32 Brilliant White Vinegar Uses Around the Home

I recently started to research white vinegar uses in the home and discovered there are so many ways to use white vinegar – especially when it comes to cleaning.

Instead of buying expensive cleaning products, I’ve been able to replace almost every cleaner in my home with white vinegar.

a person behind the glass shower door holding a yellow rug wiping the glass door

Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a bottle of white vinegar and check out all of the uses it has.

32 Brilliant Uses for White Vinegar

1. Soften cuticles.

Soak nails in undiluted white vinegar for five minutes.

2. Whiten grout.

a tile being cleaned using a toothbrush with white vinegar

Dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and scrub the grout lines.

3. Clean shower doors.

Mix ½ cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, ¼ cup baking soda, and one gallon of warm water. Spray on doors and then wipe with a microfiber cloth.

4. Disinfect toilet bowls.

Pour two cups of white vinegar into the toilet bowl and let it soak overnight before flushing.

5. Clean the microwave.

Wipe the inside of the microwave with a warmed up mixture of white vinegar and lemon juice.

6. Sanitize a humidifier.

Soak pieces of a humidifier in a vinegar solution to sanitize it. If your humidifier is the kind with the globe just pour in some vinegar, swish it around, and rinse.

7. Clean the showerhead.

Mix a solution of 1/3 cup of baking soda to one cup of vinegar.

Pour the solution into a plastic bag and attach to the showerhead so it is soaking in the solution. Remove the solution and scrub with a toothbrush.

8. De-stink the garbage disposal.

Mix a cup of baking soda, a cup of vinegar, and hot water. Pour it down the disposal.

9. Clean your coffee machine.

Run a full pot of white vinegar through the coffee machine. Once it’s clean, run at least two cycles with plain water.

10. Soothe the sunburn.

Using a washcloth or a cotton ball, dab undistilled vinegar directly on the burn to take the sting out.

11. Brighten laundry.

Add ½ cups white vinegar to the washing machine along with the regular detergent.

12. Stop reds from running.

Soak clothes in a few cups of undiluted white vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes before their first washing.

13. Whiten socks.

Add 1 cup of vinegar to 1 ½ quarts water in a large pot. Bring the solution to a boil, pour it in a bucket, and allow the socks to soak overnight.

14. Get yellow out of clothes.

Soak the clothes overnight in a solution of 12 parts warm water to 1 part vinegar. Then, wash the clothes as usual.

15. Deodorize pet accidents.

Blot up any excess moisture from the carpet. Sprinkle baking soda on the area, then spray with vinegar. Scrub the mixture with a scrub brush. Allow it to dry and vacuum up the residue.

16. Cleaning your refrigerator.

Make up a half water, half white vinegar solution for a cheap and effective way to clean your fridge walls and shelves.

17. Remove unsightly toilet staining.

Empty a cup of white vinegar into your toilet bowl and leave it overnight, then give the bowl a vigorous scrub with a toilet brush.

18. Weed killer.

Fill a spray bottle with a half water/half vinegar solution for an effective weed killer. Apply directly to the weed and take care not to spray the mixture on any plant you want to keep. More homemade ways to kill weeds here.

19. Eliminate tough carpet stains.

A glass spilled its colored liquid on carpet

Mix a tablespoon of white vinegar with a tablespoon of cornstarch and apply directly to the stain with a dry cloth. You’ll need to wait about 48 hours before vacuuming the area.

20. Taking the sting out of insect bites.

Dab a cotton bud into a pure solution of white vinegar then apply directly to the insect bite. The vinegar will eliminate the itchiness with the added benefit of helping disinfect the area, meaning your bites will heal faster.

21. Whiten Teeth.

Once a week, you can brush your teeth with white vinegar to help eliminate stained teeth. Just dip your toothbrush in white vinegar and then brush for the recommended two minutes.

22. Remove gum from hair and fabrics.

Heat some white vinegar in the microwave, until warm, then pour over the gum-affected area. The warm vinegar will dissolve the gum.

23. Clean crayon marks from walls.

Use white vinegar and a toothbrush to remove crayon marks from your walls. Dip your toothbrush into the vinegar and then lightly scrub the area. This will also work with ballpoint pen marks!

24. Cleaning Venetian blinds.

Use a cotton glove dipped in white vinegar to clean your Venetian blinds. Just run the glove along your slats periodically stopping to clean the glove in water, then re-apply the vinegar.

25. Shine your Silverware.

Soak your silverware in a mixture of a ½ cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda for a few hours, then rinse with cold water. Next, polish your silverware with a soft dry cloth.

26. Peeling off Wallpaper.

Make a solution of half white vinegar, half water and put it into a spray bottle. Heavily spray the wallpaper with your solution then leave it to soak for a few minutes.

The wallpaper should peel easily off the wall. If your wallpaper is stubbornly sticking to its guns, re-apply the solution and scour the paper with a wallpaper scraper.

27. Softening Paint Brushes.

Soak your stiff paint brushes in hot white vinegar for 10 minutes then wash out with water for soft, like-new paint brushes.

28. Clean Your Washing Machine

Pour three cups of white vinegar into your washing machine and let it sit for half an hour. Leave the vinegar in the machine and then run your empty washer on its longest hot cycle.

Related: Can You Use Dishwasher Cleaner in the Washing Machine?

29. Remove paint from concrete

Yes, that’s right. The acid in vinegar helps to break down and remove paint stains from concrete – you can learn more in this article: Will Vinegar Remove Paint From Concrete?

30. Remove mold from curtains

molds on yellow cloth

White vinegar can be used to remove mold from your curtains. Don’t believe us? Check out our article here: Will Vinegar Remove Mold From Curtains?

31. Kill maggots

Yep, it’s true. Vinegar and hot water can be used to kill maggots if you are looking for a non-toxic way of getting rid of maggots.

That said, a more effective method of getting rid of maggots is with bleach – if you can stand the smell.

32. Clean your car

Strong enough to remove the toughest of muds and dust, white vinegar is the perfect solution for cleaning your car – even if you have a car that birds love to poop on.

The acid can help break down the uric acid in bird poop. Mix equal parts of vinegar and water together to create a cleaning solution that you can spray on the car. Let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off.

As you can see there are so many ways to use vinegar in your home. I’m sure I’m missing some. Feel free to share your tips for using vinegar in the comments.

Related:

A bottle filled with clear liquid and text overlays that read 32 brilliant white vinegar uses around the home

 

 

About Emma

Hey there! I'm Emma. When I'm not wrangling kids I like to walk aimlessly around hardware stores and watch HGTV for hours on end.

9 thoughts on “32 Brilliant White Vinegar Uses Around the Home”

    • I use 1/3 cup of baking soda to 1 cup of vinegar to clean the showerhead. You can use less (with the rough 1:3 ratio) if your showerhead is the detachable kind you can place inside a shallow bowl.

      Reply
  1. I have been using some of these hacks for decades. Didn’t know there so many other ways to use vinegar and baking soda. But believe me, I will try as many as I need. Thanks

    Reply
  2. I had no idea that vinegar could be used for so many things! I love the idea of using baking soda and vinegar to clean shower heads — the shower heads in my bathroom are so dirty, so I’m going to try that out. My carpet cleaner actually told me about using vinegar and baking soda to remove pet urine stains and it’s been a lifesaver!

    Reply
  3. When my toilet was plugged up I tried everything then read.a tip on the internet up use vinegar and baking soda yea.it worked! Anyone need a snake?

    Reply

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