VINEGAR Is AWESOME

Updated on August 15, 2011
R.L. asks from Kirkland, WA
17 answers

Okay, so I'm a bit late to hop on the vinegar-solution-for-household-cleaning train. BUT HOLY COW, I just cleaned windowsills, windows, the bay window area, 2 sinks, and my kitchen counter, and THIS is nothing short of AMAZING!! Everything looks so clean and it smells great after it dries too!! I used 50/50 water and white distilled vinegar! Non-toxic, easy to find at the store, and CHEAP! So tell me...

What else can I clean with this??? What can I NOT clean with this??

4 moms found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

The washing machine--I put it in the fabric softener spot, and it really defunks stuff. Also in the dishwasher, for hard water residue removal and clean rinsing.

5 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

I like all the suggestions. My warning is washing the car. I remember putting a damp vinegar rag on my sisters car and it left a mark on the paint. It wasn't the newest car, so I don't know if the paint finish had already eroded, but I won't chance it.

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

S.H.

answers from Spokane on

I also use vinegar in the washing machine for our dirty clothes. I love vinegar too!
Oh, and I use it on my hair in the shower to "strip it" of all the shampoo/conditioner build-up about once a week.

6 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.M.

answers from San Francisco on

It's also good when added to your laundry to get out B.O. and mildew in things you can't bleach.

Also good to put in dishwasher to make dishes sparkly.

Isn't it exciting?

6 moms found this helpful

T.K.

answers from Dallas on

Run it through the coffee pot to clean the inner workings. Follow with a cycle of clean water.

Put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave and turn it on for 1 minute. It will steam the entire inside so all you have to is a quick wipe down.

5 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.L.

answers from Washington DC on

To answer your question about what else you can clean.....my house!!! LOL

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Dallas on

We use it for everything. Scrubbing floors, basic cleaning, rinsing garbage disposals and front load washers. It's a terrific cure for athlete's foot (apple cider vinegar). We spray apple cider vinegar solution on our dog. SHe has horrible allergies and it helps regulate the pH in her skin. I also love that it's non toxic, so my kiddies can help me clean.

4 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

It kills Gnats. My office has a lot of indoor plants. We have an infestation of the buggers. I read online that a dish of cider vinegar next to each plant kills them... Our office is a little stinkier now ( but i work with 90something men so its not the worst smell around here for sure!) it also is an excellent pesty salesperson repellent, one sniff and they suddenly have somewhere else to be! And it is fab in getting coffee makers clean

4 moms found this helpful

M..

answers from Appleton on

So I am also going to suggest the laundry.

My new discovery is dishes. One morning I opened up the dishwasher and all my dishes had a cloudy film on them. So I put a bowl of vinegar in the bottom rack and ran the rinse cycle. No spots, silver was SHINING!!!

I just used it this past weekend after I found a nasty smell in my daughters room (sour milk). I shampoo'd the carpet and that didn't work, so I tried vinegar. SMELL - GONE!!!

I LOVE VINEGAR!!!

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.T.

answers from New York on

i use it for laundry now and love it. You'll never have that stale funky laundry smell if you forget it in the wash machine over night - and it's so much better than a laundry additive. It helps remove stains as well as make the laundry smell fresh. It's good to add to spic n span for kitchen floors too.

BTW - you can get giant containers of it at Costco!

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.C.

answers from Dallas on

I leave a dish of apple cider vinegar sitting out overnight after cooking fish or other very smelly foods. Just wiping down the kitchen with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water after cooking anything helps with smells and greasy splatters. I keep a spray bottle under the kitchen sink for this, and my daughter loves to help me clean (mostly just the spraying-everything part).

I "wash" my daughter's hair with a mild solution of apple cider vinegar and distilled water instead of shampoo.

You can get a stronger solution of white vinegar - 20%, I think - at home/garden stores for weed control. I'm (slowly) killing a huge poison ivy vine in my back yard with this and salt.

A quart of vinegar and a box of baking soda are a really fun and cheap form of entertainment for my daughter. She makes all kinds of "experiments" and volcanoes and such. I just give her a few cups/bowls and put everything on a jelly roll pan to catch overflows, and she's happy for a long time.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.M.

answers from Dallas on

It also works as a softener for the laundry!!!!

I learned from this site how awesome vinegar is. It is the miracle product.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.P.

answers from Norfolk on

I have used it on just about everything. Scrubbing the bathroom. I also use about 3 tbsp of baking soda, put it down the drain in the shower, then pour 1/2 cup of vinegar down. It unclogs those hairy drains better than draino.

I have given up on most conventional cleaners with 2 small kids and a dog who would much prefer to drink from the toilet than any water bowl I can find. This way if they somehow come into contact with the cleaners, they are perfectly safe. (like if i forget to flush the toilet after cleaning it when the kids holler "MOMMY!!!, with the vinegar and baking soda I don't have to worry about the dog drinking from it)

I have also heard (not yet tried) that if you put a tablespoon of vinegar in the dogs water bowl, it is a natural flea repellant. (no more $40.00 for 3 months of frontline). I haven't been brave enough to try it since my daughter is severely allergic to fleas.

Baked on gunk in the bottom of the oven. It works great. make a paste out of baking soda and vinegar. Leave for a few minutes and wipe.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

We got ants real bad this spring and bug spray wasn't working because you can't spray it on counters, etc. I wiped my cabinets, countertops and all the walls in my house down with vinegar - just poured it from the bottle onto a washcloth and wiped them down. Problem solved :)

We have a puppy and have been housebreaking her. I'm going to shampoo the carpets this coming weekend but I am first going to spray them with vinegar to neutralize any "scent" she has left going potty.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from Chicago on

I have really only used it to clean glass, floors and in the laundry (especially my cloth diapers). But I have been wanting to learn about more ways to use it so I just ordered this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Vinegar-Various-Versatile-Probably-...
The same author also has one about baking soda that I got also.
Happy Cleaning!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.K.

answers from Dallas on

I used Apple cider vinegar to get the sticky sunscreen off my hair after our trip to the beach! My hair felt like straw before I used the vinegar on it!

I use distilled vinegar and water to clean my pergo floor. Works great without leaving a yucky residue.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.B.

answers from Atlanta on

I have a follow up question I've been wondering -do any of you who use it in your washer have the front loading, HE washers? I can't imagine it would hurt, but curious.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions