White vinegar can be used in place of many harsh chemicals, whether as an all-purpose spray, a polish, or a fabric softener. It has natural deodorizing, mineral-removing, and grime-softening properties, making it the perfect environmentally friendly cleaner.
Take a look at these 19 amazing vinegar cleaning hacks to make your home both cleaner and fresher!
Grills inevitably become covered in charred, and, well, gunk. This can be really difficult to scrub off. Fortunately, you can make the task a lot easier with some good, old-fashioned white vinegar.
All that you need to do is mix equal parts vinegar and water. Spray the mixture onto the grill. After 10-15 minutes, the gunk will be much easier to wipe off.
Diffusers can get a bit mildewy after a while, or simply start to smell a bit funky from all of the accumulated odor.
You can freshen your diffuser by running vinegar and water through it. Just fill the diffuser about halfway with water and add about a teaspoon of white vinegar.
Allow the diffuser to run for a few minutes, so the mixture has time to saturate it. Then, empty the diffuser and replace it with clean water.
Vinegar has the remarkable ability to fluff, soften, and brighten clothes. Simply add ½ cup to where you would normally add fabric softener.
As a bonus, it will clean out your washer!
When it comes to shining your dishes, vinegar is nothing short of a miracle worker. For streaks that dishwasher detergent can’t seem to remove, place a bowl of vinegar in the bottom of your dishwasher.
From here, it will be evenly distributed over the dishes during the dishwasher’s cycle. Once the load is done and dried, your dishes will be shinier than ever!
A gentle way to clean jewelry is a combination of water, dish soap, and vinegar. You will need roughly 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 2-3 drops of dish soap.
Place your jewelry in the solution to soak. After 30 min, any grime or mineral deposits should be much easier to wipe off.
If you live somewhere with a lot of snow, you may have experienced salt-stained boots in the winter. These can be a pain to remove with just soap and water.
The secret ingredient is vinegar; it can make the stains literally disappear!
Water splashing from the sink and even toothpaste splats, tend to leave streaks on the bathroom mirror. For a natural, low-cost cleaner, spray your mirrors with 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar.
Let sit for a moment, and wipe away while it’s still wet. The mirrors should be much shinier.
Do you know what is always an annoyance? Sticker gunk! This can be a real hassle to remove from countertops, floors, dishware, etc.
Luckily, you can soak the stickers in equal parts of vinegar and water, and they should come right off.
If your pots and pans have baked-on food that you dread to scrub, create a mixture of 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Fill any dirty pots with this and give it around 5-7 minutes to boil.
This will soften the food up and make scrubbing much easier!
No one likes shower curtain mildew, but it’s almost certain to show up sometime in your shower. This is because warmth and humidity create the ideal environment for it.
Nip shower curtain mildew in the bud by applying a weekly solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
To polish your silver, let it soak in a mixture of 1 part water to 3 parts vinegar.
Leave it for a few hours, wipe it gently clean, and it will have regained some of its lovely luster.
Vinegar is a renowned deodorizer. On your carpet, food and pets will leave behind stains and odor.
Make quick work of these with 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
As it dries, the vinegar will take the odor with it (and cease to smell, itself).
Considering that showerheads pour water directly onto you, you may not be too eager to introduce harsh chemicals, even when they become a bit water scummy. Luckily, you don’t have to, with this vinegar cleaning hack!
Just place the showerhead in a bag of vinegar and tie it off. Allow it to soak for a couple of hours, and then remove it from the bag. Your showerhead should be cleaner than ever!
The natural tag-team for cleaning out a drain? Baking soda and white vinegar. First, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. Follow this with a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar that’s been diluted with 1 cup of water.
Pop in the drain plug and wait about 10 minutes. Pour another pot of boiling water down the drain, and it should be nice and clear!
One of the greatest mysteries of the universe is how to clean a coffee maker. It’s impossible to get into all the nooks and crannies properly. Instead of struggling to scrub it out with soap, simply brew a pot of vinegar.
As the vinegar moves through the coffee maker, it will clean it out nicely. Afterward, wash out any residual vinegar taste with a couple of runs of plain water.
To clean your windows without harsh chemicals, combine 1 part vinegar and 10 parts water.
Give the windows a spray with the mixture, allow it to sit a moment, and then wipe the streaks and watermarks away with a soft, lint-free towel (such as microfiber).
Did you know that you can use vinegar to freshen the toilet bowls in your home? Simply spray or pour undiluted white vinegar on the inside of the bowl.
Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes, and then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. This will do wonders when it comes to getting rid of both grime and odor!
You can use white vinegar to make a gentle all-purpose cleaner. All that you need to do is fill a spray bottle with ½ cup vinegar and 2 cups of water.
You can also add a bit of castile soap and your choice of essential oil (like lemon or lavender).
Removing paint from old brushes can be a bit harsh on the brushes themselves. To rejuvenate the brushes while removing paint, substitute harsh cleaning chemicals with equal parts white vinegar and hot water.
Just place the dirty brushes in the mixture for roughly 30 minutes to soak. Afterward, the brushes should be considerably cleaner - and softer!
So, what do you think? Have you heard of any of these vinegar cleaning hacks?
You can use vinegar to clean and deodorize many aspects of your home, and unlike harsh chemicals, it’s gentle and all-natural!