vinegar

Cleaning with Condiments



You’ve heard of cleaning with baking soda, cleaning with lemon, even cleaning with toothpaste, but cleaning with condiments? That’s right. Read on!

Ketchup for Copper
Apply the ketchup to a rag and rub onto tarnished copper or brass cookware. Let sit for a minute and then buff clean and rinse. The acidity of the ketchup will help lift and remove tarnish and return pots to their shiny state.

Don’t Hold the Mayo
Sure, the thought of slathering your household wears with mayonnaise may be less-than-appealing, but some people swear by it. Did your tot get a little carried away while coloring? Remove crayon marks from wood furniture by rubbing a dab of mayo on the mark. Let it sit for five minutes and wipe it away with a damp cloth.

Dress Your Home
Oil and vinegar aren’t just for your salad. Mix oil and lemon juice two parts to one and use the solution to give furniture and extra polish. Vinegar can do everything from cleaning your dishwasher to helping to remove wallpaper. Clean the microwave by combining 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup distilled vinegar in a microwave-safe mug or bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes and wipe clean. The vinegar helps to lift baked on food and stains.

10 New Uses for Vinegar


White Vinegar

“Vinegar is a strong preservative because its acetic acid kills the microbes and bacteria that could cause food to spoil,” says Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, in Griffin. “It’s also a good deodorizer―the acid neutralizes basic compounds, such as those found in degrading meat, that can be volatile and unpleasant.”

 

Use White Vinegar to:

1. Pinch-hit for lemon in a savory recipe. Use 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar in place of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.

2. Remove coffee or tea stains from the bottom of a cup. Swish 2 tablespoons of vinegar around in the cup, then wash as usual.

3. Treat oily hair. Vinegar is a good degreaser for oily hair because it helps adjust pH levels. Shampoo your hair as usual, rinse, then pour 1/4 cup over it and rinse again.

4. Wipe salt stains off boots. Dip a cloth or an old T-shirt into vinegar, then wipe away the white residue.

5. Make wool sweaters fluffier. Drop in a couple of capfuls of vinegar during the rinse cycle for an extra-soft feel.

6. Deodorize a garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through the drain.

7. Clean a teakettle or a coffeemaker. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in a teakettle, then wipe away the grime. Fill the reservoir of a coffeemaker with a mixture of vinegar and water and run it through a brewing cycle. Follow this with several cycles of water to rinse thoroughly.

8. Clean a dishwasher. Once a month, with the machine empty, run a cup of vinegar through an entire cycle to reduce soap buildup on the inner mechanisms and glassware.

9. Remove stubborn price tags or stickers. Paint them with several coats of vinegar, let the liquid soak in for five minutes, then wipe away the residue.

10. Kill weeds between cracks in paving stones and sidewalks. Fill a spray bottle with straight vinegar and spray multiple times. (Be careful not to get any on the surrounding grass, as it will kill that too.)