Vinegar - Other Uses - Page 5

• Crystal vase cleaner
  1 cup (250ml) vinegar
  2 to 3 drops dish soap
  
  A delicate crystal vase can be tricky to clean, especially if the mouth of the vase is relatively small. Whatever you do, don't put it in the dishwasher! Crystal is extremely vulnerable to hot water and can easily crack. Instead, fill the case with the vinegar and add the dish soap. Let sit for an hour, then rinse thoroughly. The acetic acid in vinegar will gently clean your crystal and leave it sparkling like new. 

• Drain Opener
  1 cup baking soda
  1 cup vinegar
  
  Pour baking soda down the drain and follow with vinegar. Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Flush with boiling water.

• Fabric Softener
  Add 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to rinse as a fabric softener. For a whitener, use hydrogen peroxide rather than bleach. Soak your dingy white clothes for 30 minutes in the washer with 1/2 cup 20% peroxide. Launder as usual. 

• all-purpose floor cleaner
  1 cup (250ml) vinegar
  1 cup (250ml) isopropyl alcohol
  1 cup (250ml) water
  6 drops dishwashing liquid
  
  For fast floor cleanups, keep a bottle of this all-purpose cleaner handy: Fill a medium spray bottle with the vinegar, alcohol, water, and dish washing liquid. Shake gently to combine. To use, spray sparingly and mop until dry. 

• Color-fast laundry
  1 cup (250ml) vinegar
  1/2 cup (150g) salt
  Color-safe detergent
  
  If you love the color of your new cotton sheets or towels and don't want to see them eventually fade, a little vinegar and salt can help retain their brightness. Before putting your new items to use, fill your washing machine with cold water, add the vinegar, salt, and detergent, and wait a few minutes to let the salt dissolve. Wash your brights with similarly colored items in small loads and the colors will be set for future washings. Double the amount of vinegar and salt if colors are particularly vibrant. 

• antique appliances
  For cleaning antique appliances: Pour white vinegar straight out of the bottle onto a sponge to soak stubborn buildup for a few minutes. After your appliance's first-time cleaning, future quick cleanups are easiest using a small spray/squirt bottle with a diluted vinegar-water mixture. 

• Canine ear cleaner
  1 tablespoon (15ml) vinegar
  1 tablespoon (15ml) water
  1 tablespoon (15ml) hydrogen peroxide
  
  Long-eared dogs tend to be more vulnerable to ear problems because the floppy nature of their ears makes a ripe breeding ground for moisture-loving yeast and bacteria. If your pet is prone to such problems, help keep Fido's ears clean with a gentle vinegar formula. Combine equal amounts of vinegar, water, and hydrogen peroxide in a small plastic bowl. Dip a cotton ball or finger wrapped in gauze into the vinegar solution and wipe carefully along the visible parts of your dog's inner ears (never use cotton swabs, which could puncture an eardrum).

• Kitchen sponge reviver
  2 tablespoons (28g) baking soda
  2 tablespoons (30ml) vinegar
  water
  br> Few things can smell as foul as kitchen sponges past their prime, owing to the bacteria they can collect. It's best to replace them frequently to maintain the cleanest possible kitchen; however, that is not to say the sponges need to be disposed of completely. They can still come in handy for a variety of projects around the house, if you revive them with a healthy dose of baking soda and vinegar. Mix equal amounts on a sponge and add enough water to saturate. Squeeze gently to ensure the mixture has worked all the way through the sponge. Let it sit for about an hour, and then wring dry. Repeat if necessary. 

• Coolars, Cuffs and Stains
  Make a thick paste of vinegar and backing soda and pre-treat stains before washing normally. 

• old wallpaper peeler
  1 cup (250ml) vinegar
  1 quart (1 liter) warm water
  2 to 3 drops dishwashing liquid
  
  Need to take down some wallpaper? Before you rush out to rent a cumbersome steam machine or buy an expensive paper-removing product, whip up a batch of this vinegar formula for a mere fraction of the cost: in a large bucket or bowl, combine the vinegar and warm water and add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to the mix (feel free to make a larger batch if necessary). Use a sponge to apply the solution liberally to the old paper. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes and then scrape off the paper with a putty knife. To remove all traces of glue, use a nylon sponge to give the walls a final wash with the same solution.

• Greasy oven buildup prevention
  1/2 cup (125ml) vinegar
  1/2 cup (125ml) distilled water
  
  After going through the effort to get your oven sparkling clean, protect your hard work and avoid the inevitable greasy buildup a little longer by coating the inside of your oven with equal parts of vinegar and distilled water (used distilled water to avoid coating your oven with the minerals found in tap water). Apply with a clean cloth and let air-dry before using your oven.  

• windshield wiper-blade cleaner
  1/4 cup (60ml) vinegar
  
  If your windshield wiper blades seem to skip or squeak, it could be that dirt is to blame. One of the best ways to clean them is with a soft cloth soaked in 1/4 cup (60ml) vinegar. Wipe down each blade from top to bottom and then run the wipers with a few squirts of windshield cleaning fluid to clear the vinegar away. 

• leather conditioner
  1 tablespoon (15ml) vinegar
  2 tablespoons (30ml) linseed oil
  
  To clean and condition most leather items (except shoes, which are often made of a harder leather), use 1 part vinegar with 2 parts linseed oil. Mix the two together in a small glass container. Apply to leather furniture with a soft cloth and buff lightly. Note: Rags soaked in linseed oil are considered a fire hazard, so immediately soak them in water after use and never put them in the dryer. 

• Soth and Static free clothes
  a 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar during the rinse cycle to break down soapy residue on clothes and leave them soft and static-free.

• Remove mold and mildew
  Remove mold and mildew growth with lemon juice or vinegar combined with salt. 

• loosening tough stains
  To loosen hard-to-clean stains in glass or porcelain pots or pans, boil 3 tablespoons of white vinegar with 2 1/2 cups (570ml) of water. Wash in hot, soapy water. 

• removing rust from cast iron
  Make a white vinegar solution that is 2 parts vinegar to 1 part water, to clean the rust off cast iron pans. Soak the pan overnight in the vinegar solution and the vinegar just dissolves the rust. Very rusty pans may take an extra evening. Don't leave a pan in there too long, or you will not have a pan! The vinegar dissolves the metal. 

• Cleaning the bottom of an iron
  Vinegar
  Baking soda
  
  Use a paste of vinegar and baking soda to clean the sole plate of your iron. It will be smooth, clean, and shiny and will not harm any surface.

• removing nonoily stains from carpets
  Apply a mixture of one teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 teaspoon of distilled vinegar in 2 1/2 cups (570ml) of lukewarm water to the stain. Rub gently with a soft brush or towel. Rinse with a towel, moistened with clean water and blot dry. Repeat until the stain is gone and then dry quickly, using a fan or hair dryer. This should be done as soon as the stain is discovered. 

• Wine glass sparkler
  1 quart (1 liter) vinegar
  
  If your wine glasses have taken on a cloudy hue, you can easily revive them with a soak in straight vinegar to the pan to keep them covered (use more or less depending on the number of glasses). Allow to soak for 1 to 2 hours. Rinse carefully, hand wash in warm water as usual, and dry with a lint-free cloth. TIP: To prevent new glasses from fogging up in the first place, add a little vinegar to the dishwater before washing them.