UPDATED On March 23, 2007
Disclaimer: All information on this page has been gathered from articles..books..personal experience or testimonials of others. I am not personally recommending use of any of the ideas presented here...It is for your information only. Information contained here may be subject to debate. Accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Kesti16 assumes no responsibility for how information presented is used by the public.
Vinegar Uses
1.Used as a hair rinse, vinegar neutralizes the alkali left by shampoos.
2.A quarter cup in a quart of water makes a good window cleaner.
A reader adds: When you use vinegar in your water to wash windows, dry
with newspapers. Your windows will sparkle!
3.Fabric softener and static cling reducer - use as you would liquid
fabric softener.
4.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.
5.Chewing gum dissolver - saturate the area with vinegar. If the vinegar
is heated, it will work faster.
6.Stain remover - for stains caused by grass, coffee, tea, fruits and
berries. Soak clothing in full strength vinegar.
7.Corn and callus remover - soak a piece of stale bread (a cloth would
probably do as well) in vinegar, and tape it over the callus or corn
overnight.
8.Age spot fader - Mix equal parts of onion juice and vinegar and use it
daily on age spots. This will take a few weeks to work, just like its
expensive relative from the store.
9.Kill grass or weeds by pouring hot vinegar on it. This might take a
couple of times to work completely.
10.Wash your windshield with vinegar in the winter to help keep ice and
frost away.
11. If you have a septic tank, use vinegar instead of harsh chemicals to
clean the toilet bowl. Let it set overnight if you can; it will help
keep germs down.
12.Spray your hands with a mist of vinegar, or dip them in vinegar and
dry after washing dishes or having them in soapy water to keep your
hands soft.
13.It's an ongoing battle as to whether vinegar can help you lose
weight, but the ones who say it will, say to drink a glass of water
before each meal in which you've added a tablespoon of vinegar and a
tablespoon of honey.
14.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. I make sure to turn on a fan and open a window, especially for
large spots!
15.Splash vinegar on your varicose veins. The vinegar is supposed to
reduce the veins and relieve the pain and swelling. Of course, you might
smell like a tossed salad!
16. I put about a tablespoon of vinegar in the water when poaching eggs.
It helps the eggs to keep their shape. No taste of vinegar either.
17.A reader says; My best use for vinegar is to use 1 tablespoon vinegar
to an 8 ounce glass of warm water for a sore throat. Gargle every hour
and swallow after gargling, with two mouthfuls. I got this from a
Vermont Folk Medicine book by D.C.Jarvis many years ago. If started at
the first hint of a sore throat, it always works, usually within a
night's sleep. I don't mind the taste, but some children might.
18.It is also helpful when children get lice, if you take warm vinegar
and put it on the hair also take your nit comb and dip it in the
vinegar. As you run it through the hair it helps remove the nits. It is
supposed to be able to help break down the glue the nits use to stay
attached to the hair.
19.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.
20.Vinegar and olive oil with a selection of herbs on your salad. A
different reader adds: I like to use vinegar the old-fashioned way: I
eat it!! I use all sorts of vinegars as salad dressing ingredients (my
favorite is the classic red wine vinegar mixed with olive oil). I also
eat my fish with malt vinegar, which is also very good on french fries.
21.This reader says: I liked the 'spray mister' approach to air
freshening, but as a sometimes poor bachelor cook, I have blackened fish
when it isn't on the menu. Vinegar in a towel, twirled about the head
will quickly stop the smoke detectors from screaming. It also freshens
the air, and captures the smoke smell before the whole house is caught.
Added by another reader: Put vinegar on white bread around a house to
get rid of smoke smell fom a fire.
22.Another reader writes: You can use vinegar to remove wall paper. I
just redid my entire kitchen and it was a snap. First remove top layer
of wallpaper. Then spray vinegar on and let set for a minute or two.
Then pull backing away. Scrape excess glue off wall. Wipe remaining glue
off with vinegar and rinse with water. You don't have to use harse
chemicals and it is cheap, cheap, cheap.
23.This reader writes: My grandmother swears by vinegar as an antiseptic
for abrasions,to reduce itch from poison ivy or mosquito bites,and even
to help rehydrate sunburned skin.
24.She also uses it diluted 50/50 as a skin cleanser as most soaps are
alkaline as compared to skin ph.
25.On a different note, most meat marinades are most effective if
acidic, so an extra few spoonfuls of vinegar can't hurt.
26.On heavily tarnished copper or copper-alloy to be cleaned up, use a
paste made of salt and vinegar.
27.A reader writes: I use white (not apple cider) vinegar mixed with
water to rinse off the dishes after washing them to take the soap off
and leave them squeeky clean. This also takes the soap residue off of my
hands at the same time.
28.Another reader wrote: I am allergic to crabs. However, I love them. I
have found that when I dip my crabmeat in vinegar, I don't get an
allergic reaction. This may not work for everyone, but it works for me.
29.Pour vinegar around the sides of your pool and it helps keeps flies
away.
30.Add 1/2 cup vinegar to a gal. of water to keep your vinyl no wax
floors clean and shining.
31.USE as a meat tenderizer. Add a tablespoon to water when boiling ribs
or meat for stews, and even the toughest meat will be so tender you can
cut with fork or will fall off the bone.
32.One teaspoon to one tablespoon of vinegar gets rid of hiccups.
33.Vinegar is great for removing calcium deposit build up. Use full
strength and allow to set. Time depends on condition.
34.Sunburn Remedy:
* At bedtime, cover sunburns with a towel soaked in water and vinegar and
try to persuade the victim to sleep this way. Younger ones, of course,
will have a struggle with this, especially because of the smell!
* Put vineagar in a spray bottle and spray on sunburn. It soothes for
quite a length of time. Just like store bought stuff.
* A reader wrote this: I used this on my son when his legs were sunburned.
I used half and half which was half water and half vinegar. I saturated
tea towels in it and layed them on his legs and he said it didn't smell
too good but it sure took out the burning. You must do this several
times but it works and then it gives you a nice tan.
* To relieve swelling and fluid from too much sun, mix a paste of baking
soda and apple cider vinegar and apply. This reader says it will draw
out the fluid.
35.Use 2 cups of cider vinegar in the tub to soak sore muscles and add
potassium to muscles.
36.Use for a throat soother. Take equal amounts of honey and cider
vinegar, stir or shake until dissolved. Take a tablespoon at a time to
cut mucuous in the throat.
37.Heat vinegar to boiling point. Then poor over your fixtures that have
deposits of lime. This will release or remove the deposit.
38.Use a cup of vinegar in two gallons of water in the diaper pail to
neutralize the urine in cloth diapers. It also helps keep them from
staining.
39.Keep a spray bottle of 50% vinegar, 50% water near the laundry
station. Spray it on clothing stains before tossing the clothing into
the washer (just as you would a commercial spray stain remover).
40.As a carpet spot and stain remover - take a trigger spray bottle and
fill with one part white vinegar to seven parts water. Take a second
spray bottle and fill with one part white, non sudsy amonnia and seven
parts water. Saturate stain with vinegar solution. Let dwell for a few
minutes and blot thoroughly with a clean, white cloth. Then go over the
area with the ammonia solution, let dwell and blot again. Repeat until
the stain is gone. Also works for pet stains to help remove the odors.
41.Keep a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to
use for clean ing windows.
42.From a reader: When I apply a weak bleach solution (to a counter
after handling raw chicken, or to grout to whiten it), even after
rinsing it still smells like bleach. Spraying it with the vinegar
solution does away with the bleachy smell. This also works if you use
bleach when washing fabric - try an extra rinse with a cup of vinegar in
it to get rid of the bleach smell.
Note: A reader cautioned against using vinegar with bleach because it
produces chlorine gas, so I asked about it on our chemistry guide's
forum here at About.com. He said that, while the mixture does produce
chlorine gas, using a few drops at a time (to rinse hands or counter, as
opposed to gallons) as a spot neutralizer would cause no problem. You
can read the posts yourself, if you like.
43.Another reader wrote this: Fill the water reservoir half way and run
the coffee maker as you normally do and then run it once full of water
and the coffee maker will be spotless. (Well, cleaner anyway.)
44.Vinegar in drinking water is very effective in eliminating the
low-grade fevers that are present in Chronic Fatigue sufferers. It also
helps eliminate the 'thrush' coating in the mouth which is sometimes
caused by antibiotic use. Mix four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to
a gallon of drinking water. Drink up to one gallon each day.
45.Add a splash of vinegar, a tablespoon or so, to the water when you
hardboil eggs. If one cracks, it will not boil out of the shell.
46.Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a quart of drinking water.
Helps to deal with heat stress. Also helps to repel mosquitos.
47.From another reader: After years of suffering from athlete's foot,
consulting doctors, and spending hundreds of dollars on so called cures
(some presciption, some over the counter), I read in one of the
magazines in which I subscibe to try soaking in vinegar. Something was
said about it changing skin ph so that the fungus could not grow. I
soaked three evenings in a row. Now, no more fungus and that has been
several months ago.
48.This reader says: I feed vinegar to my horses to keep the flies away.
I pour 1/4 cup of cider vinegar on their grain once a day and it really
keeps the flies away from them! They seem to like it too.
49.I use cloth diapers and my baby kept breaking out in a rash. From
another web site, it suggested adding a cup of vinegar during the rinse
cycle. It equalizes the ph balance. I've been doing it ever since and,
viola, no rash!
50.This readers says: I use white or cider vinegar to clean out the
chicken's and cat's water containers. I pour a small amount in the
container, take a rag and wash the gunky parts and rinse. I rinse an
extra time and dump on my plants outside. It keeps the water containers
clean without all that gunky buildup. I do it once a month.
51.Soak shower head in vinegar overnight, then rinse in hot water, to
remove water deposits and keep it flowing freely.
52.From another reader: When my kids were small, sometimes they would
not have a good car riding experience ...vomiting in the car. We cleaned
it out and nothing would get rid of that small, especially when the car
got warm. So, we placed a bowl of vinegar in a bowl on the floor of the
car, closed it up for the night. In the morning, no more smell. And it
never came back.
53.Yet another reader - We live in the country with 4 dogs as part of
our family,they sit on the couch,etc. BUT,they love to chase skunks
since I don't usually keep tomato juice around,vinegar has come to my
rescue. It doesn't take it away completely but its bearable. Keep away
from eyes, of course.
54.And this one: A nurse told me molds grow in humidifiers used in sick
rooms. After a couple of days' use, she rinsed out a humidifier, then
refilled it, adding maybe 1/4 cup vinegar. She would run this for a
couple of minutes in the bathroom, with the door closed and the window
open, to kill the molds. Then she'd rinse it, run it again with just
clear water, rinse that, and declare it fit for service again. She was
also adamant about not just pouring more water in to refill, but rinsed
the reservoir out each time to retard growth of nasty stuff she didn't
want spraying all around the sick room.
55.This reader says - I hate to wear gloves when gardening (except, of
course when working with roses, blackberries or thistles) and once in a
while I get a nick or scratch. Since I shoveled most of it INTO my
garden, I know what my hands are in, and I'm 120 yards downhill from the
bathroom sink and the disinfectant! My trusty spray bottle of full
strength white vinegar to the rescue. Stings for a second or two until
the endorphins kick in, but I don't have to stop what I'm doing and make
a special trip back up hill. I've NEVER had an infection in a scratch
since I discovered this trick.
56.From another reader: We have a distiller for our water. Every
Saturday, I put a gallon of vinegar in the distiller and turn it on.
When it boils, it's done. Then I let the vinegar cool down and use it
for cleaning the coffee and tea pots. A gallon usually lasts a good
month before losing it's efficiency.
57.. Remove water stains from leather by rubbing with a cloth dipped in
a vinegar and water solution.
58.Drink a couple of spoonfuls a day to keep mosquitoes away - your
perspiration will be unpleasant.
59.1 tsp cider vinegar with one tsp honey taken three times daily helps
with arthritis. It dissolves the crystal deposits of uric acid that form
between joints (and also in muscles as with muscular rheumatism). Also
dissolves osteophytes (bony spurs) over long periods.
While this seems to be effective, we are not claiming to give medical
advice. Always ask your doctor before attempting to diagnose yourself or
deciding upon medication to alleviate any symptoms
Milk cows organically.
Clean milking equipment with unperfumed dish detergent followed with a
Heinz Vinegar rinse. Pipes, hoses, and bulk tank will come out squeaky
clean without any odor, lowering the bacteria count.
Kill bacteria in meats.
Marinating meat in Heinz Vinegar kills bacteria and tenderizes the meat.
Use one-quarter cup vinegar for a two to three pound roast, marinate
overnight, then cook without draining or rinsing the meat. Add herbs to
the vinegar when marinating as desired.
Dissolve warts.
Mix one part Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar to one part glycerin into a
lotion and apply daily to warts until they dissolve.
Remove stubborn stains from furniture upholstery and clothes.
Apply Heinz White Vinegar directly to the stain, then wash as directed
by the manufacturer's instructions.
Grow beautiful azaleas.
Occasionally water plants with a mixture of two tablespoons Heinz White
Vinegar to one quart water. Azaleas love acidic soil.
Relieve arthritis.
Before each meal, drink a glass of water containing two teaspoons Heinz
Apple Cider Vinegar. Give this folk remedy at least three weeks to start
working.
Kill unwanted grass.
Pour Heinz White Vinegar in crevices and between bricks.
Remove corns.
Make a poultice of one crumbled piece of bread soaked in one-quarter cup
Heinz Vinegar. Let poultice sit for one-half hour, then apply to the
corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does not peel off by morning,
reapply the poultice for several consecutive nights.
Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum from a washing machine.
Once a month pour one cup of Heinz White Vinegar into the washing
machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.
Cure an upset stomach.
Drink two teaspoons Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup water to soothe
an upset stomach.
Kill germs on bathroom fixtures.
Use one part Heinz Vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle. Spray
the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe clean.
Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower
curtains.
Simply wipe the surface with Heinz Vinegar and rinse with water.
Deodorize the air.
Heinz Vinegar is a natural air freshener when sprayed in a room.
Relieve itching.
Use a cotton ball to dab mosquito and other bug bites with Heinz Vinegar
straight from the bottle.
Clean lime deposits and calcium sludge from an automatic drip coffee
maker.
Once a month fill the reservoir with Heinz White Vinegar and run through
the brew cycle. Rinse thoroughly with two cycles of cold water.
Relieve a sore throat.
Put two teaspoons of Heinz Vinegar in your humidifier.
Soothe sunburn pain.
Apply undiluted Heinz Vinegar to the burn.
Clean food-stained pots and pans.
Fill the pots and pans with Heinz White Vinegar and let stand for thirty
minutes. Then rinse in hot, soapy water.
Clean rust from tools, bolts, and spigots.
Soak the rusted tool, bolt, or spigot in undiluted Heinz White Vinegar
Turn a chicken bone into rubber.
Soak a chicken bone in a glass of Heinz Vinegar for three days. It will
bend like rubber.
Prevent bright colored clothes from fading.
Before putting the article in the washing machine, soak it in Heinz
White Vinegar for ten minutes.
Keep a garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh.
Mix one cup of Heinz Vinegar in enough water to fill an ice cube tray,
freeze the mixture, grind the cubes through the disposal, and flush with
cold water.
Clean a toilet bowl.
Pour in one cup of Heinz White Vinegar, let it stand for five minutes,
and flush.
Back to top
Prevent yeast infections.
Douche with one tablespoon Heinz White Vinegar to one quart warm water
to adjust the pH balance in the vagina.
Clean dentures.
Soak dentures overnight in Heinz White Vinegar, then brush away tartar
with a toothbrush.
Remove perspiration stains from clothes.
Apply one part Heinz White Vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.
Deodorize a room filled with cigarette smoke or paint fumes.
Place a small bowl of Heinz White Vinegar in the room.
Cure the hiccups.
Mix one teaspoon Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup of warm water, and
drink.
Eliminate odors from used jars.
Rinse peanut butter and mayonnaise jars with Heinz White Vinegar.
Condition dry hair.
Shampoo, then rinse hair with a mixture of one cup Heinz Apple Cider
Vinegar and two cups water. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette hair,
restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil.
Clean mineral deposits from a steam iron.
Fill the water tank with Heinz White Vinegar. Turn the iron to the steam
setting and steam-iron a soft utility rag to clean the steam ports.
Repeat the process with water, then thoroughly rinse out the inside of
your iron.
Remove light scorch marks from fabrics.
Rub lightly with Heinz White Vinegar, then wipe with a clean cloth.
Repel ants.
Use a spray bottle or mister filled with a solution of equal parts Heinz
Vinegar and water around door jambs, window sills, water pipes, and
foundation cracks.
Keep drains open.
Pour one-half box of old baking soda down the drain followed by one cup
Heinz White Vinegar. When the bubbling stops, run the hot water.
Prolong and brighten propane lanterns.
Soak new wicks for several hours in Heinz White Vinegar and let them dry
before inserting. Propane lanterns will burn longer and brighter on the
same amount of fuel.
Remove decals or bumper stickers.
Soak a cloth in Heinz Vinegar and cover the decal or bumper sticker for
several minutes until the vinegar soaks in. The decals and bumper
stickers should peel off easily.
Deodorize a wool sweater.
Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts Heinz Vinegar and water to
remove odor.
Prevent lint from clinging to clothes.
Add one cup Heinz Vinegar to each wash load.
Prevent ice from forming on a car windshield overnight.
Coat the window with a solution of three parts Heinz White or Apple
Cider Vinegar to one part water.
Prolong the life of flowers in a vase.
Add two tablespoons of Heinz White Vinegar plus three tablespoons of
sugar per quart of warm water. Stems should be in three to four inches
of water.
Prevent cracked hard-boiled eggs.
Add two tablespoons of Heinz White Vinegar per quart of water before
boiling to prevent the eggs from cracking. The egg shells will also peel
off faster and easier.
Clean windows.
Use undiluted Heinz Vinegar in a spray bottle. Dry with a soft cloth.
Eliminate unpleasant cooking odors in the kitchen.
Boil one tablespoon of Heinz White Vinegar with one cup of water.
Remove wallpaper.
Mix equal parts Heinz Vinegar and hot water. Use a paint roller to wet
the paper thoroughly with the mixture. Repeat. Paper should peal off in
sheets.
Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet.
Blot up urine, flush several times with lukewarm water, then apply a
mixture of equal parts Heinz White Vinegar and cool water. Blot up,
rinse, and let dry.
Relieve a cold.
Mix one-quarter cup Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar with one-quarter cup
honey. Take one tablespoon six to eight times daily.
Deodorize a stale lunch box.
Soak a paper napkin in Heinz Vinegar and leave it inside the closed
lunch box overnight.
Prevent soapy film on glassware.
Place a cup of Heinz White Vinegar on the bottom rack of your
dishwasher, run for five minutes, then run though the full cycle. A cup
of white vinegar run through the entire cycle once a month will also
reduce soap scum on the inner workings.
Unclog a shower head.
Unscrew the shower head, remove the rubber washer, place the head in a
pot filled with equal parts Heinz Vinegar and water, bring to a boil,
then simmer for five minutes.
Relieve a cough.
Mix one-half cup Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar, one-half cup water, one
teaspoon cayenne pepper, and four teaspoons honey. Take one tablespoon
when cough acts up. Take another tablespoon at bedtime.
Retard patching plaster from drying.
Add one tablespoon white vinegar to the water when mixing plaster to
slow the drying time.
GO SEE SOME OF
Joey Green's Whacky uses for products
at
http://www.wackyuses.com/
CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO RETURN TO HOME INDEX PAGE!
Click on Mushrooms above to return to Kesti's Second Site
Updated July 27, 2009
Check out my Popcorn Flour Recipes
plus easily revise your recipes to low calorie and eat healthy for life!
http://kesti16.com/Tressba/EatsAndTreats.html
Attention!
I have had over ONE MILLION visitors to this, My AOL Site in the last nine years.
The counter kept reverting back to zero, but I kept my own records each week.
I have now attached my two sites together under one counter starting at 2000.
This is March 15, 2007.
I hope I will not have any more trouble with counters. Sincerely, Kesti
Carp Fish