negar is a great household tool that shouldn’t only be kept in the kitchen. Many of these tricks are ages old and well known, but many people are deterred from them in place of chemical agents with brand backing and a promise of effectiveness. The following 10 uses of vinegar are not only as effective as the leading brands in their category, but also are safer for the user and less damaging than harsh chemicals. Happily, using vinegar instead will also save quite a bit of money.
1. Hardwood Floor Cleaner
Most people have heard this trick before. What isn’t well conveyed is that white vinegar and water is truly the best hardwood floor cleaner out there. Chemical cleaners can deteriorate wood over time, and often won’t leave hard wood with a beautiful shine. Mopping with vinegar with clean and sanitize as well as restore the beautiful luster of floors. The smell evaporates quickly, and a vinegar and water mixture can be used as often as you want without risking damage to the wood. It replaces cleaner and polish.
2. Ant Deterrent
So many ant killers contain harsh, poisonous chemicals that no one wants in their home. Spraying white vinegar wherever ants congregate in the house will deter them without damaging the area. This is especially great if you notice ants coming in from a carpeted room. Mopping with vinegar regularly is a great preventative measure if you know an area is susceptible to ants.
3. Glass and Mirror Cleaner
Replace yet another chemical cleaner with vinegar as a natural and cheaper alternative. Glass and mirrors will shine when cleaned with a mix of white vinegar and water.
4. Laundry Aid
A small amount of vinegar in the laundry helps remove stains, keep colors bright, and deter lint. To compare, a cup of bleach in the white load is to a cup of vinegar in the color load. Fabrics will stay brighter and newer longer, and the need for dryer sheets is completely eliminated.
5. Hair rinse
Either white or apple cider vinegar is a great hair rinse. It effectively removes built up residue, especially from shampoo, restoring shine to hair without using oily hair products. This is great for people who are susceptible to dandruff or an oily scalp.
6. Before Hair Dye
A good hair dye job requires you to not wash your hair at least 24 hours before hand. Another great step is to rinse the hair with vinegar, which will completely remove any hair product build up that could compromise the dye’s result, while not compromising hair’s natural oils.
7. Killing Houseplant Bugs
Gnats, especially, cannot stand up to vinegar. If you notice bugs infesting your houseplants, spray a one part vinegar and five parts water mixture on the leaves. Dilute this mixture even more and use it the next time you water the plants.
8. Coffee Maker Cleaner
Firstly, soaking your coffee pot in vinegar with effectively dissolve all the built up residue without risking the dishwasher. Furthermore, run vinegar water through the coffee machine itself weekly to clean the inside of it. The vinegar will evaporate, leaving otherwise impossible to clean parts of the coffee maker clean.
9. Organic Weed Killer
Especially in vegetable gardens where the aim is to not introduce harsh chemicals to the soil, vinegar is great weed killer. It’s super effective while being much cheaper than other organic weed killers, and accidentally spraying it on plants won’t hurt them at all.
10. Acid Neutralizer
Especially with babies prone to spit up, pets with upset stomachs, or the unfortunate long night, vinegar will neutralize the harmful effects of vomit on carpet or fabric. The high acidity of vomit can remove color from fabric, leaving bleached