by Jeff Roberts
(NaturalBlaze.com) It’s a smell we are all too familiar with – the pungent, acidic odor which many of us associate with ballpark fries and battered halibut. Vinegar, a simple but handy ingredient which has yielded many interesting uses throughout mankind’s civilized days.
[Sponsor Links: Colloidal Gold, SAMe ]
The active ingredient in vinegar is the corrosive acetic acid, which makes up about 5% of the useful solution and is made by the fermentation of acetic acid bacteria and the subsequent oxidation of ethanol. Besides the conventional uses of vinegar with food, it also has a ton of non-conventional uses.
Perhaps you’d be surprised to find out that vinegar can act as an anti-frost for your car windows, or that vinegar can be used to magnificently brighten gold jewelry? Here is a list of 24 ingenious uses for vinegar:
Cool Uses For Around The House
1) Coffee maker cleaner – Vinegar can be used to thoroughly clean the hard build up in coffee makers, just run the vinegar through along with a subsequent water cycle and bravo!
2) Carpet stains – A mixture of 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar in a pint of lukewarm water will remove non-oily stains from carpets. Apply it to the stain with a soft brush or towel and rub gently. Rinse with a towel moistened with clean water and blot dry. Repeat this procedure until the stain is gone.
3) Mirror cleaner – Cleaning your mirrors with vinegar will leave them glossy and gleaming – plus, you won’t be putting harmful window cleaning ingredients into the air or environment.
4) Water marks on wood – Rubbing an equal solution of vinegar and olive oil will remove those finicky water glass/alcohol stains on wood tables or bars. Make sure to go along with the wood grains.
5) Cleaning microwaves – Microwaving a bowl containing ¼ cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water with break up nasty build-up inside your microwave. Tip: Adding lemon makes for a fresher smelling finish.
6) Deodorizing the sink – Pouring a cup of vinegar down your sink once every week or so will eliminate that funky odor emanating from its depths.
7) Disinfecting wood cutting boards – Wiping down your cutting board with vinegar after handling contaminants is sure fired way of killing pesky bacteria and viruses.
8) Toilet cleaner – Acetic acid is strong enough to kill most of the commonly found germs in your household. The key is to use hot water and lots of elbow grease to wipe away any organic material.
9) Decalcifying your showerhead – Corrosion may be removed from showerheads or faucets by soaking them in white distilled vinegar overnight. This may be easily accomplished by saturating a terry cloth towel in vinegar and wrapping it around the showerhead or faucet.
10) Kill weeds and unwanted grass – Pouring/spraying full strength vinegar on grass or weeds will halt their growth in no time.
11) Fresher flowers – Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a 1-quart vase of water. Trim stems and change water every five days.
12) Removing old annoying stickers – Wiping down any no-longer wanted stickers or price tags with vinegar will quickly get them off and out of your way.