Smart Ways to Use Vinegar for Everyday Cleaning at Home

Generated by Dall-e

Vinegar has long outgrown its role as a simple pickling ingredient. Today, it confidently holds a place among household essentials. Cleaning experts say that a single bottle of plain white vinegar can tackle a surprising variety of everyday tasks.

On Carpets and Upholstery

A small stain on a sofa or rug can be treated with a mix of water and vinegar in equal parts. Spraying the solution, letting it sit for a few minutes, and then blotting with a cloth removes both the mark and the odor.

Fighting Limescale

In kettles or coffee makers, vinegar works better than many pricey products. Simply boil a mixture of vinegar and water, allow it to cool, and then rinse thoroughly — the scale disappears without a trace.

Freshening Fruits and Vegetables

Washing apples or cucumbers in a solution of three parts water to one part vinegar helps strip away pesticides and bacteria. This trick also extends their shelf life.

Laundry Aid

Adding a cup of vinegar to the washing machine brightens whites, eliminates odors, and softens fabrics. It’s especially useful for activewear that tends to hold onto smells.

Microwave Refresh

Food splatters come off easily after steaming a bowl of water with vinegar inside the microwave for a few minutes. The vapor loosens grime, making it wipe away effortlessly.

Sparkling Windows

A solution of vinegar and distilled water creates a straightforward glass cleaner. For tougher dirt, a drop of dish soap enhances the effect.

Pet Odor Control

Unwanted smells left by pets can be neutralized with a vinegar-and-water spray. Once the spot dries, the odor fades away.

Reviving Sponges

Kitchen sponges quickly collect bacteria. If replacing them isn’t an option, soaking in vinegar for several hours helps disinfect them.

Tiles and Grout

Undiluted vinegar restores shine to tiles. Spray it on, wait a few minutes, then scrub with a brush for clean results.

Drain Cleaning

Baking soda combined with vinegar clears odors and residue from pipes. A rinse with hot water finishes the job.

Stainless Steel Care

Surfaces regain their shine when wiped with a vinegar-and-water solution, ideally using a microfiber cloth to avoid streaks.

Silverware

Soaking cutlery in vinegar and water for several minutes brings back its natural gleam.

Vinegar proves how something simple and affordable can rival expensive cleaning products. Still, it’s important to keep in mind that acidic solutions are not suitable for every material — marble and natural stone, for instance, may suffer damage.