10 different uses for Vinegar….

I’m pretty sure that a lot of you will already know that vinegar isn’t just for sprinkling on your chips, but did you know just how much you can do with it?

Vinegar has been used for thousands of years and has so many different uses around the house that it’s impossible to cover them all in just one post so I’m not even going to try although I am going to tell you what I think the top ten uses for vinegar are.  It’s chemical free and because of it’s acidity it’s great for getting rid of germs and bacteria.

• Clean your microwave by mixing 1/2 cup full of white vinegar with 1/2 cup water in a microwave proof bowl.  You just need to gently bring it to the boil inside the microwave and you’ll find that all of the dried on food will be loosened and any lingering smells will just disappear. Wipe clean with a damp cloth and you’ll have a sparkling microwave again.

• Clean a dirty showerhead by mixing 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 cup white vinegar into a sandwich bag and fastening it around the showerhead. Leave in place for an hour or so after the bubbling has stopped and then you can remove the bag.  Turn on the water and wipe over with a damp cloth and you should have a lovely sparkly shower.  FYI – add the vinegar at the last second before tying the bag on to the showerhead as it will froth. A lot 😉

• I know this would have been handier earlier in the Summer but you can get rid of those annoying little fruit flies by filling a small dish of white vinegar and putting it somewhere near where they are.

• Avoid that awful smell when you heat up an oven for the first time after you’ve just cleaned it by ending your clean with a wipe using a cloth soaked in diluted white vinegar.

• Make your cut flowers last longer and give any wilting ones new life by adding 2 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the water in your vase.

• Get rid of weeds that grow in the cracks of your path of driveway by pouring white vinegar on them.

• Clean any grubbly looking dishcloths by boiling 1 cup of white vinegar in a large pan of water.  Once it’s boiling, drop in the cloths and then leave to soak overnight.

• Clean a drain by pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda down the plug hole followed by 1 cup of vinegar.  Leave it for five to ten minutes and then rinse away with cold water.

• When you’re poaching eggs, add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the water to help your eggs hold together and if you’re boiling eggs, add a teaspoon of white vinegar to the boiling water to help prevent the eggs from cracking.  It makes them easier to peel too!
• Wipe your nails with white vinegar and let it dry before you put on nail varnish and it should make your varnish last longer.

There you go then, there’s your ten for today although if you have any other uses, I’d love to hear about them!

Just to add, I know that there are lots of different types of vinegar but white vinegar is (in my opinion) the best vinegar to use for all of the ideas above.