7 Smart Uses for Vinegar

Started by Skhilled, May 02, 2009, 08:44:28 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Skhilled

1. Clean Windows

Instead of spending money on window cleaning chemicals -- especially ones that include toxic or potentially toxic chemicals -- make your own! Mix 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water, and dispense into a used spray bottle. Squirt on, then scrub with newspaper, not paper towels, which cause streaking.

2. Get Spring Fresh Laundry

Got grass stains? No problemo, says Michael de Jong. Make a mixture of one-third cup white vinegar and two-thirds cup water. Apply the solution to the stain and blot with a clean cloth. Repeat this process until you've removed as much green as possible, and then launder as usual.

When your big washing day comes around, toss in a capful of white vinegar. Your colors will come out bolder and your whites whiter. If you've recently had an encounter with a skunk, it will take more than a capful.

After washing, get a sharper crease in pants by dipping the cloth in a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Then wring out the cloth and press the creases. Now you look like Dilbert!

3. Clean Carpets

Spots in carpets often remove with a simple dilution of one part vinegar, one-sixteenth part lemon juice and eight parts distilled water.

4. Wash Produce

According to the green team at Ideal Bite, vinegar can help remove bacteria and pesticide residues from fruits and veggies. Mix three parts water to one part white vinegar, and dispense in a spray bottle. Then rinse with water. The site claims the wash kills 98% of bacteria on produce.

5. Break Bad Bonds

Having trouble getting that annoying sticky label residue off a product? Or accidentally glue something together? Vinegar can be used as a solvent to dissolve many common adhesives. Vinegar is also good at cutting grease.

6. Fight Hiccups and Cramps

If you often get foot or leg cramps in the middle of the night, you may want to try boosting your potassium levels. There are a number of great superfoods rich in potassium (way beyond bananas). Some folks have also suggested trying this remedy: Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey and a cup of hot water. Then drink before bed. Yummy!

Some have also said they were able to cure pesky hiccups instantly by swallowing a teaspoon of vinegar. Hey, if the Roman legions drank it, it must be good for you!

7. Deter Cats

We love cats here at TDG (even LOLcats!). But sometimes you don't want them doing their business in the kids' sandbox. Or in your flower bed. According to HomeEnvy, a simple solution is to pour vinegar around the edges of the area you want to protect every few months.

Ken.

Good one!
Need to post this in other places.  :happy:
" If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti

Skhilled

I will, just had to put them somewhere that I'll remember first. LOL

allkvinde

Vinegar is also great for getting rid of calcium build up on your water taps. Just soak some paper towel in vinegar and wrap around the tap. Let it sit for about an hour then wipe it clean with clear water and a cloth, dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Nice shiny faucets once again. Will work on most stainless steel that has calcium build up.

It cleans most coffee makers that have a habit of collecting calcium as well. Will clean thermos' and your coffee pot, tea pots, vases and anything else where water leaves calcium behind.

I have also used it for years to clean my wooden tables with. I am not big on pledge and other types of wood cleaner/shiner but vinegar has done the trick for me. If the wood though is really used and dirty then it is a good thing to first use liquid dish detergent diluted of course then use the vinegar diluted of course. Then the next times you clean with vinegar there will be no problems.

Usually most things in my home are cleaned with diluted vinegar. It has been great to even wipe a damp cloth across my cotton covered furniture to give it a bit of a fresh up. It is not as good on leather furniture though.

Windows and mirrors I have always used vinegar and paper towel. I know that they say that paper towel streaks but it really does not. It used to do so many years ago when paper towel was rather rough but these days it really does do a wonderful job. I used to find that news paper can leave behind some of the black from the ink.

I have not used vinegar to remove stains with so cannot say if that works or not. What does work though and amazingly well is once more liquid dish detergent. It can remove blood, berry juice, grass plus just about any stain you can think of. Just put liquid detergent (not diluted) onto the stain. Let it sit until ready to wash, rinse it out just before washing. I have removed some of the toughest stains this way. Just make sure that no matter what you use to remove stains that you do not wash it before you try to remove it because that will set the stain so that it is much harder to get rid of and in most cases will make it impossible to get rid of.

I have tried the stain removing with vinegar on my carpets. It works but really depends on the stain. Some are very hard to remove. Another thing that works is the good old fashioned hair spray lol believe it or not. Just spray the hairspray directly onto the stain, let sit for just a few minutes and then dab up while it is still damp.

Tip for bathroom tiles or floor tiles. I know that this stinks but it really does work well. I use rubbing alchohol. On wall tiles I use a cloth that has had some rubbing alchohol poured on it and wipe across the tiles. The tiles should first show as wet but due to the alchohol they dry very quickly. Once done all tiles just polish with a dry cloth or paper towel. Floor tiles I actually pour a bit on the tiles and then wipe that across like washing floor with paper towel then when done the whole floor I just polish up with paper towel. This is really good for those very shiny glazed tiles. This will really bring back the shine in the tile. It cleans the bathroom tiles to a total bacteria free tile due to the alchohol.

Salt is also a great cleaner. Those ugly tea or coffee stains left in your glass coffee pots or your cups can be cleaned using a bit of salt. Put what ever it is that you are wanting to clean this way in water to dampen it. Just sprinkle a bit of salt in the stained piece and rub with cloth like you would when washing. Then just rinse. Most people that I know use bleach for this but I am not keen on using bleach when I don't have to. Salt at least does not leave behind the same taste that bleach can.

Here is another use for salt that I know many will laugh at. It is a very old remedy but boy does it work. If you have a sore that is infected then just use boiling hot water (as hot as you can take it on your skin) that has been boiled up with salt in it. Take a clean face cloth or other clean cloth and wrap it around a piece of ryebread (it has to be ryebread, white bread does not work) that you then dip in the hot salt water. Place it directly on the sore. Do this a couple of times and day and within a day or two the sore will be nice and clean and infection free.

I know that these are not all vinegar but just thought that I would add in some of the things that I have found through the years.




Skhilled


Gingerface

my husband uses vinegar to kill the weeds on the patio.

you can also add a splash into the dishwasher before using it and it seems to prevent water spots.

Skhilled

Haven't heard of it for weeds but heard about the water spots. :)