Saving money and efficiently cleaning your home may feel impossible. But did you know that you can use a kitchen staple to clean many, many things in your house? In fact, there are hundreds of things to clean with vinegar but I tend to use it to clean the same things, time and time again.
Where should I use vinegar?
Not sure how to use vinegar in your cleaning routine?
It depends on how you apply it:
- Spray is best for hard surfaces like ceramic tiles, kitchen worktops, sinks etc., but not good for your skin or clothes. Make sure you always wear gloves when using vinegar!
- Soaking is great for removing stubborn stains from textiles such as towels or clothing. You’ll get the best results when you soak your items overnight.
10 Things to Clean with Vinegar
Stinky Toilets
Vinegar is a great natural cleaner for your bathroom, especially the toilet.
Mix together equal parts of vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spritz onto your toilet bowl. Scrub with old newspaper until clean, wipe dry with paper towel or use a cloth. Vinegar can also be used to unblock drains by pouring down the drain, followed by boiling water. For an extra scrub, pour some baking soda into the drain first before pouring the vinegar.
Be careful! It can be very hot if you don’t do it right away or you may accidentally scold yourself!
Sticky drawers
If your kitchen drawers aren’t sliding as freely as they used to, spray them with vinegar then wipe with a clean cloth. It will remove the grime and help allow the drawers to move more easily.
Clean your glass
Vinegar is also great for glass!
Spray on your windows or mirrors, leave for 15 minutes and then wipe clean with newspaper.
Alternately, fill a 500mL spray bottle with water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to give your windows an extra shine.
Polish cutlery
Cleaning your metal cutlery can be really hard but not if you use vinegar!
Pour some into a bowl and soak the cutlery overnight, after which it should be shiny enough. If it’s not super shiny, you can still give it a little scrub. You can even do this with silver cutlery, although vinegar may discolor the metal.
Clean your fridge
If you’re on a budget, clean your refrigerator with vinegar and baking soda to remove odors plus keep it smelling fresh.
Simply mix 1 tablespoon of each in a bowl, then wipe over all areas of the fridge, including shelves and drawers.
Focus particularly on spills that have begun to stain.
Prevent mold
Mold can be very hard to get rid of!
However, by pouring a vinegar solution through the shower head or around bathroom cupboard corners, you can prevent future mold from appearing.
Pour 50mL white vinegar into a spray bottle, followed by 500mL water, then shake well before spraying.
Polish hardwood floors
You can easily polish your wood floors with vinegar, preferably on a day when nobody will be walking around on it as the smell while drying isn’t very nice!
Try mixing a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar in a bucket then using old rags to wipe over the floor. You can also use a microfiber mop to clean hardwood floors but remember to change the cleaning pads often.
Remove stains on clothes
White vinegar can be used to remove stains from both new and older clothes.
Simply dab some onto the stain and leave it for an hour or so before washing.
If you’ve got particularly stubborn stains, sprinkle some baking soda over the top before washing.
Get rid of odors on fabric
Have you ever bought a new piece of furniture but just couldn’t get rid of that fabric smell?
You can easily remove it with vinegar by wiping equal amounts over all areas, focusing on the inside and underneath if you’ve not already done so.
Leave for 5 minutes then wipe clean with paper towel or cloth.
Polish stainless steel
Shine up your stainless steel pots and utensils using vinegar!
Simply soak in a bowl filled with an equal 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar for 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
It should be shiny enough afterwards, but you can also dry it with a paper towel.
There are lots of things to clean with vinegar but this is just a short list that we use in our own busy home!
With this list of things to clean with vinegar, you’ll be amazed at how cheaply you can clean your whole house. From clothes to floors, you can clean it all!
Vinegar is rather acidic and can also be mildly corrosive, so treat it accordingly. Handle it carefully, just like you would with bleach. Don’t pour undiluted vinegar onto your skin. If you do get it on your skin, wash immediately with soap and plenty of water.
Cleaning with vinegar will help you to better care for your furniture and appliances while saving you money over time!
