Vinegar: Cleaning, Removing Stains, and Natural Remedies

DIY, Education 4 Minutes

Who knew that vinegar could do so much? Here are some of the many household uses for vinegar—from cleaning to stain treatment to relieving insect bites. Discover vinegar’s versatility, as well as when NOT to use vinegar.

There’s a cheap, safe, and effective product that has hundreds of uses: vinegar! Let’s explore all the ways vinegar is useful, from the uncommon to the common.

Vinegar in the Garden

Defeating garden weeds: Spray white vinegar directly on plants that you want to kill, especially weeds in cracks in your driveway! Spray on a dry, sunny day. Remember that vinegar will kill plants you want to keep as well, so be careful and try to apply it directly on the leaves of the weed you want to get rid of. 

Soothing insect bites: Apply full strength vinegar to mosquito or other insect bites to relieve the itching. (Caution: Do not do this if the affected area is raw.)

Insect repellent: Rub a solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 2 parts water on your skin to help repel insects. (For sensitive skins, dilute the vinegar further.)

Keeping cut flowers fresh: To extend the life of flowers in a vase, add a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to the water, plus a dash of sugar. The acidic vinegar helps to prevent bacterial growth.

White Vinegar and Cleaning

Vinegar is a common ingredient in countless homemade cleaners and is especially helpful for cleaning household appliances.

Coffeepot: Every month, bring a solution of 1 cup of vinegar and 4 tablespoons of baking soda to a boil in teapots and coffeepots to rid them of mineral deposits. To clean drip coffeemakers, fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly by brewing two cycles with water before using.

Cutting boards: Use white vinegar to disinfect cutting boards, especially those made of wood.

Stovetop: A solution of vinegar and baking soda will easily remove cooking oil from your stovetop.

Oven: For a clean oven, combine vinegar and baking soda, then scrub.

Microwaves: Pour white vinegar into a bowl of water and microwave it for a few minutes, then wipe out.

Dishwasher: Use as a cheap rinsing agent to get your glasses and plates clean. Also, once a year, pour a cup of white vinegar into an empty dishwasher, then run it for a short cycle to get rid of the lime and soap build-up.

Clogged or smelly sink: Pour 1/4 cup of baking soda down the sink, then add 1 cup of vinegar. 

Humidifier: Clean the filter on your humidifier by removing it and soaking it in a pan of white vinegar until all the sediment is off.

Tubs and showers: Saturate a cloth with vinegar and sprinkle with baking soda, and then use it to clean fiberglass tubs and showers. Rinse well and rub dry for a spotless shine. 

Tile grout: White vinegar is actually safer than chlorine bleach for cleaning grout and caulking in bathrooms and kitchens. Spray, leave for one hour, and then scrub.

Shower curtain: Use a sponge dampened with vinegar to clean shower curtains.

Toilet bowl: Clean and deodorize your toilet bowl by pouring undiluted white vinegar into it. Let stand for five minutes, then flush. Spray stubborn stains with white vinegar, then scrub vigorously.

Windows: Clean windows with a cloth dipped in a solution of one part white vinegar and 10 parts warm water.

Fridge odors: Rid your refrigerator and freezer of bad odors by cleaning the insides with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water, then wiping dry.

Smoke odors on clothes: To remove smoke odors on clothes, hang them above a steaming bathtub filled with hot water and a cup of white vinegar.

Prevent mildew: Wipe down surfaces with vinegar to clean and prevent mildew. 

When NOT to use vinegar:

Do not use vinegar on granite or marble countertops.

Avoid using vinegar where there is unsealed grout.

Do not use vinegar on wood surfaces or hardwood floors (or no-wax vinyl floors).

Never use vinegar on your cell phone or computer screen! 

Vinegar and Stain Removal

White vinegar is known as an effective stain remover. 

Clothes: Vinegar naturally breaks down uric acid and soapy residue, leaving baby clothes and diapers soft and fresh. Add a cup of vinegar to each load during the rinse cycle. It also gets rid of stinky towel mildew and makes clothes more colorful. 

For removing specific stains such as ketchup, tomato sauce, etc., spray a little vinegar directly onto the stain and then launder. 

Chewing gum: To remove chewing gum, rub it with full-strength vinegar.

Paint stains: Soak paint stains in hot vinegar to remove them.

Shoes: To remove salt and water stains from leather boots and shoes, rub with a solution of 1 tablespoon white vinegar and 1 cup water. Wipe over the stained area only, and then polish.

Brighten white clothes: Soaking white clothing in vinegar will help bring back their brightness.

Vinegar and Pet Care

Itchy ears: Clean inside of dog and cat ears with a clean washcloth or rag dipped in a white vinegar solution (4 tablespoons water: 1 tablespoon vinegar).

Smelly pets: If your pets get sprayed by a skunk or have other incidents, vinegar can help get rid of the smell!

Vinegar and Car Care

Remove bumper stickers: To remove bumper stickers from car chrome, squirt on vinegar and let it soak in. Next, scrape off the stickers. Decals can be removed similarly.

Keep windows clear: Wipe down windows with diluted vinegar in winter to keep them frost-free. You can also use vinegar spray as a window cleaner.

More Uses for Vinegar!

Sprains: Place a vinegar-soaked brown bag on sprains to ease pain and aid recovery.

Shiny hair: For brunettes, rinsing hair with vinegar after a shampoo makes hair shinier. Use one-tablespoon vinegar to one-cup warm water.

Loosen jar lids: Hold the jar upside down and pour warm vinegar around the neck at the joint between the glass and the top.

SOURCE: Almanac

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Published by pat frederick

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195 thoughts on “Vinegar: Cleaning, Removing Stains, and Natural Remedies”

  1. Matt Wallace
    @MattWallace888
    ⚠️ Oprah Winfrey Has Been Buying Up Land in Maui Like Crazy ⚠️

    🚨 520-acre plot for $3.89 million (2023)

    🚨 330 acres for $2.47 million (2023)

    🚨 Two 10-acre swaths of land for $100,000 each (2022)

    IN THE LAST FEW YEARS SHE HAS GONE FROM ABOUT 100 ACRES OF LAND IN MAUI TO OVER 1000 ACRES!

    Then All of A Sudden Out of Nowhere A Fire Comes And Destroys Many Homes Near Her But Her Land Remains Untouched!

    SOUND FAMILIAR?!?!?!

    IN 2017 AN EXTREMELY DEADLY FIRE DESTROYED MANY HOMES NEAR OPRAH’S MONTECITO MANSION BUT HER PROPERTY REMAINED UNTOUCHED!!!!!

    AFTER 2017 OPRAH CONTINUED EXPANDING HER LAND IN MONTECITO TO OVER 70 ACRES… INCLUDING BUYING A 4-ACRE COMPLEX (IN 2019) THAT WAS DESTROYED BY MUDSLIDES ONLY A FEW WEEKS AFTER THAT 2017 FIRE ⚠️

    WAKE UP!!!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Praying Medic
    @prayingmedic
    These are the charges against President Trump found in the document that appeared on the Fulton County court website before it was removed.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. when President Trump WAS President he had immunity for things he said–in any way that he said them. this should not be allowed at all.
      I am disgusted by these assholes pretending not to know the law. they should all be disbarred for wasting taxpayers’ monies.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. California Joe
    August 14, 2023 2:48 pm

    Ted Cruz: “David Weiss was selected to lead this investigation and spent the last five years covering it up.”

    “David Weiss, who was personally selected by the two Democrat senators from Delaware, Tom Carper and Chris Coons, for five years, the investigation has gone nowhere, other than to protect Hunter Biden and Joe Biden,” Cruz further asserted.

    “Not only that, David Weiss is the one that is subject to two whistle-blower complaints from senior career IRS officials who came forward,” the Senator continued.

    Cruz continued, “They said they’d never seen an investigation like this in their entire time in law enforcement. They said that the Department of Justice lawyers working for David Weiss protected the Biden family, that they gave heads-up to Hunter Biden before search warrants were executed, presumably so that he could hide incriminating evidence, that they refused to allow them to ask any questions at all about the Big Guy, about Joe Biden, that they were focused on, you cannot inquire into President Joe Biden’s personal corruption.”

    “David Weiss either was an active participant in covering up this criminality and protecting Joe Biden in engaging in obstruction of justice. That’s option one. Or, option two, he wasn’t the driver. He was just complicit. He was so weak that he couldn’t stop the partisans in main Justice from turning it into a political effort to protect Joe Biden,” Cruz explained.

    “Either case, he is a wildly inappropriate person to be a special counsel,” he concluded.

    Turning to Hunter Biden’s involvement in alleged corruption, Cruz noted that “Hunter has no marketable skills. No one on planet Earth would pay him $20 million to do anything.”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cruz-its-time-biden-impeachment-inquiries

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This is a long but very interesting article – I’ve always kind of wondered about this….

    “Do Organ’s Have a Mind of Their Own? Heart Transplantations Have Much to Teach Us About The Nature of Consciousness”
    A MIDWESTERN DOCTOR
    AUG 14, 2023

    EXCERPT: “Story at a Glance:
    •Organ transplant recipients ofter experience inexplicable personality changes and memories that appear to come from donor of the original organ.

    •In many of those cases, it appears that emotions which were trapped in the donor (e.g., because of the donor’s sudden traumatic death) transfer into the recipient.

    •This transference provides critical insights into both the nature of consciousness and ways to mitigate many of the struggles transplant recipients face.

    Note: this article was originally published on Mercola.com and has been slightly revised since the initial publication.

    Modern science is founded upon a materialistic paradigm that rejects anything which suggests there is more to each human being than just our flesh and bones. Yet, as medical science finds more and more ways to pry open the doors between life and death, evidence always emerges suggesting the spirit is just as much a part of the human experience as our bodies and minds.

    For example, cardiac resuscitation, a modern scientific miracle, made it possible to bring individuals who had died back from beyond the grave. In turn, there are many cases of resuscitated individuals reporting experiences (such as one witnessing and then recalling events that happened while the were clinically dead) that challenge medical science’s conception that conscious arises from electrical activity within the brain.
    ————-
    In writing The Heart’s Code Pearsall compiled interviews from 73 heart transplant recipients (along with their family members), 67 individuals who received other organ transplants, and interviewed the family members of 18 now deceased organ donors. To quote Pearsall:

    ‘When I listen to the tapes of my interviews with heart and heart-lung transplant recipients and the donor families, I am still taken aback by what they’ve shared with me.” From these interviews he found numerous common patterns such as:

    •Repeatedly recalling the traumatic manner in which the donor died either through dreams or by feeling something resembling the fatal injury the donor experienced in their own body.

    •Changes in culinary and music preferences that matched those of the donor. For example, lifelong vegetarians became carnivores, and carnivores became vegetarian.

    •Changes in sexual preferences (e.g., a lifelong lesbian becoming attracted to men and then marrying one, another woman receiving the heart of a sex worker and then becoming hypersexual, or one instead losing their sex drive).

    Note: one of my colleagues has a male patient who received a female heart, then became compelled to become a woman and is now undergoing a gender transition (something the patient had had never even thought of prior to the transplant). Pearsall also shared that a change in gender orientation be reported to him by one transplant recipient he interviewed. All of these examples shed an interesting light on the belief that “love is in the heart.”

    •Sudden overpowering emotions coming over them out of nowhere they feel as though they have no control over (my mentor also observed this). Likewise, this was also observed by a Yale surgeon who documented the experiences of a heart transplant recipient the surgeon followed throughout their hospitalization: “I can be sitting here feeling fine and all of a sudden something clicks and I get nervous and everything starts going. Something in my body changes, as if somebody pushed a button. I talked to another transplant patient—he’s in his fifth year—and he says it still happens to him.”

    Note: personality changes are sometimes reported after certain pharmaceuticals. For example, birth control pills are well known for doing this and sometimes breaking long term relationships apart either due to the pill being started or terminated after years of use. Likewise, I previously discussed how statins often have this tragic side effect. Recently, I discussed the common observation that the COVID vaccines cause significant cognitive impairment and in that article, multiple readers shared severe and tragic personality changes that had occurred in their significant other.”

    https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/do-organs-have-a-mind-of-their-own

    Liked by 1 person

  6. The Vultures are already swooping in trying to buy up Maui property before the bodies are cold.

    Ladies and gentlemen, Americans are under attack. pic.twitter.com/DWhd7GbkSa

    — Epstein’s Sheet. 🧻 (@meantweeting1) August 14, 2023

    Like

  7. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr Confirms He Supports Abortions Up to Birth With No Limits”
    National | Steven Ertelt | Aug 14, 2023 | 8:29AM | Washington, DC

    EXCERPT: “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confused voters over the weekend with conflicting statements about abortion, but ultimately confirmed he supports abortions up to birth with no limits. Kennedy, who hopes to challenge President Joe Biden for the Democratic Party nomination, has not spoken much about abortion. His campaign portrays him as a political moderate who hopes to reunite Americans and end the growing political division.

    But the Democrat and presidential hopeful initially gave an interview with NBC News in which he said he supported killing babies in abortions but opposes abortions after viability, when an unborn baby can live on his or her own outside the womb. “I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,” Kennedy said an in interview at an event in Iowa. Asked whether he would sign a ban on abortions at 15 or 21 weeks, Kennedy said yes.

    “Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child,” he continued, adding “I’m for medical freedom. Individuals are able to make their own choices.”

    That initial answer earned him praise from the pro-life group SBA List for at least being less radically pro-abortion than Joe Biden, who supports abortions up to birth without limits, calling it “a stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s radical stance of abortion on demand. … Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today. Every candidate should be asked, ‘Where do you draw the line?’”

    But the Kennedy campaign very quickly corrected the record and confirmed Kennedy support abortions up o birth without limits. “Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,” a campaign representative said in an email to LifeNews. “Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion,” the email added.

    That statement is consistent with the position Kennedy has said previously during the campaign. In June, Kennedy Jr. confirmed he supports killing unborn babies in abortions. Responding to a voter’s question, Kennedy said he is “pro-choice” and supports “bodily autonomy,” WMUR 9 News reports. “The only thing I can say to you on that issue is that I’m pro-choice,” Kennedy said when asked for a reason why pro-life voters should support him. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this country who’s worked harder for medical freedom, for bodily autonomy than me.” His campaign made a similar comment to Newsweek in May.”

    https://www.lifenews.com/2023/08/14/robert-f-kennedy-jr-confirms-he-supports-abortions-up-to-birth-with-no-limits/

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Me either but he worries me, tbh – there are far too many Republican normies who will fall for him. And there is no doubt in my mind that he would take FJB off the stage!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. TBH, this is what pisses me off the most: “…“Few relish the thought of dead fetuses, nor do they want to force women to have unwanted babies.” Unless they were raped, THEY WEREN’T FORCED TO GET PREGNANT!!!! Too bad the timing sucks – you did the deed, now accept the consequences instead of murdering the result!!!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. considering the availability of the pill, the day after bill and condoms…abortions should be unnecessary except to save the woman’s life and even then much should be done to try to rescue the fetus as well.

          Liked by 1 person

  8. Yeah! Another successful PCH purchase. Sitting here at my table all day in front of the computer, my back gets to hurting. So I ordered a back pillow that vibrates – it just arrived today and man, is it ever nice!!! Really makes a difference!

    We’ve finally gotten some sunshine and temp is up to 78; I’ve changed to capris and my t-shirt and am enjoying the nice breeze. I’ll need to mow in the next day or so, before it gets so hot – supposed to be close to 100 later this week! I did more pruning in the cantelope vines to get them off the fencing and make a patch around the back for me to walk. One of the melons is baseball-size and a bunch more are starting.

    Still watching the peaches closely – as soon as one of them drops, I’ll pick as many as I can reach. And I’ve figured out how I can drive my truck right up next to the tree – I’ll have to take one smaller branch off that doesn’t have anything on it anyway. But it will be perfect to reach the ones at the top, with the ladder in the bed of my truck.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. introducing the You’re Fired Act…bwahahahahahaha
    FTA
    As special counsel Jack Smith continues his investigations and criminal cases against former President Donald Trump, freshman Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) filed a bill on Friday that would block him from drawing a salary by preventing federal funds from being used to pay him.

    Smith has been a main target of Republicans, especially those who support Trump, since he was appointed special counsel. After two separate indictments charged the former president with over 40 different criminal charges related to him holding on to classified documents and his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, calls for Smith to be fired or have his investigation defunded have grown.

    Ogles has introduced the Yanking Outlays for an Unethical, Ruthless Enterprise that Fraudulently Impedes Robust Electoral Debate Act, or the You’re Fired Act, which would prevent federal funds from being used to pay for Smith’s salary.

    “The Biden Administration’s weaponization of the DOJ for personal political gain through the appointment of Jack Smith is nothing short of appalling,” Ogles said in a statement. “In November 2022, he was tasked with taking down Biden’s biggest threat, President Donald J. Trump. From falsified indictments to non-existent supporting ‘evidence’, everything about the proceedings by Smith have screamed desperate. America cannot and will not stand for that, and it’s well past time that Congress uses its power of the purse to tell Jack Smith: you’re fired.”

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/ogles-bill-defund-jack-smiths-salary

    Liked by 1 person

  10. ahhhhhhhhhhhh….another piece of the puzzle.
    FTA
    While experts could understand the functional capabilities of how these programs manipulate elections at the county and state levels, one area of mystery remained. Experts could not fully explain how systems within individual precincts which are supposedly “air-gapped” were adding votes in real-time – such as KnowInk poll pads in Texas that added hundreds of votes to the 2022 midterm election after the polls had closed. To accomplish election fraud at individual polling places, it is necessary to have an air-interface with the supposedly “air-gapped” equipment networked at the polling place.

    A year-long research project led by an election integrity investigator from Utah, Sophie Anderson, and communications engineer, Dr. Charles Bernardin, has uncovered the mechanism that is being used to connect our election equipment at polling places across the nation. Anderson and Bernardin met while working together in several overlapping election integrity efforts. After submitting a countless number of public documents requests from multiple federal, state, and local governments, and working with other grassroots researchers, the team realized that the federal government has indeed created a nationwide network that is capable of collecting and changing real-time voting data at polling places across the country from a central location. The private network tool is called FirstNet, and like so many things that have proven detrimental to American liberty – it was sold as a tool to ensure public safety.

    WHAT IS FIRSTNET?

    The idea of a national cellular network dedicated to public safety was hatched in the wake of 9/11 when congested cell networks proved to be a bottleneck for first responders. In 2012, Congress created the First Responder Network Authority under the Department of Commerce to oversee the build-out of “FirstNet.” The original intent provided by its sponsors was that FirstNet would serve police, fire, and EMT services. However, the scope was soon expanded to include all “critical infrastructure” – which included water, energy, and transportation infrastructure. (https://www.digi.com/solutions/by-technology/firstnet )

    Curiously, just days before Barack Obama left office, his administration’s Department of Homeland Security used the specter of “Russian interference” in the 2016 election as an excuse to declare election systems to be a part of that critical infrastructure. As a result, the stage was set to roll election systems into FirstNet.

    https://joehoft.com/bombshell-exclusive-nationwide-cellular-network-connects-election-equipment-and-gives-federal-government-access-to-election-systems-at-the-precinct-level/

    Liked by 1 person

  15. reading about the missing children in Hawaii presumed dead…what if they were trafficked? no one will look for them if everyone thinks they’re dead. not allowing anyone in the area would be a great cover…and oprah showed up. that’s not suspicious is it?

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

    1. yeah I agree…that bitch should stay away…and I’m using bitch in a non gender specific way–like Mooch really is

      Like

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