"You can catch more flies with honey than VINEGAR, assuming you want to catch flies!"

Here it is!  My first household tips posting, hopefully the first of many!  I hope to make this some sort of series!  So without further adieu...

~This post was originally written on 3-11-11, I have since added to it, and will continue to do so as I come across more useful tidbits to share with my readers~

If you look on Wikipedia, you'll find the following facts:  vinegar has been used for about 10,000 years.  It's mentioned in the Bible and can be traced back to being first used in Egypt.  "Vinegar" comes from the Old French word "vinaigre" meaning "sour wine."  However, this is the most common misconception.  You can make vinegar from Red Wine, but spoiled wine is NOT vinegar.  The two are made by two completely different processes which are not in conjunction with one another.  

Vinegar is one of the cheapest and yet most useful items in the supermarket.  I usually use vinegar for cooking and cleaning out the cool-midst humidifier and coffee pot, even disinfecting the sponge I use for dishes.  A common belief is that if you add a Tbs of vinegar and a tsp of sugar to the vase water of fresh cut flowers it will prolong their life.  I decided that since I use vinegar for these things, there must be a multitude of other genuinely helpful uses for vinegar.  After some research, I found some extraordinary uses, and hopefully these will help my readers as well.  I really can't wait to test some of these out to see if they do indeed work!  

DISCLAIMER: These tips have been compiled through a search of websites, magazines and internet forums, none of this is EXPERT advice!  I have NOT tested out all of the uses described below, and CANNOT  guarantee all will work for you.  If you are unsure of something, please don't try it!  If you do ultimately have success with one of the uses below, please share your feedback.  Like always, if you have other uses, not described below, please feel free to share!

Cleaning/disinfecting/deodorizing:(You can clean just about anything with a 1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar solution, from counter tops to ovens to your bathtub!)

1. I've had a very sensitive nose since A: I quit smoking and B: I got pregnant.  So the slightest bit of grossness on the sponge I clean our dishes with, leads me to throw it in the garbage.  However we were going through sponges like there was no tomorrow!  The solution came in the form of an email.  To disinfect AND deodorize sponges:  Wring out fully and soak each side with white distilled vinegar.  Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes.  Take out of microwave with a pot holder as sponge with be HOT!  This prolonges the lives of my sponges vastly!
2. To clean a cool-midst humidifier:  Poor 2 TBSP white distilled vinegar into water basin and fill with cool water.  Let stand a few minutes, shaking every so often to clean thoroughly.  Repeat a few times, if necessary.  For all other parts of humidifier, wet a paper towel with vinegar and wipe down.
3. To clean the glass of a picture frame:  Dampen a cloth with a mild vinegar and water solution and wipe glass.  Polish with a coffee filter or used dryer sheet, both are lint free.
4. To clean a coffee pot:  Run vinegar through entire system 1 time, then flush twice with water.  
5. It is suggested to clean a litter box once a week with white vinegar.
6. To remove old wallpaper paste:  Use a window squeegee.  Fill a bucket with very hot water and add 1 cup of white vinegar.  Apply solution to the wall and then use a blade to remove the glue.
7. If you live in an area with hard water, you can unclog your own shower heads!  If the shower head is removable, remove and let soak in white vinegar overnight!  If it is not removable, pour the vinegar into a plastic bag, and tape around the shower head until  it is fully immersed.  Let soak for at least 2 hours.  After soaking, unclog the hole by sticking a needle or toothpick into the holes then wipe down with a cloth dipped in vinegar.
8. Add a few drops of white vinegar to your mop bucket to remove traces of soap. 
9. To remove coffee stains from cups:  Soak overnight in vinegar.
10. To remove food stains from pots and pans:  Soak in vinegar for 30 minutes, then rinse with hot soapy water. You can also get rid of grease and odor on dishes by adding 1 Tbsp to the hot soapy water you would use to soak everything in. 
11. To remove caked on food in the microwave:  In a small bowl, take 1 part vinegar and 1 part water and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes.  When the solution cools, take a paper towl dipped in it and wipe down the entire microwave.  This solution also helps prevent grease build-up in ovens.
12. To clean outdoor equipment:  Use 1 part vinegar to 1 part water to clean outdoor play equipment such as swingsets, kiddie cars and bicycles.  For stubborn, caked on messes, rub the spot with baking soda on a damp rag or sponge and rinse.  You can use this vinegar solution to also clean car seats.
13. To remove all other stains (other than rust or water stains) in your stainless steel sink, use white vinegar.  It is known to be an excellent polisher
14. Clean and deodorize the refrigerator:  Clean with a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.  You can keep a small bowl of white distilled vinegar in the refrigerator instead of baking soda.
15. To deodorize a lunch box:  I saw a lot of tips involving a piece of bread, but you can also soak a paper napkin in vinegar and leave in lunchbox overnight.
16. Kill bathroom germs:  Spray a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar on all faucets and fixtures.  
17. I found 2 on how to clean a toilet bowl...so I'm taking one as the bare minimum and the other as the maximum.  Minimum:  Take 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes, flush.  Maximum:  Take 3 cups of white distilled vinegar and let stand for 30 minutes, flush.
18. To remove mold from grout:  Spray grout with vinegar and scrub!
19. Take the rust out of tools:  Soak in vinegar overnight.
20. Repel ants:  Spray solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water around areas pertinent to ants:  doors, windows, cracks in the foundation, and pipes. 
21. Flush grease from kitchen drains:  1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1/2 cup white vinegar.  Cover the drain, let the chemicals do their job!  Then flush drain with warm water.  Use this INSTEAD of store-bought, NOT in combination with!  THE COMBINATION OF THE NATURAL AND COMMERCIAL REMEDIES CAN CAUSE DANGEROUS FUMES!
22. Make your own Fabric Softener!  Ingredients:  2 cups white vinegar, 2 cups baking soda, 4 cups water.  Combine the ingredients in a pail, or large stockpot and stir to make sure all of the baking soda dissolves.  Pour solution into an old laundry detergent bottle.  Add 1/4 cup of softener to the washer's final rinse cycle. 
23. For slower fading jeans:  Before first wash, soak the jeans in a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar.  Turn the jeans inside out and keep the temperature setting on cold!
24. For the Mommies:  To freshen baby clothes:  Add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar in the rinse cycle.  This alleviates soap/detergent buildup, brightens colors, is used as a fabric softener and static reducer and works as a mildew inhibitor!
25. For the Mommies:  When a child has an accident in the bed:  Clean the mattress with a solution of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.  Pour baking soda onto mattress and vacuum off once it dries!
26. Although winter is coming to a close, maybe we all can remember this for next year!  Get the rock salt off your sneakers/shoes/boots:  Prolonged exposure to rock salt on your footwear can actually crack and disintegrate them!  Wipe fresh stains with a paper towel in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
27. Make your own antibacterial spray:  Combine 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a spray bottle.  Can be used on surfaces from tile to chrome.  Spray and wipe off!
28. Get coffee stains out of clothes:  Presoak the stain in a solution of 1 qt water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, and 1 tsp laundry detergent
29. Get grass stains out of clothes:  soak the stain in full strength white vinegar.
30. Get mustard stains out of clothes:  stir 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1/2 tsp liquid laundry detergent into 1 qt warm water.  Sponge the solution on the stain and let air-dry.  Before washing, pour more laundry detergent directly onto the spot.
31. To remove stains in your carpet:  

                      For light stains:  Put a solution of 2 Tbs salt & 1/2 cup vinegar on stain.  Let dry, then vacuum.

                      Larger or darker:  Add 2 Tbs Borax to the solution.

                      Tough, ground-in dirt, etc:  

                        1 Tbs vinegar & 1 Tbs cornstarch.  Rub in using a dry cloth, let sit for 2 days, then vacuum.

Cooking and food uses:

1. Disinfect cutting boards:  Wipe down after each use with vinegar.
2. Take out unpleasant cooking odors by boiling 1 cup of water with 1 Tbs of vinegar.
3. To get rid of the onion smell on your hands after chopping an onion:  Rub hands with vinegar.
4. When cooking cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or beans:  Add vinegar to water to reduce gassiness.
5. For flakier pie crusts:  Replace the 1 TBSP of ice water in a crust recipe with 1 TBSP of either chilled lemon juice or white vinegar.
6. To keep peeled potatoes white:  Add 1 tsp to water when boiling.  If peeled for a later use, cover with water and add 2 tsp of vinegar.  You can use white or cider vinegar.
7. When boiling eggs:  Add 2 Tbs vinegar to each quart of water when making hard-boiled eggs.  This prevents cracking, and if they do crack, it will prevent the whites from leaking out.  It also helps the shell peel off faster and easier.  When making Easter eggs it makes the colors brighter.  
8. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try this one but...to prolong the life of cheese:  Store cheese in a vinegar soaked cloth.  
9. Use White Distilled Vinegar for marinating meat:  This kills bacteria and tenderizes the meat.  Use 1/4 cup of vinegar for every 2-3 lbs of roast.  Marinate overnight and then cook in pan with vinegar, make sure you season the vinegar with whatever seasonings before marinating.  
10. If a recipe calls for buttermilk, you can make your own!  Very simple!  Use 1 Tbs of vinegar to 1 cup of milk.  Let stand 5 minutes to thicken, you'll never have to buy buttermilk again!
11. For fluffier rice:  Add a tsp of vinegar to the water when it boils.
12. Every 4th of July my Mom makes Trifle, so this may help her!  To keep gelatin from melting or "sweating" in the Summer heat:  Add 1 tsp to every box of gelatin.
13. As a kid, we definitely did this when we had fish sticks during Lent:  Use Malt Vinegar as a condiment for Fish and Chips.
14. You can use Cider Vinegar as a substitute for fresh lemon juice in recipes!

For "Medicinal" Uses:  DO NOT USE THESE IN PLACE OF A DOCTOR!  I AM NOT GIVING ANY ONE ANY MEDICAL ADVICE...THESE ARE ALL NATURAL AIDES IF ANYTHING!

  

1. For bug bites:  Use a cotton ball to dab on bites to relieve itching.  This also works on poison ivy rashes. 
2. For Mommies-to-be:  You can supposedly lessen morning sickness by drinking a mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey.  However, another place I read that for anyone who has an upset stomach, 2 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a cup of water (8 ounces) should soothe you.  It contains malic acid which helps to adjust the PH of the stomach.
3. To soothe a cold:  Mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of honey.  Take 1 Tbs 6-8 times a day.
4. To relieve a cough:  Combine 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 4 tsp honey.  Take 1 Tbs when cough acts up, 1 Tbs at bedtime.
5. To help soothe a sore throat:  Add 2 tsp to your humidifier.  
6. To help soothe sunburn:  (I was initially wary of this one, but then again toothpaste on a burn actually works!) Directly apply either white or cider vinegar to sunburn.
7. To fight toenail fungus:  Short-term only.  Mix equal parts of water, vinegar (white or cider) and mouthwash with 1 tablespoon of powdered cinnamon.  Soak, then dry feet and then sprinkle with cornstarch. 
8. If you ever have to drink water you're unsure of:  Add a few drops of apple cider vinegar to your water or canteen.  It helps to kill bacteria in the water. 
9. Make a tea of 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup watm water and 1 teaspoon of honey.  It is said this tea will help fight fatigue.
10. To take the sting out of a bee or jelly fish sting: get the stinger out, then pour undiluted vinegar directly on the sting.
11. To dry up a cold sore:  Apply white vinegar to cold sore 3-4 times a day.

***Again, I must stress that these are mere suggestions, to use at your own discretion.  Please share any and all feedback, as always, it is greatly appreciated.  I also plan on adding to and updating this list as I see fit, so please check back!***

Check out this page for even more great uses for Vinegar: Vinegar Tips