Beyond Condiment: 10 Household Uses for Vinegar

In past blogs, we have written about the double-duty wonder of many items that you likely already have lining your pantry shelves.

In today’s installment, we will zero in on one of those items- that clear gold (when it comes to multipurpose use while staying on a budget) that is likely already in your cupboard: white vinegar.

Condiment and Cleaner

Vinegar is hands-down the best bang-for-your buck item you can get from the grocery store. Only a few dollars for a giant container, vinegar is widely used in industrial and professional settings (the go-to cleaner often for restaurants) so you know it works reliably.

You likely are already familiar with the organic cleaning power of vinegar, but here are some uses that you may not already have thought of.

Remove odours

White vinegar is like a catch all for lingering odours in your home. Made a particularly fragrant fish dinner? Cooked up a bacon feast? Did the neighbourhood skunk pass by your windows?

Place bowls of white vinegar at various locations in the effected rooms in the house. Over a couple of hours, that vinegar will magically absorb all those unpleasant odours!

Clean blinds and window coverings

Venetian blinds are notoriously fussy to clean well, but also catch an awful lot of dirt and dust over time.

Simply dip the fingers of a thin, cotton glove in vinegar, and run your fingers over the slats of the blinds. Your fingers can get into the nooks and crannies more effectively than a cleaning brush or cloth and the vinegar will loosen and release the grime.

Stainless steel

Do you have streaky stainless steel appliances, kitchen sink or fixtures?  Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar, mist and wipe in a circular motion with a microfiber cloth.

Hardwood floors

Mix equal parts vinegar water and sprinkle across your hardwood floor. Mop up with a microfiber mop (with washable cloth cover). You’ll be surprised at how effective (and unstreaky) this is in high traffic areas.

Polish silverware, brass etc.

Make a paste with vinegar and salt, grab your toothbrush and polish out tarnished spots on silverware, copper and brass.

Unglue price tags etc.

Gunk and residue remaining from where you removed price tags? Your lovely toddler covered the walls of his room with stickers?

Saturate the area with vinegar and let sit for a while. Gently scrape away the sticker or glue residue.

Hockey bags/ lunch boxes

Hockey moms unite! Does your kid’s lunch box/hockey bag/ any other enclosed container smell to high heaven?

Soak a piece of bread in white vinegar and let it sit in the offensive container overnight.

Clean out the Microwave

Icky spill in the microwave? Fill a bowl with equal parts vinegar and water. Heat water for several minutes until reaching a full boil (likely between 5-10 minutes, depending on your microwave) to loosen food residue. Wipe clean with damp cloth.

Spotty wine glasses ?

Soak a paper towel until it is saturated with straight white vinegar. Wrap paper towel tightly around the inside and outside of glass and secure at the stem. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes, and then rinse clean.

No need for dryer sheets

Instead of spending money on dryer sheets or fabric softener, add a half a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to neutralize static in the dryer.