Vinegar is one of the most versatile products you can buy for household use. It is also one of the least expensive. I always keep a giant jug of white vinegar on hand for cleaning, freshening, and various other uses. I also like to keep apple cider vinegar in the house because it has a few unique uses of its own. If you’re only using vinegar for the occasional cleaning or cooking, you are likely missing out on some of its practical uses. Check out this list of 20 uses for vinegar and see what else you could be doing with this handy product.
20 Uses for Vinegar
White Vinegar
The uses for white vinegar are so many and varied I can’t think of a more useful product to keep on hand for natural household cleaning and hacks.
1. Remove Antiperspirant Stains
Over the years I’ve found one of the toughest stains to get out of clothes is an antiperspirant stain. Especially on a dark colored shirt. Luckily, I discovered applying white vinegar to these hard to remove stains and letting it sit for about a half hour removes the stain.
2. Restore Leather Shoes and Handbags
For me, this was one of the most surprising uses for vinegar. A drop of white vinegar on a cloth can be used to restore the shine and remove scuff marks on leather shoes and bags.
3. Freshen Old Paintbrushes
If you have a paint brush with dried on paint that needs freshening up, use white vinegar. Heat up some white vinegar on the stove or in the microwave then place your brush in the vinegar. After about twenty minutes you should be able to get the old paint out. And the brush will have softer, more usable bristles.
4. Vinegar Fabric Softener
When you put white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine it acts as a natural and inexpensive fabric softener.
5. Extend the Life of Cut flowers
Two tablespoons of white vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar added to a quart of water can extend the life of your cut flowers or restore a little life to ones that have already started to droop.
6. Prevent Window Frost
Black car coated ice crust during the icy rain in cold weather. Side mirror and windscreen are covered with ice after freezing rain
There are uses for vinegar beyond just cleaning. A mixture of three parts white vinegar and one part water sprayed on your car windows helps prevent them from frosting over during the night. No more waking up early to scrape your windows in the cold!
7. Cleaning Brick
A vinegar solution can be used to clean mold and soot from indoor and outdoor brick
8. Repair DVDs
Undiluted white vinegar can be used to clean fingerprints and dirt off of DVDs.
9. Loosen a Rusted Screw
If you don’t have any WD-40, you can use a little vinegar to loosen a tight or rusted screw.
10. Erase Crayon
As a mom, this is one of my favorite uses for vinegar. If your kids have turned their artistic talents to your walls with color crayon or even an ink pen, heat up some vinegar in the microwave to remove their unwanted wall art.
11. Remove Stickers
My daughter once decorated all of my kitchen cabinets with stickers. It took me hours to get them off until I discovered that soaking them in vinegar makes the peeling off easier. This works on bumper stickers, laptops stickers and most other places you may have stuck something you now regret.
12. Clean Your Showerhead
Secure a plastic bag of distilled white vinegar on your showerhead with a rubber band. Let it sit for several hours or even overnight. It removes mineral deposits and freshens the showerhead.
13. Unclog Drains
A combination of hot water, baking soda, and vinegar can take care of a clogged drain without expensive or dangerous chemicals.
14. Restore Your Rugs and Carpets
Adding white vinegar to your carpet steam cleaner helps get out tough carpet stains when water alone won’t do it.
15. Deodorize Lunch Boxes
Deodorizing is one of the most common uses for vinegar. If your child’s lunch box has developed an unpleasant odor, try wiping the inside down with white vinegar. Once it dries it will be deodorized and clean.
16. Wash Mildew From Shower Curtains
Cleaning mildew stains from a shower curtain can be tough, but adding vinegar to the washing machine with your plastic curtain can make a big difference.
17. Peel Off Wallpaper
To make peeling off old wallpaper off easier, saturate it with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Even though Apple Cider Vinegar doesn’t have as many cleaning applications as white vinegar, there is still plenty of reasons to keep apple cider vinegar handy around the house.
18. To Trap Fruit Flies
The fruity aroma of apple cider vinegar makes the perfect bait for a homemade fruit fly trap. Pour an inch of vinegar into a container and cover with plastic. Poke a few holes in the plastic for the flies to get in. But not enough so they can easily get out. And your fruit fly problem will be solved.
19. Homemade Weed Killer
Apple cider vinegar, dish soap and salt make a powerful natural weed killer without the use of chemicals.
20. To Prevent Fleas on Pets
Although apple cider vinegar will not actually kill fleas on pets, it will make for an unpleasant environment that encourages fleas to move on from your furry friend. You can make your own flea spray with apple cider vinegar and water, or bathe your pet in a diluted solution.
