Vinegar is one of the simplest, most affordable staples that can “do it all” — clean your home, boost flavor in your cooking, naturally disinfect and deodorize, repel bugs, kill weeds, and more! It’s a powerhouse worth keeping on hand in the pantry (and most other rooms in your home!)
Vinegar is one of those simple pantry staples that quietly does a lot around your home.
Its usefulness comes mainly from acetic acid, which gives it antimicrobial properties, tanginess, and amazing cleaning power.
If you want to cut out some of the chemicals in your cleaning cabinet, try a more natural beauty routine, or enhance your baking, vinegar might be the place to start.
It’s super frugal, and you likely already have it in your pantry!
Vinegar is great for:
Cleaning — it cuts grease, naturally deodorizes, disinfects, removes mineral deposits, and it’s streak-free.
Cooking — it brightens flavors, tenderizes meats, prevents bacterial growth, and enhances freshness.
And SO much more! There are literally hundreds of ways you can use vinegar around your home. I’m sharing a handful of favorites today!
But What About the Smell?
The comment I always, ALWAYS get whenever I mention vinegar is the smell. No one likes that strong, vinegar smell — I get it!
However, the smell dissipates in just a few minutes, so if you can handle it while you’re cleaning or cooking, it won’t last much longer!
You can add a few drops of essential oils to the vinegar when cleaning (not cooking!), and while you’ll still smell the vinegar, you will also smell the essential oils.
They also sell cleaning vinegars with lemon, lavender, or orange scents. I don’t buy it, but it could be an option if the smell really bothers you.
My Favorite Uses for Vinegar:
- Remove gunky buildup from my hair once a month.
- Descale my Keurig a few times per year.
- Wash fruits and veggies (they last so much longer when rinsed with a little vinegar water).
- Marinate meat (it’s so tender when you add vinegar to the marinade).
- Deodorize lots of smelly sports gear!
I’ll elaborate more on each of these below.
Basic Vinegar Ratios:
Unless otherwise noted, the basic ratio I use when mixing up vinegar for cleaning in and around my home is:
- 1 part white distilled vinegar (the kind you cook and bake with)
- 1 part water
For example, if you use 1 cup of vinegar, you’d use 1 cup of water. If you use 5 Tablespoons of vinegar, you’d mix that with 5 Tablespoons of water.
Simple!
There are a bunch of stronger “cleaning vinegars” on the market these days — geared towards home/garden uses. These ARE more powerful for stuck-on stains, hard water issues, or killing tough weeds, but I’ve always had good luck with the basic white vinegar in my pantry cabinet.
I recommend using glass spray bottles to store vinegar cleaner in — I keep one in the kitchen and one in each bathroom.
Caution! Don’t Use Vinegar on This!
Before we get too far into the myriad of ways vinegar can simplify and improve your home life, I want to mention a couple of ways you should NOT use vinegar.
- Don’t mix vinegar with bleach – it creates a toxic gas.
- Don’t use vinegar on natural stone like granite or marble – it can etch.
- Don’t use straight vinegar for skin or internal use – always dilute it 50/50 with water.
- Don’t use “cleaning vinegar” for any skin or internal uses — it is usually 20-30% more potent than cooking vinegar, and also isn’t intended for consumption.
And one more caution… while vinegar does have antimicrobial properties (it can serve as a great natural disinfectant), vinegar can’t compare with hospital-grade disinfectants for cleaning Norovirus, bloodborne pathogens, or raw meat prep areas.
Other than that, you should be able to successfully use vinegar on almost everything else!
How to Clean Your Kitchen with Vinegar
1. Naturally disinfect most surfaces (mix 1 part vinegar with 1 part water, spray, let sit for 5 minutes, and wipe).
2. Scrub stuck-on stains (make a paste with vinegar and baking soda and scrub with a sponge).
3. Clean your dishwasher (pour 1 cup into the bottom of the dishwasher and run it with no dishes inside).
4. In place of “Jet Dry” (fill the Jet Dry cup on your dishwasher with vinegar instead).
5. Descale your coffee maker, electric tea kettle, and Keurig (pour 2 c. white vinegar and 1 c. water into the appliance and run a full brew cycle. Remove and run 2 cycles with fresh water).
6. Disinfect cutting boards by soaking in vinegar for 5 minutes, then washing as normal (possibly not cutting boards that have been saturated in raw meat juice).
7. Clean and disinfect wooden spoons and other utensils (soak in vinegar and water for 5 minutes, then wash as normal).
8. Rinse your hands with vinegar to remove strong onion and garlic odors.
9. Keep sponges and kitchen rags fresh by soaking them in a shallow dish of vinegar overnight. Rinse them before using again.
10. Clean “unwashable appliances” (spray white vinegar/water mix on electric griddles, George Foreman grills, etc., and wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel.)
11. Unclog Drains (here’s my recipe to quickly unclog sink and shower drains.
12. Natural Degreaser (use straight vinegar on greasy stovetops or range hoods, let sit for 5 minutes, then wipe with a soft cloth).
13. Clean stuck-on gunk in your microwave (pour 1/4 c. vinegar and 1 c water in a glass bowl; microwave on high for 5 minutes; wipe clean).
14. Disinfect icecube trays and remove build-up (soak icecube trays in vinegar overnight and then rinse with cold water).
15. Freshen your garbage disposal (here’s my recipe for garbage disposal cleaning tabs.)
16. Naturally clean your fruits and veggies by soaking them in 1 part vinegar and 1 part water
17. Clean a non-self-cleaning oven by spraying the inside with vinegar and then sprinkling with baking soda. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and then scrub with a sponge
19. Remove hard water spots from stainless steel by wiping with a cloth dipped in vinegar
20. Clean the insides of water bottles and coffee thermoses by “swishing” with vinegar — this will naturally kill any bacteria lingering at the bottom where you might not be able to reach.
How to Clean Your Bathroom with Vinegar
21. Clean counters and all surfaces with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water.
22. Scrub Toilets (pour white vinegar directly in the toilet, let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub with a toilet brush).
23. Wipe Mirrors (try my recipe for glass cleaner).
24. Clean Showers and Bathtubs (here’s my recipe for shower cleaner).
25. Remove the small from stinky towels (here’s the step-by-step process).
26. Get rid of mold and mildew (mix 3 T. white vinegar, 1 t. Borax, and 2 c. hot water. Shake, spray, and let it soak for a few minutes, then rub the area with a soft brush or cloth).
27. Remove hard water stains from your shower nozzle by pouring 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a plastic bag. Use a rubber band to attach the bag to the nozzle and let soak for 10-15 minutes.
28. Remove limescale buildup on your shower door or in your tub by heating a small container of vinegar to the boiling point. Pour vinegar over the problem areas and it should loosen the lime.
29. Wash your shower curtain by throwing it in the washing machine with a few old towels. Use 1/2 c. laundry detergent and 1/2 c. baking soda for the wash cycle, and then 1 c. vinegar for the rinse cycle.
30. Clean the grimy soap buildup from your soap dish by soaking it in 1 part vinegar and 1 part warm water
How to Clean Your Home with Vinegar
31. Wood floors (mix 1 c. vinegar with 1 gal. warm water; clean floors with this mixture and then dry with a clean cloth).
32. Use it in a steam mop to clean most surfaces.
33. Clean leather sofas/chairs (spray white vinegar over the surface and “buff” with a soft, clean cloth).
34. Wash Walls (wipe down pretty much any wall surface with a cloth dampened with white vinegar).
35. Disinfect kids’ toys and books (1 part vinegar and 1 part water spray — or dump some vinegar in bath water and let the toys soak for a bit).
36. Freshen your mattresses (Blot mattresses with a clean cloth dipped in vinegar. If the spot is still damp, sprinkle a little baking soda over the area and vacuum it up).
37. Clean the filters in your dehumidifier/humidifier by soaking them in vinegar for 1 hour.
38. Clean mini blinds by soaking them in a bathtub filled with warm water and a few cups of vinegar.
39. Spot clean carpets by spraying vinegar on the spot and blotting it with a damp cloth. (Note: this could cause a bit of bleaching on darker carpets and is better for lighter carpets).
40. Wipe down refrigerator shelves and drawers with vinegar as a food-safe alternative to traditional cleaners and disinfectants.
41. Wipe down electronics with a rag dipped in vinegar (computer keys, mouse, phone keypad/screen, etc).
42. Clean your washing machine (dump 2 c. of distilled vinegar and run it on the quick cycle with no clothing inside to remove residue and buildup).
43. Remove water rings from wood furniture (here’s my step-by-step process).
How to Use Vinegar With Your Laundry
Simply add about 1/2 c. of distilled vinegar to your rinse cycle or to the fabric softener dispenser to help with the following:
44. Remove built-up soap residue
45. Reduce static cling (learn more about how to reduce static cling here).
46. Naturally soften your clothes, towels, blankets, etc.
47. Stop colors from running
48. Whiten whites (remember, don’t mix vinegar with bleach!)
49. Reduce irritation for those with sensitive skin
50. Prolong the life of your tights and nylons (crazy!)
51. Remove lingering odors (cigarette smell, smoke, gas, urine)
52. Eliminate that “musty” smell from damp towels and work-out clothes
You can also soak/scrub items in white vinegar to help with the following:
53. Remove yellow stains from sweat
54. Remove blood stains (let soak for 10 minutes)
55. Remove ink stains (mix 2 parts vinegar and 3 parts cornstarch, rub on stain, let dry, wash).
When ironing, use vinegar to help with the following:
56. Removing wrinkles (mist clothing with 1 part white vinegar and 3 parts water).
57. Clean the inside of your iron (fill the water reservoir with white vinegar).
58. Clean the metal plate of your iron (mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part salt, scrub the plate with this paste).
59. Eliminate scorch marks (rub the scorched area with a cloth dipped in white vinegar and then blot with a clean towel).
Health and Wellness Uses For Vinegar:
60. Remove gunky build-up in your hair (pour 1/2 c. over your hair after you wash it and before you use conditioner. Rinse well.) Here’s
61. Clean your children’s retainers or Invisalign braces (soak them in vinegar for a few minutes each night).
62. Strengthen your nails (regularly dip nails in vinegar).
63. Soften your cuticles (soak fingers in a bowl of vinegar for 5 minutes).
64. Reduce Hair Snarls with my DIY Hair Detangling spray (made with vinegar).
65. Dry up a cold sore (dab it with a cotton ball soaked in vinegar).
66. Get rid of blemishes (mix 1 part vinegar with 10 parts water and dab the solution on your freshly-washed face with a clean cotton ball).
67. Relieve constipation and heartburn (drink 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar).
68. Kill lice (spray warm apple cider vinegar onto the scalp just before the final rinse. This will break down the “glue” the nits/lice use to attach to the hair).
69. Prevent infections (spray or dab small cuts with vinegar – it will sting a bit!)
70. Soothe sunburned skin (soak a towel in vinegar and then lay it over the burned areas).
71. Eliminate warts (put apple cider vinegar on the pad of a bandage and cover your warts. Replace with a fresh bandage every night and the warts should be gone within a week).
72. Soothe diaper rash (mix a few tablespoons of vinegar in your baby’s bath water).
73. Naturally whiten your teeth (once a week, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and brush your teeth. Rinse thoroughly with water after you are finished).
74. Remove the hairspray residue from your flat iron or curling iron (wipe them with a rag dipped in vinegar).
75. Clean brushes and combs (here’s my simple recipe that gets rid of all that gunk!)
Ways to Use Vinegar Around Your Home and Garden
76. Clean your windshield wipers with vinegar to keep them functioning properly.
77. Loosen rusted-on screws or rusty patio furniture by soaking the areas in vinegar.
78. Keep flying bugs away from your outdoor parties by putting cider vinegar in a shallow dish away from your food. By the end of the night, your dish will be full of “floating bugs”!
79. Make a fly trap for your kitchen by filling a mason jar half full of cider vinegar. Then punch holes in the lid and put the lid back on. The flies will crawl through, but won’t be able to get out again.
80. DIY mosquito spray (pour vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spritz on your skin. The vinegar smell will go away after a few minutes, but you should be bug-free all night!)
81. Clean the grill by scrubbing the grates with vinegar and scrubbing with a grill brush.
82. Kill weeds (spray straight vinegar on all weeds — but not on grass as it will kill it too!)
83. Clean patio furniture with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle.
84. Clean lawn mower blades (spray vinegar on the blades and scrub off).
85. Keep cats out of your sandbox by pouring vinegar around the outside of the box
86. Neutralize dog urine and eliminate brown/yellow patches in your grass (put a few drops of vinegar in your dog’s water bowl).
87. Keep flies away from your pool by pouring vinegar around the outside edges of the pool
88. Prolong the life of garden veggies (spray melons and pumpkins with vinegar to prevent mold from growing on the skin).
89. Clean bird droppings by spraying the area with vinegar and then wiping with a cloth/sponge.
90. Protect veggie garden (soak several rags in vinegar and place them around your garden. Repeat the process every 7-10 days.)
91. Remove the “skunk smell” from dogs or anything else (wash with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water and then rinse thoroughly with warm water.)
92. Wipe down walls with vinegar before you paint to ensure that all the dirt and grease is removed and the paint will adhere properly.
Tips to Use Vinegar in the Kitchen
Along with cleaning the kitchen, vinegar is a great pantry staple for cooking/baking too!
93. Make your favorite vinaigrette or salad dressing.
94. Tenderize tough cuts of meat (add a couple of Tablespoons to your favorite meat marinade).
95. “Pickle” almost anything (here’s my recipe for easy refrigerator dill pickles).
96. Freshen smelly shoes or sports gear by spraying the insides with vinegar, placing them in a paper bag, and then putting the bag in the freezer overnight.
97. Stop a poached egg from spreading (add 2 Tbs vinegar to the water)
98. Prevent hard-boiled yolks from turning brown (add 2 Tbs. vinegar to the water when boiling). Here’s my recipe for how to hard-boil eggs in the oven.
99. Naturally sanitize baby bottles/nipples (wash with vinegar and warm water, then store in the freezer).
100. Remove sticky residue from labels, stickers, and gum (rub the area with a rag dipped in vinegar).
101. As a substitute for eggs in vegan recipes (for every one egg called for, mix 1 Tbs. vinegar with 1 tsp baking soda).
102. Polish silver (soak silver pieces in a mixture of 1/2 c. white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for 2-3 hours, rinse with cool water, and dry immediately.)
Who knew you could do so many things with vinegar!!
Did I miss anything? What do you use vinegar for?
Amy says
just to add to your health and beauty uses. you do have it as a disinfectant for cuts but this is also true for most skin rashes and infections including those from surgeries. I have a friend that had been hospitalized and treated with antibiotics, and her cut still had not healed. The doctor told her to clean it with vinegar a couple of times a day and it worked! She told me to pass it on since i read your article previously and have been using it for so many things. Thanks so much!
Valerie says
When cleaning up pet accidents – keeps Spot or Kitty from finding the same “ammonia” scent location that you might find with other cleaners that have ammonia in them.
Melissa Highman says
I am going to be starting a teaching job very soon and was trying to figure out how to use vinegar to sanitize/disinfect vs bleach. Would I do 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water and then do you just spray it over the items or do you have to wipe them or rinse them off?
Andrea says
Yes Melissa, A 1:1 ration is usually good for Vinegar. I’m not sure about wiping the items off or not — I usually do, but I let it sit for a few minutes to “kill” bacteria and stuff.
Barb says
Hello there, You’ve done a fantastic job here. I’ll definitely be back.
And will personally suggest it to my friends.
I’m confident they will benefit from this website. The info has been so very much appreciated!
Christal says
I use vinegar all the time in my cleaning. I just want to point out though that several studies have been conducted on using vinegar as a disinfectant. It is very, very reliable with one exception: salmonella. Certain salmonella cells (sadly, the ones most likely to cause serious complications) have a protective mucus layer which prevents vinegar from disinfecting them. However, if you wash your cutting board for example with soap and water first, this barrier is removed allowing vinegar to penetrate the cells and kill it. Therefore for my cleaning I always keep one spray bottle of diluted castile soap and one spray bottle with vinegar.
You can also add essential oils to your vinegar spray bottle, I do 10 drops to one quart, whatever combinations you like. It’ll leave everything smelling nice and fresh.
Heidi says
I know this comment is super late, but DO NOT use vinegar on granite counter tops; it will cause pitting. I know you have a granite cleaner recipe in a newer post (that works great!), but I didn’t want anyone to only see this list and unwittingly damage their counters 😉
LOVE this list!
kate says
Great tips. Thank you! I use vinegar a lot around our house but I see I can use it more!
Karen says
Have you tried the vinegar for heartburn? I’ve tried apple cider vinegar for horrendous cramps, which I read should help (don’t remember if it did) but that burned my throat horribly and made my heartburn worse. Maybe it was the apple cider vinegar itself and should be a different kind?
Sara says
I’ve heard a wipe down of vinegar and water will erase pathways that ants follow as they are invading our kitchen…
Kathy says
How can I print these 101uses for ginger?
DAVID says
I merely copied one section at a time and pasted it so i wouldn’t have to do the pictures. Worked slick. Course I have an Apple.
Kathy says
Could someone please tell me if Dawn is a dishwashing liquid or something else? I live in Australia and we don’t have it here. Will a good quality dishwashing liquid do the job? Thanks.
Karen says
Hmm not sure if anyone has answered you but yes Dawn is a dish washing liquid. I’m not positive but I don’t see why a different dishwashing liquid wouldn’t work.
Serena says
Tremendous thanks for sharing this information! What stores sell essential oils? I can only seem to find them online?
Flavia says
I’m traumatized because my mum used to put vinegar on my head when I had lice. It works, but the smell is horrendous 🙂
Quick question, when you use vinegar around the house, does it stink everything, or does the smell get diluted because of the water?
Karen says
Wow, what an awesome list. Thank you so much. Is there a difference between distilled white vinegar and pure white vinegar?
We are working hard to take the chemicals out of our cleaning and this list will really help! Thank you.
Dyann says
When I was washing a family members clothes that was in a nursing home that had a urine smell I would add a 1/2 cup to a cup of vinegar to rinse water and the smell would be gone.
Also if you have sticky pits, like some of us going through menopause, when you take a shower spritz a little vinegar on your underarms while you soap down your body, wash your hair, or whatever else you want to do, then you can soap your pits and wash as usual. This helps tremendously.
L. says
would vinegar work on a linoleum floor? I do not have a mop so scrub the kitchen and bathroom w/ scrub brush, but am looking for something that gets old stains out (nobody washed/mopped the floor before we moved in (i mean the other tenants).
Diane says
My husband HATES the smell of vinegar! Do you have any suggestions for getting rid of the smell during use?
Andrea says
you could mix in a few drops of essential oils in a scent he does like — or just do the cleaning when he’s not around 🙂 the vinegar smell is usually gone in about 10 minutes!!
Marybeth says
You should never use vinegar on wood floors. I learned this the hard way. The guy who installed our wood floors recommended vinegar and water for cleaning the wood floors. I did this for years until I started seeing the floor getting duller and duller. After researching the problem I found out vinegar is very acidic and over time will strip the floor of it’s shine. I’ve tried many other products and now use Bona Wood Floor cleaner and LOVE it. It dries quickly and with no streaking.
Also, never use vinegar on marble (like vanity tops) for the same reason.
Suzanne says
This is wonderful! I’m going to have to print this out. I’ve tried the vinegar, Dawn, and water and vinegar and water into spray bottles, and really love it (though one of my bottles is plugged up…so I need a new one). I look forward to trying some of the others!
Question too, like Stephanie, how do you add it to the rinse cycle in a front loader? Is that even possible? I have a set of towels I just cannot get the mold smell out of and they are a dark green (can’t bleach).
Jen says
I have one to add, if that’s okay! When you feel a cold coming on, dip the tip of your finger in apple cider vinegar (better for health uses) and rub it around the inside tip of your nostrils. It will smart for a second and make your eyes water, but it REALLY DOES help to combat those cold germs. If you catch it right at the beginning, you can often kill it before it becomes full blown. Thanks for your awesome list!
Andrea says
Thanks Jen! That’s a new one for me 🙂
Christine says
Great list! I use vinegar to clean pretty much anything. And I always use it in the rinse cycle for our laundry. Softens clothes better than anything else! Plus everything is sanitized.
Stephanie says
I’ve been wanting to try vinegar in the rinse cycle, but not quite sure what to do. Do I have to stand around waiting for the rinse cycle (no buzzer or anything to let me know!), and then just pour it in? On the clothes?
Jackie says
A Downy ball works great for this
Miranda @ A ThankFULL Heart says
This list is awesome! Thanks for compiling it!
Sara says
Love this! I started using vinegar when we got guinea pigs, because it was recommended to clean their cage. If I don’t want harsh chemicals around my pets, why do I want it around myself? I used it in the wash with their things, then figured again, why not us? I had a serious health scare related to mold in our apartment, so now we’ve moved and had to use vinegar for cleaning our things. That experience convinced me that my body/brain really is affected by my environment, and I’m starting to learn about more natural cleaning products!
L. says
this isn’t about the post, but how do I view your blog archive?
Beth says
No vinegar on granite as over time even the diluted acid will etch the surface, or so I’ve red. Now I do about 1/4 c. Alcohol, 1/4 – 1/2 t. Dawn and fill remainder of spray bottle with water. Recipe I found online. 🙂
KimH says
L. Yes, thats what that means.
I use a combination of vinegar & lemon juice with water as a general kitchen cleaner. I spray it on my floor too when I mop.. It works for me!
Thrifty Military Mommy says
Holy Moses!!! That’s the longest list of uses for vinegar I’ve ever seen!!! I knew vinegar was great for a lot of things, but I never imagined it was that great! Thanks so much for all this info. I’m saving it so I can refer back to it often. I especially can’t wait to try the one to mix with baking soda to make a paste and clean those hard spots in my oven!
L. says
What does one part vinegar and 1 part water mean? Equal amounts of both? Like, say, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water?
Connie says
Thank you so very much for putting the time in to post the 101 ways to use Vinegar. I can’t thank you enough!!!!
~Connie
Danita says
Thanks for the motivation to give this a try! Never knew you could do so much with vinegar.
Susan says
I am currently trying vinegar as a weed killer.
Julie says
It does work. I have tried it. Just a word of caution…do spray near any plant(s) that you don’t want to die, even the overspray can kill it. I use it to spray on the weeds that grow up between cracks on the sidewalk etc. I have also used it to kill a large area of grass that I wanted to use for a flower bed.