My favorite cost saving tip is to use a product for more then what it was originally intended for. And, you can not get a more versatile product then vinegar. Distilled vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar can be used for almost anything. Recently, in my “New Poo” experiement I have come to find that a vinegar rinse has just done amazing things for my hair. So, I thought I would list some other great uses for vinegar.
- Hair Rinse: Use 1 tbsp with 1 cup water to rinse hair after shampooing or using a baking soda wash.
- Mosquito Bites: Dab with vinegar to relieve itching
- Sunburn: Rinse with vinegar to relieve burn.
- Hiccups: Drink 1 glass water with 1 tbs vinegar
- Itchy Dry Skin: Take a bath and add 2 tbs to bath water
- Sore Throat: Gargle and swallow 1 glass water with 1 tsp vinegar
- Suppress Appetite: Drink a glass of water with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar & a bit of honey.
- Relieve Arthritis: Drink 1 cup water with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar before each meal. Takes about 3 weeks to work
- Upset Stomach: Drink 1 cup water with 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Freshen Vegetables: Soak wilted veggies in 2 cups water with 1 tbs vinegar
- Boil Eggs: Add 2 tbs vinegar to water when boiling eggs to prevent them from cracking
- Tenderize Meat: marinate roast in 1/4 cu[ venegar overnight. Cook without draining.
- Coffee Pots: Run vinegar through machines to remove lime build up
- Dishwasher: Run vinegar through the machine once a month to reduce soap & lime build up
- Drains & Disposals: Pour vinegar down drains & disposals to deodorize
- Wood Cutting Boards: Wipe down cutting boards to disinfect
- Microwave: Boil 1/2 cup vinegar & 1 cup water in microwave to easily wipe food particuls
- Formica Countertops: Wipe w/ a cloth soaked in distilled vinegar to make formica shine
- No Wax Linoleum: Wash floors with 1/2 cup white vinegar & 1/2 gallon Water
- Windows: Wash windows with undiluted vinegar. Wipe with newspapers.
- Ring Stains On Wood: Rub stain with equal parts vinegar & olive oil
- Air Freshener: Put 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbs vinegar & 2 cups water in spray bottle. Use to deodorize room.
- Bathroom Soap Scum: Wipe surface with vinegar and rinse. Removes mildew as well
- Shower Head: Remove shower head. Place in a pot of boiling water and vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then rinse
- Laundry: Add 1/2 cup vinegar to rinse cycle to brighten clothes and prevent lint
- Towels: Add Vinegar to the wash to remove mildew odor.
- Perspiration Stains: Rub with 1 part vinegar to 1 part water. Rinse
- Pet Stains: use equal parts cool water & vinegar to clean pet stains from carperting
- Ants: Spray full strength to get rid of ants
- Azaleas Plants: water with 2 tbs vinegar & 1 qt water
- Kill Weeds: Spray full strength on walkways to kill weeds
- Cut Flowers: Use 2 tbs vinegar, 1 tsp sugar for 1 qt water to prolong the life of your flowers
- Car Chrome: Spray full strength and wipe to shine chrome
- Prevent Frost: Coat windows the night beofre with 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water to prevent frost on your windshield
- Rice: To make your rice fluffier, add 1 tsp of vinegar to water when it boils
- Buttermilk: add 1 tbs to 1 cup milk to make your own buttermilk. Let stand 5 min
- Eyeglasses: Clean lenses with a drop of vinegar
- Remove Wallpaper: Spray full strength on wallpaper. Let sit for a few minutes and peel. I have used a scoring tool with this method and it works great.
- Skunk: When you pet gets sprayed by a skunk you can wash them in a vinegar bath to remove the smell.
- Yoga Mats: Use Vinegar, tea tree oil and water in a spray bottle to spray on the mat for cleaning.
- Jellyfish: Use a mix of vinegar & water to take away the irritation from a Jellyfish sting.
- Stainless Steel Pots: Boil vinegar in a pot to remove burned on food.
What other uses have you found? Share your secrets!
Source: About.com & Vinegar Tips
Note: These are tips and ideas only and are used at your own risk
Cindy Livesey is the force behind Living Rich With Coupons which provides its readers with all the resources they need to shop smart so they can get life’s luxuries for a lot less. Her family of 5 has saved over $11,000 a year in groceries. And you can too.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Add 2 packets of dry Italian dressing mix to the roast along with the vinegar. YUMMY!!!
I use vinegar in my laundry when I do a load of towels or sheets…I fill up the dispenser where the bleach is suppose to go – I have a front loader. It takes the funky mildew smell out of the towels that they get sometimes when they’ve been used and washed a bunch of times (4 people taking showers daily, sometimes twice, esp in the summer, is a lot of towels!), without all the harsh chemicals of the bleach. Plus when my husband gets in his annual mood of attempting laundry, I don’t get huge bleach stains all over my laundry!
When the dog accidentally gets sprayed by a skunk….he always gets a vinegar bath
For the garbage disposal: pour in some baking soda first, then when you add the vinegar it bubbles up (think the volcano science experiment) to get everything clean and deodorized.
Vinegar is great for cleaning yoga mats. If my mat’s new, I’ll scrub it down a few times with just vinegar. To keep it clean after use, I mix vinegar, tea tree oil, and a little bit of water to spray on the mat.
Along with the sunburn use… it will also help if you’ve been stung by a jellyfish. Unfortunately I found that out on vacation after my daughter had a small run in with one on vacation. They had a bottle of vinegar and water at the dive station on the beach.
Removing burned rice from stainless steel pots! Sad to say I’ve burned rice a few times in my new pots and thanks to Google, found that boiling vinegar takes the burn-ies right off!
Vinegar works great to get out pet accidents in carpets as well as hard wood floors, removes the scents