Vinegar Uses

Did anyone else watch Popular Mechanics growing up? I remember watching an episode where they soaked gross pennies in vinegar and it shined up the pennies to look brand new! I also heard a segment from Nina Arora on a Vancouver radio station a while back about the use of vinegar to clean windows, glass AND to help get rid of the strong food smell while cooking. I use regular white vinegar for almost everything around my house, especially for disinfecting! See my tips below.

Dog:

When I wash Olive's blankets, toys and dog bedding I use minimum laundry detergent but add vinegar into the fabric softener compartment of the washing machine. I feel laundry detergent is too strong for her delicate fur and vinegar is much more natural. We eat it, don't we? And you're probably thinking, "But Saps, doesn't that leave a vinegary scent on her stuff?" NOPE! Not at all.

Baby:

As above, when I was washed all of Baby L's newborn clothes, toys and stuffed animals for the first time, I added vinegar into the wash as well. It made everything much softer and got rid of any extra detergent residue. Especially in the early newbie delicate stage, the baby skin is super sensitive. You just never know what will irritate it.

Bonus:

The vinegar helps cleans your washing machine at the same time - gets a lot of the lime and calcium build up out without the use of harmful chemicals made specifically for washing machines.

Kitchen:

I keep a spray bottle of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup of water solution under the sink. I use the spray bottle for EVERYTHING! I wipe the sink itself, the tap, the countertops AND Baby L's high chair and table top daily using the spray bottle solution.

I soak fruits and vegetables which I plan to eat raw OR juice in vinegar water as well! It kills the pesticides and any bugs on the fruits and veggies.

Cutting boards for sure are sprayed with the vinegar/water solution. The acid helps cut out anything staining the boards particularly blood from meats. I rub cut up lemons or soak the board in a soapy, vinegary/lemony water solution.

You can use vinegar to wash to your kettle! It cuts the lime and calcium build up right away. If it's really caked on with lime, soak the kettle with vinegar and water over night! It's amazing how much it shines afterwards. Just remember to rinse out the solution a few times before making your coffee.

Cleaning out the fridge with the vinegar-water solution. I mean HELLO! Food is going to touch the fridge compartments - might as well use a chemical free solution.

Kitchen sink drain - I add a few tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar and close the sink for 30 minutes, weekly. Then I dump hot boiling water to clear it up. It helps deodorize the sink and gets ride of the “food smell”!

When cooking, especially with strong Indian spices and frying onions, I boil vinegar and water and keep it simmering. It is safer than lighting up a scented candle (which I always, always, always forget to blow out when leaving the room). You can add a cinnamon stick, a piece of lemon, or a few drops of vanilla to make your house smell nicer as well.

I microwave either a piece of lemon in water, or vinegar and water, and let it boil and steam up. Then I wipe it down using a paper towel. The microwave smells SO good after especially with the use of a lemon.

I add a cup of vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher when running a load. I use detergent as well, but the vinegar helps the dishwasher get clean, and the glasses shine too. I toss in the kitchen sponge into the dishwasher at the same time.

Floors:

Yup when hubby washes the floor you bet your ass he uses a vinegar and water solution. He is old skool and washes the floor with a bucket, a rag and on his hands and knees. The floors get sooo shiney that you can see your own reflection! I also use the spray solution to spot clean in between hubby's floor mopping. Baby L and Olive leave lick and paw marks all over….

Glass:

I use vinegar to clean our glass induction stove too. This way, when I am cooking and a cooking utensil or a lid touches the stove I don't have to worry about harsh cleaning chemicals getting into our food.

Vinegar-water solution can be used to wipe down mirrors and glass tables as well!! This way if Baby L or Olive lick anything off the table - no worries about chemicals being ingested.

You can also use the spray bottle to help clean up the shower glass and shower head lime/calcium build up in the washroom.

I appreciated using the vinegar-water solution around the house for cleaning when I was pregnant. One less thing to worry about, am I right? I hope my tips help you!