak dentures overnight in white vinegar, and then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.

Remove perspiration stains from clothes

Apply 1 part white vinegar to 4 parts water, then rinse.

Deodorise a room filled with cigarette smoke or paint fumes
Place a small bowl of white vinegar in the room.

Cure the hiccups

Mix 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in 1 cup of warm water, and drink.

Eliminate odours from used jars

Rinse peanut butter and mayonnaise jars with white vinegar.

Condition dry hair

Shampoo, then rinse hair with a mixture of 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 2 cups water. Vinegar restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil from hair.

Clean mineral deposits from a steam iron

Fill the water tank with white vinegar. Turn the iron to the steam setting and steam iron a soft utility rag to clean the steam ports. Repeat the process with water, then thoroughly rinse out the inside of your iron.

Remove light scorch marks from fabrics

Rub lightly with white vinegar, then wipe with a clean cloth.

Keep drains open

Pour 1/2 box of old baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup white vinegar. When the bubbling stops, run the hot water.

Remove decals or bumper stickers

Soak a cloth in vinegar and cover the decal or bumper sticker for several minutes until the vinegar soaks in. The decals and bumper stickers should peel off easily.

Deodorise a wool sweater

Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts vinegar and water to remove odour.

Prevent lint from clinging to clothes

Add 1 cup vinegar to each wash load.

Prevent ice from forming on a car windshield overnight

Coat the window with a solution of 3 parts white or apple cider vinegar to 1 part water.

Prolong the life of flowers in a vase

Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar plus 3 tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water. Stems should be in 3-4 inches of water.

Prevent cracked hard-boiled eggs

Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar per quart of water before boiling to prevent the eggs from cracking. The eggshells will also peel off faster and easier.

Clean windows

Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry with a soft cloth.

Eliminate unpleasant cooking odours in the kitchen

Boil 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with 1 cup of water.

Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet

Blot up urine, flush several times with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse, and let dry.

Relieve a cold

Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup honey. Take 1 tablespoon 6-8 times daily.

Deodorize a stale lunch box

Soak a paper napkin in vinegar and leave it inside the closed lunch box overnight.

Prevent soapy film on glassware

Place a cup of white vinegar on the bottom rack of your dishwasher, run for 5 minutes, then run though the full cycle. A cup of white vinegar run through the entire cycle once a month will also reduce soap scum on the inner workings.

Unclog a showerhead

Unscrew the showerhead, remove the rubber washer, place the head in a pot filled with equal parts vinegar and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Relieve a cough

Mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 4 teaspoons honey. Take 1 tablespoon when cough acts up. Take another tablespoon at bedtime.

 

5 May 2011