Your grandmother used it, so did your great-grandmother. It can be used in a multitude of ways: deodorant, disinfectant, cleaner and more. It is colourless, its smell evaporates quickly, and most importantly it's safe for you and the environment.

White vinegar is available in a range of concentrations, regular white vinegar has a concentration of 5% (5% vinegar to 95% water), but 12, 20 and even 30% are available. One of the most underrated cleaners is 12% vinegar + to prove it, we're talking about the variety of cleaning jobs that vinegar can be used in - from the kitchen to the garden.

Kitchen:

• Decalcify the dishwasher and make dishes shine - pour vinegar into the rinse-aid compartment of the dishwasher and run it for a short cycle
• Clean, disinfect and deodorize the microwave - fill a bowl 1/3 full with half and half mix of vinegar and water, microwave until boiling, leave bowl in microwave for 2 hours, wipe out interior
• Disinfect wood cutting boards - spray board with vinegar, leave 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly with water, wipe dry
• Disinfect the fridge - wipe the interior, shelves, drawers with a vinegar-soaked cloth
• Degrease cast iron pan - fill pan with water and 1/4 cup vinegar, leave overnight
• Disinfect fruit and vegetables - wash in water with a few drops of vinegar
• Remove grime from kitchen cupboards - wipe the greasy/grime off cupboards with a soft cloth and vinegar, wipe with water, be sure to leave dry

Around the House:

• Decalcify the showerhead - soak the showerhead in a bowl filled with vinegar to remove limescale 
• Remove lime and soap residue from the washing machine - run machine with 2 cups of vinegar
• Polish copper - mix equal parts lemon juice and vinegar, rub copper, follow with clean, dry cloth
• Clean porcelain tiles and grout - spray full-strength vinegar on tiles and grout (kitchen and bathroom), leave for an hour, scrub off with a brush (don't use on natural stone or marble)
• Remove hard water stains - soak or spray vinegar onto stains on your toilet bowl, bathtub or sink, clean with appropriate brush
• Remove odours from fabric - soak clothes in a mix 1/3 cup vinegar with 2/3 cup water, soak for 20 minutes, rub, wash normally
• To soften clothes, pour 30ml in the softener dispenser
• Keep cut flowers fresh longer - combine 2Tbsp vinegar, 1tsp sugar, 1 cup water, add flowers (double or triple mix for larger vases)

Car Care:

• Remove an unwanted bumper sticker - spray bumper sticker with vinegar to loosen sticker, repeat a few times
• Clean car windows - spray mix of water and vinegar on the windows, wipe clean
• Deodorize - spray diluted vinegar and wipe vinyl surfaces, spray undiluted on fabric (deodorizes and evaporates odourless)
• Keep windows frost-free - wipe windows with diluted vinegar in the winter to keep windows frost-free

Garden:

• To kill weeds above the soil level fill a spray bottle with vinegar and a teaspoon of dish liquid. On a hot, dry day spray weeds until saturated and they will wilt and shrivel up within a few hours. The vinegar will not harm the soil, so you can replant in the same area once the weeds have died.
• To get rid of weeds in walkways and other areas permanently, mix 1-1/2 cups of ordinary table salt with 3 litres of vinegar. Shake until the salt dissolves as much as possible, then add 1 teaspoon of dish liquid. Pour into a spray bottle, avoiding any undissolved salt. Spray weeds on a hot, dry, sunny day. It might take multiple applications, but eventually the salt will penetrate the soil preventing anything from growing there for the foreseeable future.

So many places and ways to use vinegar, it's tempting to think there's nothing it can't do. But, there are some places not to use it: 

• Frosted glass – it removes the etching
• Limestone, natural stone or marble worktops or tiles
• Metal plated surfaces where the plating is already peeling
• Waxed wood furnishings, vinegar dissolves the wax 
• Raw egg spills - the vinegar coagulates the egg proteins making it even harder to clean up
• Don't use bleach in the washing machine with vinegar, the combination makes a toxic gas, yikes!
• Hardwood floors - vinegar can strip the finish

Vinegar really is an underrated, versatile cleaner. With all it's uses, and it's low cost (it's even cheaper to get it in refill), we give vinegar 5/5 stars.

Lets Take Care,

🌲 Pine Boutique