Some Frugal Uses For Vinegar
FOOD
*When peeling onions, rub your fingers with white vinegar before and after peeling to remove odor.
*Use vinegar to fight fish odors. Put a little in the water when poaching fish. Rub hands with vinegar to eliminate fishy smell.
*To rid your house of cooking smells simmer of pot of vinegar and water.
*Some of the salty taste in salt-water fish will disappear after soaking in vinegar and rinsing under running cold water.
*Keeps eggs from cracking when boiling by adding 2 Tablespoons to water.
*When poaching eggs, the whites will set better if a tablespoon of vinegar is added to the water.
*Stop mold on cheese by wrapping in a vinegar soaked cloth.
*For a moist and fluffy chocolate cake, try adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the baking
soda.
*Tenderize meat by soaking overnight or rub on both sides and let sit 2 hours.
*Add to water when boiling vegetables to retain color.
CLEANING~KITCHEN
*Crystal glasses and dishes will glisten if you add a few teaspoons of vinegar to the soapy water when washing them.
*Use equal parts of white vinegar and salt to clean out coffee and tea stains stains from your china.
*If you use a dishwasher, a few teaspoons of vinegar added to a cheap dishwashing detergent will cut the grease and make dishes sparkle.
*Lime deposits around faucets can be softened for easy removal by covering the deposits with vinegar-soaked paper towels. Leave the paper towels on for about one hour before cleaning. Leaves chrome clean and shiny
*To clean garbage disposal, freeze vinegar ice cubes and then feed them in the disposal.
*You can clean a scorched iron plate by heating equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cool iron to remove the stains.
*Cuts grease and freshens dishes when washing them.
*The film that sometimes remains on a floor after washing can be eliminated by adding white vinegar to a pail of water and rinsing the floor.
*Wipe oven to prevent grease build up.
*To clean the microwave, boil a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 cup water. Put it in the microwave and the steam will loosen splattered on food particles.
*The stains in non-stick pans can be removed by boiling together 1/2 cup vinegar, two tablespoons baking soda, and one cup of water in the pan for 15 minutes.
*A little vinegar and salt boiled in a cast iron skillet will remove the charred food. The outside of the skillet can be cleaned by using oven cleaner.
Spray thoroughly, then let it set for an hour. The stains and crustations can be easily removed with vinegar and water.
*A cloth soaked in vinegar will remove spots from stainless steel.
*To clean brass mix equal parts of salt and flour with enough vinegar to make a paste. Spread thickly on and let dry. Rinse and wipe.
*Cleans and disinfects wood cutting boards, counters, the refrigerator, microwave, etc. Wipe with full strength vinegar.
*Deodorizes the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.
*Mix vinegar with salt to create a paste for a good surface cleaner. It really cleans tarnished copper.
*Cleans grout.
*Cleans your washing machine and dishwasher. Add vinegar and run through a regular cycle to dissolve detergent residues.
HOUSEHOLD
*A window decal can be removed by painting it with vinegar. When it has thoroughly soaked for a few minutes, it can be wiped off easily. Also works well for other sticky substances such as price tags, jar labels, etc.
*Removes deposits which clog your metal shower heads and sink aerators.
Combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and one quart water submerge the shower head or aerators and boil 15 minutes.
*A quarter cup in a quart of water makes a good window cleaner. Dry with a soft cloth or newspaper to prevent streaking.
*Another good window cleaner can be made with 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup white vinegar and two tablesppons carnstarch in a bucket of warm water.
*Cleans your iron. Put equal amounts of vinegar and water into water holder. Put on the steam setting and let set 5 minutes. Cool and drain.
*Narrow-necked vases can be cleaned easily by putting in two tablespoons of
vinegar and a little rice and then filling with hot water. Let the solution stand for a few minutes, then shake well.
*Air freshener, used with baking soda - use 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1
tablespoon vinegar and 2 cups of water. After it stops
foaming, mix well, and
use in
a (recycled) spray bottle into the air.
*To clean wall paneling, mix one tablespoon white
vinegar and one tablesppoon
olive oil in a quart of warm water. Dip soft cloth in
the warm solution,
wring it out well and use to rub down paneling. Dry
with a soft cloth.
*Cleans calcium deposits, lime, and scum. Great for
humidifiers, tubs and
wash basins.
*Set a container (shallow bowl) of vinegar throughout
the house to absorb
unpleasant odors. Works great on burned food odors. Do
not use styrofoam. It
will
soak thru it.
*To unclog a drain toss a handfull of baking soda down
the drain and add 1/2
cup of
vinegar following by hot water.
*Film that accumulates in your bathtub can be removed
by soaking and
scrubbing with vinegar.
*Chewing gum dissolver - saturate the area with
vinegar. If the vinegar is
heated, it will work faster.
CLOTHES
*Eliminate soap residue by adding 1 cup of white
vinegar to the washer's
final rinse. Vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics but
strong enough to dissolve
alkalis in soaps and detergents.
DO NOT USE VINEGAR IF YOU ADD CHLORINE BLEACH TO YOUR
RINSE WATER. IT MAY
PRODUCE HARMFUL VAPORS.
*Stain remover (pre-soak).
*Since vinegar also breaks down uric acid, add 1 cup
vinegar to the rinse
water for babies' clothes.
*Removes perspiration odors and stains.
*Hang clothes that smell of smoke above a bathtub full
of hot water and a cup
of vinegar to steam.
*Use instead of fabric softener when you wash your
clothes.
*If you buy a piece of clothing or fabric that you
think will bleed, set the
colors in fabric. Add 1 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon
of water. Soak fabric in
this solution until the fabric stops bleeding.
*Use diluted 1:1 in water to take pet odors out of
carpets. Find the spot,
and saturate it with about 1 1/2 times the original
volume. Let set for awhile
then blot up. Repeat if your cloth is very dirty after
blotting.
*Periodically pour a cup of vinegar in the washing machine and let it run through the regular cycle in order to freshen up your washing machine. This will dissolve the soap residue.
BEAUTY
*To get rid of flaky skin or the remnants of last summer's tan, add a cup of natural cider vinegar or the juice of three fresh lemons to your bathwater. Slough away the dead skin cells with a dry sponge or brush.
*Like baking soda, it will also remove residue left by shampoo from hair, as well as help control dandruff.
*Cleans Eye Glasses.
PLANTS
*Flower last longer when fed with 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar.
*Use at full strength to kill unwanted grass and weeds.
*If you have alkaline soil and are trying to grow rhododendrons, azaleas or other acid loving plants, add to water before watering.
PEST CONTROL
*Put it in a spray bottle and use it as an insecticide. Used in large amounts it also deters animals.
*Deters dogs from scratching ears by applying it on their bodies.
MEDICINAL
*Apple cider vinegar are soothe an upset stomach. Drink two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water.
*Sunburns~rub lightly to relieve burn.
*Sore Throat? Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.
*For dry, itchy skin add to bath water.
*Apply to bee strings to relieve itching.
*Apply to burns for pain relief.
*Bruises~soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour. The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.
IN THE YARD
*Use vinegar to kill weeds. Spray full strength on plants until plants have starved.
*Kill unwanted grass growing on driveways or in sidewalk cracks.
