Do you have a bottle of Vinegar in your kitchen closet that you never use? Except for washing vegetables and that occasional Salad? I thought so! Well, Vinegar is on our mind this edition. Did you know that apart from cleaning vegetables and fruits, Vinegar has much more uses than you thought? Well, here are a few to keep you busy.
For Cleaning
- Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.
- Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
- Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so, and then run hot water down the drain.
- Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
- Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
- Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.
- To clean a grease splattered oven door window, saturate it with full strength white distilled vinegar. Keep the door open for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with a sponge.
- Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.
For your Laundry
- Tired of the lint clinging to your clothes?Prevent this by adding ½cup white distilled vinegar to the washcycle.
- To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.
- Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.
- Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.
- Give patent leather shoes and bags a better shine by wiping them down with white distilled vinegar.
- Remove soap scum and clean the hoses of your washing machine with white distilled vinegar. Periodically run the machine with only a cup of white distilled vinegar in it—nothing else added to the wash cycle.
- Bring out bright colors by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle.
For Health
- For cuts and scrapes, use white distilled vinegar as an antiseptic.
- Get rid of foot odor by washing feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soaking them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Remember that cotton socks aid odor control more effectively than wool ones.
- Clean a hairbrush by soaking in a white distilled vinegar solution.
- Tone facial skin with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.
- If commercial aftershaves cause rashes and itching, try using undiluted white distilled vinegar as an aftershave lotion.
- Eliminate bad breath and whiten your teeth by brushing them once or twice a week with white distilled vinegar.
- Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.
For your Pets
- Give your dog a gleaming coat by spraying or rubbing with a solution of 1 cup white distilled vinegar to 1 litre water. As a bonus, you save the cost of an expensive shine product used on show animals.
- Keep a dog from scratching its ears by wiping them out regularly with a soft cloth dipped in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
- Keep flies away from outdoor pets by spraying a mixture of water and white distilled vinegar around the area where the animals are.
For Cooking
Regular and flavored vinegars are versatile recipe ingredients that add flavor and distinction, and can also contribute to good health!
- Tenderize meat with white distilled vinegar. Use it in marinades or when slow cooking any tough cuts of meat.
- Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.
- When boiling or steaming vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.
- Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.
- Turn out great rice by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar to the boiling water.
- To keep eggs from cracking when boiling add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.
P.S. While white distilled vinegar is edible, it should be used sparingly in food because of its high acid content. Much more pleasant to use for such purposes are rice vinegar, cider vinegar or malted vinegar.
This means you should read the label carefully to be sure of what you’re buying.