5 Ways To Use Vinegar

My friend and fellow blogger wrote a post last week here on AOM about her 5 favorite ways to use Apple Cider Vinegar. It’s a great post and if you didn’t read it, you can check it out here! That post inspired me to share all the ways we use regular distilled white vinegar! We go through a lot of vinegar in this house. It is a frugal substitute for many household products and it is safer too!

I am really sensitive to strong smells in cleaners and I have sensitive skin so I have to be careful about what I use! I started using vinegar for a few things and then I quickly discovered more and more ways to use it!

It is definitely a household staple for us!

Here Are 5 Ways We Use Distilled White Vinegar On A Regular Basis

1. In the laundry- Vinegar can help clean and deodorize your laundry! I add it in with towels all the time and I even add it in with our clothes too! Usually, I just add it right in the washer and use laundry detergent as well. I have read that you can use vinegar in place of detergent but I have not tried that. I have also heard that you can add it in to your fabric softener dispenser to use it as a fabric softener. If you have a pet, vinegar in the wash can help get the pet hair off your clothes. This is because it helps loosen fabrics and soften pet hair.
2. As a cleaner- I make my own cleaner using vinegar, lemon juice, and water. Mix it together in a spray bottle and use it on counter tops, floors, windows, mirrors, just about anything. (Be sure to label the bottle with what the cleaner is made of.) I really like this because my daughter loves to help me clean and I don’t have to worry about her using the cleaner when I’m cleaning with vinegar, lemon juice, and water! I don’t have exact measurements for the cleaner recipe but we use a 2:1 vinegar to water ratio. (EX: 2/3 cup vinegar to 1/3 cup water) We just add a splash of lemon juice (mostly for the scent)!
3. For the shower- We keep another spray bottle of 2:1 vinegar to water solution (skip the lemon juice for this) in our bathroom cabinet. Every time we get out of the shower, we spray a little bit of the vinegar solution in the shower. Focus particularly on the shelves and places that mold and mildew tend to form. Doing this keeps our shower SO much cleaner. Which means I have to clean it less often and it requires far less effort when cleaning it!
4. As a bug repellent- Most insects do not like vinegar so in a pinch you can use your cleaning solution as a bug repellent as well. We had those tiny pavement ants in our house one time and we sprayed the area with vinegar and it completely took care of the issue!
5. To clean fruit- When I get home from the store, I soak my fruits (particularly berries) in water with a splash of vinegar. You don’t need much because you don’t want your fruits to taste like vinegar but a little bit goes a long way in getting them clean and keeping them fresher longer. After soaking them in the water and vinegar for a minute or two, I rinse them with water and lay them flat on paper towels. Let them dry before storing them in the refrigerator! (Side note: Store them in a container that has a lid. Put the berries in the container, put a paper towel on top of them and then put the lid on. Store the container upside down in the refrigerator. This will allow all the water to drain to the paper towel instead of the berries sitting in it.)

I’d love to hear from you! What is your favorite way to use vinegar?

Amanda Sharratt

Amanda is a wife and a mom. She loves coffee and everything pumpkin spice (especially together!) She is also a Financial Coach that is a spender at heart. She has found a way to balance spending and saving and she shares all the details on her personal finances + lifestyle blog at AmandaSharratt.com.