Vinegar, so much more than salad dressing...

Vinegars are made by adding a special bacteria called Acetobacter aceti to diluted wine, ale, or fermented fruits or grains. This creates acetic acid, which gives the liquid a sour flavor. Vinegar is excellent around the house for everything from cleaning linoleum to removing laundry stains.

Unopened, most vinegars will last for about two years in a cool, dark pantry. Once opened, vinegar should be used up within three to six months.

Vinegar Saves The Day!

household cleaners

All Purpose Cleaner

2 T white vinegar
1 quart water

Use like any commercial cleaner. Add borax when scrubbing power is needed.

Floors
Linoleum cleaner:1 cup white vinegar in 2 gallons of water. Add sour milk or skim milk to rinse water and shine floor. Polish with club soda.

Tough floor stains: Apply undiluted white vinegar directly on stain.

Floor wax remover: Cover floor with a thick coat of washing soda and water paste. Let dry completely before scrubbing it off. Add vinegar to the rinse water to help pick up the residue.

Annie's Floor Wax
1 cup food-grade linseed oil
4 tablespoons carnauba wax
2 tablespoons beeswax
½ cup vinegar
a few drops of food-grade essential oil (optional)

Place all of the above in a saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring occasionally to blend.
When thoroughly melted, pour into a heatproof bowl and let harden. Remove the hardened wax from the bowl and rub the cake on the floor. Saturate a soft rag with vinegar using either fresh vinegar or the residue from the wax at the bottom of the bowl. With the vinegar soaked rag, rub and polish the wax into the floor.

Carpet cleaner: Mix 1/8 cup salt with 1/4 cup vinegar. Rub on rug with a sponge. Let dry. Vacuum thoroughly.

Glass Cleaner: Add ¼ cup vinegar to 1 quart warm water and put in a spray bottle.
Spray windows, rub with a clean rag and dry with newspapers.

Metal
Chrome: Rub with a rag, dampened with vinegar. Wipe with a water-wet rag and polish with a soft cloth.

Brass and Copper: Make a paste of vinegar and salt, or vinegar and baking soda. Rub on with a soft cloth, rinse with water and dry.

Woodwork: Mix 1 Tbs. white vinegar and 1 quart lukewarm water in an empty jar. Rub dull and cloudy woodwork and furniture with a soft cloth moistened with this solution. Buff with a soft, dry cloth.

White rings left by wet glasses: Rub with a mixture of equal parts of olive oil and white vinegar and they will disappear.

Scratches on dark brown wood: Put a few drops of vinegar in a small bowl. Add enough iodine to approximate the color. Rub into scratch with a cloth or toothpick.

Drains: Pour boiling water down each drain every week or two to prevent build-up.
For slow drains, pour one cup each of baking soda, salt and vinegar down the drain. wait 15 minutes. Flush drain thoroughly with boiling water.

For stubborn blockages, use a mechanical drain opener such as a plunger or “snake.”

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laundry tips

Graying laundry: Add ¼ cup of vinegar to the wash cycle.

Fabric softener and anti-cling: Add ¼ cup vinegar to the wash cycle.

Perspiration stains: Sponge stains with a weak solution of white vinegar and water. Launder as usual.

Wine or cola stains: Within 24 hours, apply white vinegar directly to stain. Wash and dry according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Berry, juice, grass, coffee, and tea stains: Soak in vinegar.

Scorch marks: Rub lightly with white vinegar, then wipe with a clean cloth.

Chewing gum: Rub full-strength vinegar onto the gum.

Baby clothes: To break down ammonia and remove irritating soap residues, add one cup of white vinegar to each wash load during the rinse cycle.

Non-colorfast clothes: Immerse bright colored fabrics in full-strength white vinegar before washing. Follow manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Test first on an inconspicuous spot.

Washing machine freshener: Once a month pour one cup of white vinegar into your machine and run through the normal cycle, without clothes. Soap residues and musty smells will vanish.

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miscellaneous uses

Shoes
Leather cleaner: Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of alcohol, ½ teaspoon vegetable oil, and ¼ teaspoon vegetable-based liquid soap in a bowl or jar. Saturate a sponge or cloth with the mixture and wash the leather. This works on shoes as well as on other leather goods.

Winter salt stains: Pour undiluted white vinegar on a damp cloth. Wipe spotted areas, then polish with a soft rag.

Hair Brushes:Soak hairbrush overnight in a bowl with ¼ cup vinegar and enough water to cover. The next morning the residue can be wiped out with a clean rag or swab.

Recipes taken from: Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise by Debra Lynn Dadd © 1990; Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond © 1990; and various brochures.

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