I'm sure we have all had vinegar in one way, shape or form. On our salads. For french fries mmmm. But here are 10 surprising ways to use vinegar that I have found works great!
1. Dirty Windows - It seems that I find I am out of window cleaner at the times when I need to clean my windows the worst. With two small kiddos I get gooey hand prints, nose prints, even had tongue prints a few times. I remembered back when I was in beauty school we used rubbing alcohol to clean our mirrors, but I didn't have any of that either. So I got some white vinegar. What the heck, couldn't be worse right? I just took some vinegar, wet my paper towel, and presto, clean windows! I do take a paper towel that I dampened with plain water over it so the girls didn't take to tasting the windows again. =)
2. I am a person that don't like yucky smells at all. Our sink don't have a garbage disposal, so I did a little sink science experiment. I cover the drain with baking soda, pour the white vinegar over it and let it foam away. When all the fun fizzies are done, just wash it down the drain with water. Buh bye stinky drain!
3. All of my kids like to run around bare foot. They seem to think running across wet grass in white socks is bare foot. Especially brand new white socks. I got tired of feeling like I was the sole support of the sock industry. I get a my stock pot full of water add 1 1/2 cups of white vinegar and bring it to a boil and drop in the socks. Stir it around until all the offending articles are saturated, turn it off, and let soak overnight. Launder and nice white socks again! Works great on white wash and dish clothes as well.
4. I love black clothing. When I first purchase them they are wow! After a few washings they are, well, old and dingy looking. I just replace my liquid softener with yep, you guessed it, white vinegar, and I am back in black. =)
5. I like my fish tanks too. Nothing fabulous, just a few puffer fish. After a few tank changes I get that white deposits around the tank from the water. After the tank is clean, wipe it down with white vinegar, rinse it good, then a nice shiny tank again. If you have bad deposits, and have somewhere your fish can hang out for a few hours to overnight, fill the tank with hot water, pour in 1/2 cup of vinegar and let soak.
6. Got a dog that's a barker? Our German Shepherd sure is. People walking down the street, a cat, the mailman, even a leaf blowing across the lawn gets her going. I keep a spray bottle of 50/50 water and vinegar and squirt it at her, but not in the face, and she quits. Now I just have to show her the bottle!
7. Mosquitoes just love me. The hubby don't get bit, lucky him, I just tell him I am much sweeter =) To get rid of that horrid itch I soak some toilet paper in vinegar and hold it on the bite, or bites in my case, just hold until the itch goes away.
8. I am very fair and I sunburn so easily. During the summer months I keep spray bottle of vinegar in the fridge and spray every time it gets uncomfortable. It helps me keep from peeling as well. I find if I am burnt badly, and get the vinegar spray on as soon as I can, it helps prevent the blisters too.
9. My older girls love to polish their nails. A little trick I learned in beauty school to keep the polish to last longer is wipe the nails prior to polish with some vinegar, let dry, then polish.
10. With 5 kids, at one point, every one of them has been carsick, not all together though, thankfully! To get the puke odor out after cleaning up the mess, I leave a bowl of vinegar on the floor overnight. Take the bowl out, nice fresh car again.
Some Fun Vinegar Facts
- Vinegar has been around for more than 10, 000 years.
- Vinegar even has it's own museum. The International Vinegar Museum is located in Roslyn, South Dakota.
- Pearls will melt in white vinegar.
- A bowl of vinegar in a freshly painted room will remove the paint smell.
- Beer vinegar? Germany, Austria and the Netherlands make vinegar from beer.
- Swallow a teaspoon of vinegar to get rid of the hiccups.
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