Buddy Friday - 50 + 1 different uses for Vinegar

First let me say there are hundred's of different uses for plain old vinegar, here are some I thought we worth mentioning.

1. To freshen up a washing machine, clean the hoses and unclog the soap scum, once a month pour one cup of vinegar in the machine and run it through a normal cycle without the clothes in it.

2. If a sponge, flannel or dishcloth becomes slimy or smelly, soak overnight in a solution of half vinegar/half water. Rinse in clear water and leave to dry.

3. Remove cooking smells from hands by rinsing them with vinegar and then wash thoroughly with soap and water.

4. Collars and cuffs can be cleaned by rubbing a thick paste of baking soda and vinegar onto the stains before washing in the usual way.

5. Perspiration marks can be eliminated by soaking them with vinegar before laundering in the usual way.

6. If you are baking and find you are short of an egg, as long as the recipe contains another rising agent (e.g. baking powder or self raising flour) the egg can be replaced with 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. (THIS IS A NEW ONE FOR ME, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS)

7. To prevent the white of an egg spreading during poaching add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to a shallow pan of boiling water.

8. To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

9. Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

10. Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.

11. Remove stains from coffee and teacups by scrubbing them gently with equal parts of salt (or baking soda) and white distilled vinegar. Rinse clean.

12. Polish brass and copper with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of ketchup and 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar. Rub it on with a clean cloth until dry and shiny. (I HAVE SOME BRASS THAT NEEDS CLEANING SO WILL GIVE THIS A TRY)

13. Clean grout by letting full-strength white distilled vinegar sit on it for a few minutes and scrubbing it with an old toothbrush.

14. Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

15. To make the toilet bowl sparkle, pour in a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar and let it sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with the toilet brush and flush.

16. Clean up pet accidents by first blotting up the area and then adding a white distilled vinegar-and-water solution. Blot until it is almost dry. Then sprinkle baking soda over the area and let it dry. Vacuum up the residue the next day.

17. Remove fireplace soot and grime with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Use a brush to scrub and a towel to blot up the wetness and dirt.

18. Clean fireplace glass doors with a solution of 1 part white distilled vinegar to 2 parts water. Spray or wipe on, then wipe clean with a dry cloth.

19. To clean and disinfect baby toys add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water.

20. Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

21. Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.

22. Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.

23. Get water and salt stains off shoes and boots by wiping them down with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.

24. Get rid of the tiny holes left along the hemline when you take out the hem of any garment by moistening a cloth with white distilled vinegar, placing it under the fabric and ironing.

25. Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.

26. Remove scorch marks from an iron by rubbing it with a warmed-up solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and salt. If that doesn’t work, use a cloth dampened with full-strength white distilled vinegar.

27. Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.

28. Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.

29. Increase the acidity of soil by adding white distilled vinegar to your watering can.

30. Keep rabbits from eating your plants. Put cotton balls soaked in white distilled vinegar in a 35mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in the garden.

31. Clean a hummingbird feeder with white distilled vinegar—soap or detergent can leave behind harmful residue.

32. Get rid of rust on spigots, tools, screws or bolts by soaking the items overnight or for several days in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

33. Preserve cut flowers and liven droopy ones by adding 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water in a vase.

34. Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.

35. Remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor.

36. Give leather upholstery an extra shine by cleaning it with hot white distilled vinegar and rinsing with soapy water.

37. Remove winter road salt residue on car carpeting by spraying with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water, then blot with a soft towel.

38. Freshen wilted vegetables by soaking them in cold water containing a spoonful or two of white distilled vinegar.

39. Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.

40. Clean a hairbrush by soaking in a white distilled vinegar solution.

41. Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.

42. Keep a dog from scratching its ears by wiping them out regularly with a soft cloth dipped in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

43. Kill fleas by adding a little white distilled vinegar to your dog or cat’s drinking water.

44. Cats hate the smell of vinegar. If you have a cat that is marking its territory around your house, spray the area with white distilled vinegar then rinse with a hose.

45. Remove skunk odors by wiping down the animal with a 50-50 solution of white distilled vinegar and water, followed by a plain-water rinse. Repeat if necessary.

46. Clean your window blinds. You can make the job of cleaning mini-blinds or venetians considerably less torturous by giving them "the white glove treatment." Just put on a white cotton glove -- the kind sold for gardening is perfect -- and moisten the fingers in a solution made of equal parts white vinegar and hot tap water. Now simply slide your fingers across both sides of each slat and prepare to be amazed. Use a container of clean water to periodically wash off the glove.

47. Clean your computer mouse. If you have a mouse with a removable tracking ball, use a 50/50 vinegar-water solution to clean it. First, remove the ball from underneath the mouse by twisting off the cover over it. Use a cloth, dampened with the solution and wrung out, to wipe the ball clean and to remove fingerprints and dirt from the mouse itself. Then use a moistened cotton swab to clean out the gunk and debris from inside the ball chamber (let it dry a couple of hours before reinserting the ball).

48. To clear clogs in sink and tub drains, use a funnel to pour in 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1 cup vinegar. When the foaming subsides, flush with hot tap water. Wait five minutes, and then flush again with cold water. Besides clearing blockages, this technique also washes away odor-causing bacteria.

49. To speed up a slow drain, pour in 1/2 cup salt followed by 2 cups boiling vinegar, then flush with hot and cold tap water.

50. Make your silverware -- as well as your pure silver bracelets, rings, and other jewelry -- shine like new by soaking them in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for two to three hours. Rinse them under cold water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.

51. When your windshield actually gets blurrier after you turn on your wipers during a rainstorm, it usually means that your wiper blades are dirty. To make them as good as new, dampen a cloth or rag with some full-strength white vinegar and run it down the full length of each blade once or twice.

There are hundred's more tips out there, these are ones I thought were useful.


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