19 Sensible Household Uses for Vinegar
By Pro.com
Vinegar is a miracle liquid that you can do just about anything with. This humble acid is known for its antibacterial and deodorizing properties, and its uses are endless.
Aside from pickling and salad dressings, here are 20 ways you can use this liquid white gold around your home.
1. Steam Clean the Microwave
Odor? Stains? Just nuke a glass bowl filled with ¼ cups of vinegar and 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. When it cools, use the mixture to wipe away splatters and stains.
2. Remove Water Rings
Failed to use a coaster? Never fear. Just buff them out with a cloth dipped in equal parts vinegar and olive oil. Wring out the cloth before you rub out the ring and then move with the wood grain. Then, shine with another clean, soft cloth. Use a sponge with vinegar for leather.
3. Banish Rust on Scissors
Remove any sticky residue, grime and rust from your scissors with a little vinegar and dry it off. This works better than water because it will clean them without rusting them.
4. Remove Candle Wax
If you have some leftover candle wax stuck on a pillar or holder, blast the wax with a hairdryer and wipe off what you can. Then, rub the rest off with a cloth soaked in equal parts vinegar and water and wipe dry.
5. Remove Wax or Polish Build Up
Vinegar also removes wax and build up on furniture. Use a cloth dipped in equal parts water and vinegar, squeeze the excess out and wipe moving with the grain. Then dry with a soft cloth.
6. Clean Blinds
You dust for dust with a white glove, you can also clean with it. Wearing a white, cloth glove, dip your fingers in vinegar then run them through the blinds. Periodically clean the glove by dipping in water. Or, use a soft cloth instead.
7. Clean Your Coffee Maker
Whether you have hard of soft water, you coffee maker can get gunky and ruin your pot of Joe. Clean it out by filling the chamber with 2 cups vinegar and 1 cup water. Place the filter and run the normal cycle. When it’s done, replace the filter and re-run the solution through the coffee maker. Before your next pot, you may want to run one more cycle with just water.
8. Whiten Grout
Dingy shower tiles? Brighten them up by simply dipping an old toothbrush into vinegar and scrubbing the grime away. Only use this technique on ceramic because it will damage marble and natural stone.
9. Remove Wallpaper
Easily remove your wallpaper by combining equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Then, saturate the wallpaper and scrape off. Let it soak in if you have a little difficulty at first.
10. Revive Old Paintbrushes
Soak your old paintbrushes in hot vinegar for up to 30 minutes. This will loosen the hard paint. Then wash it out with hot, soapy water and let air dry.
11. Clean Electronics
Use equal parts vinegar and water on a squeezed out cloth to wipe them down. Use cotton swabs to get into the nooks and crannies, and make sure you turn them off before cleaning.
12. Prevent Mildew
Put diluted or undiluted vinegar into a spray bottle and spray mildew prone areas. Especially the backs of rugs and in your shower.
13. Clean the Refrigerator
You can’t use many commercial cleaners in your refrigerator because they’re not safe with food. Instead, clean it with equal parts vinegar and water paying special attention to the produce bins. Use full strength vinegar on the inside walls and bin interiors to prevent mildew and remove dirt and grime off the top.
14. Clean Piano Keys
Remove fingerprints and stains with a soft cloth dipped in ½ cups of vinegar and 2 cups of water. Wring it as best you can and then wipe the piano keys. Dry with a second, dry cloth and leave covered for 24 hours.
15. Erase Pen Marks
Dab at pen marks on furniture and clothes with a cloth dipped in vinegar until they disappear.
16. Unclog and Deodorize Drains
Weird smell coming from your drain? Eliminate it by pouring ½ cups of baking soda into the drain with a funnel. Follow it with 1 cup of vinegar. Flush with hot water when the foaming subsides, wait five minutes, then flush with cold water.
17. Disinfect Cutting Boards
Wooden cutting boards are a breeding ground for bacteria and washing them with water loosens the fibers, creating a bigger breeding ground for germs. Instead, wipe the board with vinegar after each use. Deodorize it by first sprinkling it with baking soda and then spraying with vinegar. Let it foam for 5-10 minutes and wipe it off with cold water (but don’t rinse it).
18. Clean Your Windshield Wipers
If your windshield wipers are streaking, they may just be dirty. Clean them off with vinegar to enjoy a streak-free wipe.
19. Remove Mineral Deposits
Mineral deposits happen. And they’re annoying. But you can remove them from your faucet and shower head without even disassembling them. Add ½ cup of warm vinegar to a plastic, sealable bag (or enough to cover the deposits) and secure the bag over the faucet or shower head with a rubber band. Let it sit for one hour and voila. Rinse it off and wipe clean.
Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.
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