I never realized how many uses for vinegar there were until I went through almost two gallons in a week! (And it’s not even canning season yet!!)
I guess I’m not really that surprised, I had just never really thought about it much. Vinegar is not only a staple for cooking and canning, but seems to have a place just about anywhere you could think on the homestead!
I decided to compile a list so let’s start out with the kitchen!
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Uses For Vinegar In the Kitchen
Have stained dishes??
Maybe coffee or tea? Use a mixture of vinegar and salt to scrub them off.
How do you rinse your fruits and veggies?
I put my in the sink, fill with cool water and add a cup of vinegar. Allow them to sit for awhile and then rinse. The vinegar cleans them better than plain water and saves you from buying produce cleaner.
Clean and descale your coffee pot or Keurig.
Use a mixture of 50/50 water and vinegar to run through the tank. (We have hard water so it takes more than one tank.) Continue to do this until the mixture comes out without particles.
Clean your dishwasher.
Add vinegar to your empty dishwasher and run a cycle. For tough stains use a vinegar salt mixture to scrub them.
Make a vinaigrette.
Use different types of vinegar to make salad dressings or marinades! Try it out with this recipe for Pan Seared London Broil With Ginger Vegetables.
Potato Salad
There’s a HUGE secret to using vinegar in your potato salad! My mom filled me in a few years ago and I’ll never forget it! Check it out in this recipe for Chardonnay Dijon and Poppy Seed Potato Salad.
Perk up your wilted greens.
Add a splash of vinegar to a container of water and soak you greens in it. Rinse before eating and you won’t taste the vinegar.
Pickling!
You can pickle just about anything! Cucumbers, green beans, peppers, asparagus and even mushrooms. Or you could pickle eggs! Try these recipes that we love! Sweet Beet Pickled Eggs or Jalapeno Pickled Eggs.
Carolina Barbecue Sauce
When hubby got a smoker for Christmas he had to use it right away! His first go at it was a complete success with this Whiskey Apple Smoked Pork & Carolina Barbecue Sauce!
Coleslaw
To make that smoked pork even better, top it with this Garden Fresh Coleslaw With Tri-Colored Carrots!
How About Uses for Vinegar Around The House??
Make a household disinfectant.
Create a household disinfectant by combining 50/50 water and white vinegar. Add scent and other disinfectant properties by throwing in some citrus peels or herbs like rosemary!
Floor Cleaner
Using the same combination you can make a floor cleaner also (but I wouldn’t recommend it for hardwood.) I use this mixture with my Swiffer WetJet! Check out how I hacked it here!
Bathroom Dinfectant
Use white vinegar at full strength to combat bathroom germs.
Toilet Stains
Add white vinegar to your toilet bowl and allow it to soak for awhile to help scrub stains away!
Remove lime deposits from faucets.
Use a vinegar and salt paste to remove lime stains or rubber band a ziplock bag filled with white vinegar to the end of a faucet to soak and break up lime deposits.
Health and Beauty uses for vinegar.
Bug bites and stings.
Add a drop of Apple Cider Vinegar with a cotton ball to disinfect and take away pain and itchiness.
Facial cleanser/toner.
A mixture of 50/50 ACV and water can be used for oily skin! Just add it to a cotton pad and wipe your face to break up oil and build up on your skin. (I promise it only stinks for a minute!)
Hair Rinse.
Vinegar can also be used as a hair rinse! It breaks up all of the residual shampoo and some people even skip conditioner all together!
Uses for vinegar with our animals and pets.
Itchy dog spray!
Sometimes our pets get yeast infections on their skin and just CAN’T stop scratching or chewing. A mixture of 50/50 ACV and water sprayed on the coat can help with that!
ACV in animal water.
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of ACV per quart of water to animal water for a boosted immune system.
Litter box odor.
Seriously. The odor doesn’t just come from the litter. And it doesn’t scrub out with soap and water. But, soaking with straight white vinegar and rinsing clean will beat the odor.
Other Household And Homestead Uses For Vinegar
Clean old paint from paint brushes.
We’ve all done it, and hubby still gets mad at me for it. We’re in the middle of a painting project, the phone rings or something comes up and we decide to take a break.
Set down our paintbrush and forget to rinse it. Sorry hubs! Add vinegar to a pot and bring it to a simmer. Soak the brush and then rinse it clean.
Fabric Softener
Replace store bought fabric softener with white vinegar. Just add it to the softener compartment in your washing machine.
It breaks down the detergent better and leaves clothes softer. Not to mention no harsh chemicals or gunking up your water lines.
Brighten whites.
We have well water and that leaves our whites super dingy!
To refresh your whites add one cup of white vinegar to a large pot of water, boil, add your clothes, remove from the heat and allow them to soak overnight.
Natural weed killer.
To make your own pet safe weed killer, mix one gallon white vinegar, 1 cup of table salt and 2-3 Tablespoons of dish soap. Spray it on weed on a dry sunny day. (Be careful not to spray on plants you want to keep! It’s not a biased solution.)
Clean your windows.
A 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water is perfect for cleaning windows, and surprise, one less nasty chemical in your house!
Make a fruit fly trap.
Fruit flies drive me absolutely crazy! Especially in the summer with all the fresh produce on the counters! Pour ACV into a small cup. Take a sandwich bag, cut off a corner to make a small hole and place over the cup, to make a funnel and secure with a rubber band. The fruit flies will follow it and be trapped in the cup.