Vinegar Makes a Great Household Cleaner

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Try using natural products like white vinegar to clean and sanitize your home and you’ll get your home sparkling clean, while saving money and doing your part to save the environment and your family, including pets, from harsh chemicals. Be sure to use high quality white vinegar since some lower priced brands are made with petroleum which is hazardous. Here are a few suggestions for using white vinegar to cut grease and remove mildew, odors, and stains in your home…

  • All-Purpose Cleaner: Mix ½ cup vinegar and ¼ cup baking soda into ½ gallon water. Store and keep. Use for removal of water deposit stains on shower stall panels, bathroom chrome fixtures, windows, bathroom mirrors, etc.
  • Remove coffee stains on mugs and coffee pots by wiping white vinegar over the spot and rinse clean.
  • Remove labels or sticky glue reside by wiping with white vinegar.
  • Grind white vinegar ice cubes in your garbage disposal to deodorize and sharpen blades.
  • Pour white vinegar into your toilet bowl, let sit for 10 minutes and flush to remove stains and bacteria.
  • Boil white vinegar and pour down clogged drains to unstop pipes.
  • Prevent cooking odors by simmering 1 tbsp vinegar in 1 cup water on the stove while cooking. To get smells like fish and onion off utensils and cutting boards, wipe them with vinegar and wash in soapy water.
  • Carpet stains: Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water. For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix ¼ cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum.
  • To clean a teakettle or coffee maker, add 2 cups water and ¼ cup white vinegar; bring to a boil. Let cool, wipe with a clean cloth and rinse thoroughly with water.
  • Add vinegar when washing towels rather than bleach to clean and sanitize.
  • Clean vinyl and linoleum floors: mix 1 cup vinegar and a few drops of baby oil in 1 gallon warm water. For tough jobs, add ¼ cup borox. Use sparingly on linoleum. For wood, apply a thin coat of 1:1 vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well. For brick and stone tiles: mix 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon (4L) water; rinse with clear water. Most floor surfaces can be easily cleaned using a solution of vinegar and water. For damp-mopping wood floors: mix equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and water. Add 15 drops of pure peppermint oil; shake to mix.
  • Reduce lime deposits in your teakettle by putting in ½ cup white vinegar and 2 cups water, and gently boiling for a few minutes. Rinse well with fresh water while kettle is still warm.
  • Clean metals such as: 
    • Brass or Bronze: polish with a soft cloth dipped in a vinegar and salt solution. 
    • Chrome: polish with vinegar, copper, with a cotton rag soaked in a pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar. 
    • Copper: apply to copper while hot; let cool, then wipe clean. 
    • Gold: clean with toothpaste, or a paste of salt, vinegar, and flour. 
    • Stainless Steel: clean with a cloth dampened with undiluted white vinegar.