As a general cleaner, using white vinegar is hard to beat. It’s proven to be economical, is environmentally friendly (i.e., used in green cleaning), and is useful in so many ways for basic housekeeping chores. But can white vinegar be used for here and there, pop-up episodes that occur? Yes! This list is just a sampling of some of the other uses for white vinegar in repairing damage to furniture and saving elbow grease in sprucing up around the house.
Cleaning Scissors
As any crafter or seamstress knows, scissors are a vital tool that need to be kept sharp and clean. If the blades or handle get sticky, they’re no use for projects. What to do? Don’t buy a new pair – high quality scissors can be expensive. Just dip a soft cloth in full-strength white vinegar to remove the sticky residue and wipe dry with another soft cloth.
Rings on Furniture
Oops! Someone left a wet glass on your wood table without a coaster. Now you have a permanent reminder to deal with. No problem! Mix equal parts of white vinegar and olive oil and wipe the wood surface, following the grain, with a soft damp cloth.
Dusty Mini-Blinds
Love those mini-blinds; hate the dust that accumulates. Mix equal parts of vinegar and hot water. Put on a pair of white cotton gloves and dip them into the solution. Run each slate between your fingers for some ‘white glove’ cleaning. Yes, this may take time, but your blinds will be free from those pesky little dust flutters that you see every time you open them.
Spruce Up a Brick Hearth
Do you pressure wash the exterior of your home annually? What about the brick that’s inside your home? That brick hearth is looking a bit dull; it could use a good cleaning, too. Mix one cup of white vinegar with a gallon of warm water and wipe down the bricks with a damp cloth. You can also use that mixture to clean brick flooring.
Candle Wax
If you love to light candles around your home, you’ve no doubt had a few incidents with candle wax melting onto wood surfaces. To remove the wax, first use a blow dryer at the hottest setting to soften the wax and remove what loosens up. For the stubborn residue, rub with a cloth soaked in equal parts of white vinegar and water. Wipe dry with soft cloth.
Is Someone Smoking?
Rid a room of a smoke smell by filling a shallow bowl about ¾ full of white vinegar. Place the bowl where the smell is the strongest. The odor should be gone in about a day.
My Lunchbox Stinks!
Yuck! Who wants to eat lunch from a lunchbox that still smells like the tuna sandwich from yesterday? A quick fix is to soak a slice of white bread in vinegar and put in the lunchbox overnight. That should freshen it up for the next use.
Disinfect Cutting Boards
No one wants to get sick from unsanitary utensils. To help prevent the spread of germs, disinfect cutting boards after each use by wiping them down with full-strength white vinegar. It just takes moments and can prevent cross-contamination during meal preparation.
Brighten Up Silver
To clean silverware or your silver jewelry, you don’t need to buy cleaners or spend hours rubbing down each piece. Mix up ½ cup of white vinegar and two tablespoons of baking soda. Soak your silver in the mixture for two to three hours. Rinse with cold water and dry with a soft cloth.
This Kitchen Smells!
There are those foods with smells that linger long after they’ve been consumed. Cabbage, greens, and bacon – they’re good, but you don’t want to smell them hours later. Mix ½ cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water; bring to boil until almost all the liquid is boiled out. That should eliminate the odor.
Can’t See Out the Windshield?
Wiper blades can get dirty and make a blurry mess when you try to use them. Use full-strength white vinegar and wipe them down with a clean rag to keep the blades free of dirt and road debris.
That gallon jug of white vinegar can go a long way in helping keep your home clean. Find new ways to make it work for you.
Source: Reader’s Digest
