11 Uses for White Vinegar

I am not a huge fan of chemical cleaners, generally speaking, and I try to avoid them whenever possible. Not only is it a little cheaper and better for the environment, but it’s also healthier for me, my family and my pets. I’ve already done a post on all the ways that I use baking soda around the house. So, today I wanted to share the uses for my other secret weapon: vinegar.

Now I have a confession: I hate the smell of vinegar. When I was a kid I absolutely despised it and while I can handle it a bit better now than I used to, it still smells pretty gross to me. Fortunately, the smell dissipates pretty quickly for most of these uses so it isn’t too bad.

Here is my list of the top uses for white vinegar:

1. Clean the coffee pot – run a pot of pure vinegar through your coffee machine to get rid of buildup followed by two pots of just water to clear it out. This method smells awful, but really is the easiest way to clean your coffee pot.
2. Removing urine smell from carpet – mix two parts water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle and saturate the area to remove any urine smell. Let it air dry.
3. Clean the stove – use baking soda and vinegar together to scour burnt food from the stovetop and oven.
4. Deodorize the kitchen – there are any number of ways you can deodorize including wiping down the refrigerator, microwaving a bowl of water and vinegar, dumping down the drain and flushing with water, placing frozen water/vinegar cubes in the garbage disposal and more.
5. Remove hard water deposits – soak shower heads (or anything with lime residue) in vinegar to remove buildup
6. Prevent windows from frosting – before a frost, spray your windows with a solution of one part water to three parts vinegar
7. Prevent dyed fabrics from fading – soak brightly colored fabrics in vinegar before washing to prevent color from fading. If you’re dying fabric, you can add a cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle to help set the color.
8. Clean veggies and fruits – wash fresh fruits and veggies with a solution of 2 Tablespoons vinegar to 1 pint of water to remove bacteria from the skin
9. Get rid of cooking smells – simmer a pot of vinegar and water solution to remove lingering cooking odors.
10. Relieve sunburn – lightly rub white vinegar or apple cider vinegar on sunburns to remove the pain. Reapply as needed.
11. Bug spray – combine equal parts water, vinegar and liquid dish soap in a spray bottle. Use on skin or around the house.

Of course, the list goes on and on and on. Despite the gross smell, it really can be used for just about everything, and apple cider vinegar is just as versatile as well. Check out this article by the Vinegar Institute for more ideas!

How do you use vinegar around the house?