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Hello friends,
I hope you will get some use from these tips on using vinegar.
GARDEN:
Grow beautiful azaleas: Occasionally water plants
with a mixture of two tablespoons vinegar to
one quart water. Azaleas love acidic soil.
Kill grass on walks and driveways.
Pour full strength on unwanted grass.
Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until
plants have starved.
Increase soil acidity. In hard water areas, add
a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for
watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons,
gardenias, or azaleas. The vinegar will release
iron in the soil for the plants to use.
Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar
and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.
Prolong the life of flowers in a vase. Add two
tablespoons of vinegar plus three
tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water.
Stems should be in three to four inches of water.
Neutralize garden lime. Rinse your hands liberally
with vinegar after working with garden lime to
avoid rough and flaking skin.
Clean pots before repotting, rinse with vinegar to
remove excess lime.
BUGS AND ANIMALS:
Fish bowl cleaner Eliminate that ugly deposit in
the gold fish tank by rubbing it with a cloth
dipped in vinegar and rinsing well.
Eliminate animal urine stains from carpet. Blot
up urine with a soft cloth, flush several times
with lukewarm water, then apply a mixture of equal
parts vinegar and cool water. Blot up, rinse,
and let dry.
Deter ants. Spray vinegar around door and window
frames, under appliances, and along other known
ant trails.
Remove skunk odour from a dog.
Rub fur with full strength vinegar; rinse.
Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on an area to
discourage cats from walking,sleeping, or
scratching on it.
Keep dogs from scratching ears. Clean the inside
of the ears with a soft cloth dipped in diluted
vinegar.
Keep away fleas and mange. Add a little vinegar to
your pet's drinking water.
Keep chickens from pecking each other. Add cider
vinegar to their drinking water.
Clean milking equipment. Rinse with vinegar to
leave system clean, odourless, and bacteria free
without harmful chemical residue.
CARS AND TOOLS:
Polish car chrome. Apply full strength.
Clean rust from tools, bolts, and spigots. Soak
the rusted tool, bolt, or spigot in undiluted
vinegar overnight.
Keep car windows frost free. Coat the windows
the night before with a solution of three parts
vinegar to one part water.
HEALTH AND BEAUTY:
Dampen your appetite. Sprinkle a little vinegar on
prepared food to take the edge off your appetite.
Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Dot or douce the
irritated area with vinegar and relieve itching.
Relieve itching by using a cotton ball to dab
mosquito and other bug bites with Vinegar straight
from the bottle.
Relieve sunburn by lightly rubbing it with
vinegar. You may have to reapply.
Take 1 cup of vinegar and warm water into a
large glass and use to rinse your hair after
you shampoo. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette
hair, restores the acid mantel, and removes
soap film and sebum oil.
You take 1 tablespoon full and swallow when you
have the hiccups. It stops them instantly.
Relieve dry and itchy skin.
Add 2 tablespoons to bath water.
Fight dandruff, by rinsing with vinegar and
2 cups of warm water, after shampooing.
Soothe a sore throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar
in a glass of water. Gargle, then swallow.
Cure for colds. Mix one-quarter cup Apple Cider
Vinegar with one-quarter cup honey.
Take one tablespoon six to eight times daily.
Treat sinus infections and chest colds.
Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.
Feel good recipe. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavour, will take the edge off your appetite and give
you an overall healthy feeling.
Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.
Remove warts by applying a lotion of half cider
vinegar and half glycerine.
Apply daily to warts until they dissolve.
Relieve arthritis. Before each meal, drink a
glass of water containing two teaspoons
Apple Cider Vinegar.
Give it at least three weeks to start working.
Remove corns by making a poultice of one crumbled
piece of bread soaked in one-quarter cup Vinegar.
Let poultice sit for one-half hour, then apply to
the corn and tape in place overnight. If corn does
not peel off by morning, reapply the poultice for
several consecutive nights.
Cure an upset stomach by drinking two teaspoons
Apple Cider Vinegar in one cup water.
Prevent yeast infections. Douche with one
tablespoon vinegar to one quart warm water,
to adjust the pH balance.
Clean dentures by soaking them overnight in
vinegar, then brush away tartar with a toothbrush.
Relieve cough by mixing one-half cup Apple Cider
Vinegar, one-half cup water, one teaspoon cayenne
pepper, and four teaspoons honey.
Take one tablespoon when cough acts up.
Take another tablespoon at bedtime.
LAUNDRY AND OTHER CLOTHES CARE:
Use in laundry to cut soap.
Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar
to the rinse cycle.
Prevent lint from clinging to clothes: Add one cup
vinegar to each wash load.
Keep bright colours from running. Immerse clothes in
full strength vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
Freshen up the washing machine. Clean the hoses
and unclog soap scum.
Once a month pour one cup of vinegar into the
washing machine and run the machine through a
normal cycle, without clothes.
Brighten fabric colours. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar
to the rinse cycle.
Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar
and gently brush over grease spot.
Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam,
mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.
Get smoke smell out of clothes by adding a cup of
vinegar to a bath tub of hot water.
Hang clothes above the steam.
Remove perspiration stains from clothes by
applying one part vinegar to four parts water,
then rinse.
Deodorant and anti-perspirants stains may be
removed from clothing by lightly rubbing with
distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.
Cotton and wool blankets become soft, fluffy and
free of soap odour if 2 cups of distilled vinegar
are added to the rinse cycle of the wash.
Clothes will rinse better if a cup of vinegar is
added to the last rinse water. The acid in vinegar
is too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to
dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents.
When dyeing fabric, add a cup full of distilled
vinegar to the last rinse to set the colour.
Nylon hose will look better and last longer if
1 tablespoon of vinegar is added to the rinse
water when washing.
To obtain a sharper crease in your knit fabrics,
dampen them with a cloth wrung out from a solution
of 1/3 distilled vinegar and 2/3 water.
Place a brown paper bag over the crease and iron.
Excess laundry suds that develop during hand
laundry may be eliminated by splashing a little
vinegar into the second rinse. Follow this with
another rinse in plain water.
Deodorize a wool sweater: Wash sweater, then rinse
in equal parts vinegar and water to remove odour.
After a hem or seam is removed, there are often
unsightly holes left in the fabric. These holes
can be removed by placing a cloth, moistened with
distilled vinegar, under the fabric and ironing.
Unclog steam iron by pouring equal amounts of
vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber.
Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes
in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to
cool. Any loose particles should come out when you
empty the water.
Clean a scorched iron plate by heating equal parts
vinegar and salt in a small pan. Then rub the
solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark
or burned stains.
IN THE KITCHEN:
A mixture of salt and vinegar will clean coffee
and tea stains from chinaware.
Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in
2 cups of water and a tablespoon of vinegar.
Boil better eggs by adding 2 tablespoons water
before boiling. Keeps them from cracking.
Marinating meat in vinegar kills bacteria and
tenderizes the meat. Use one-quarter cup
vinegar for a two to three pound roast, marinate
overnight, then cook without draining or
rinsing the meat.
Add herbs to the vinegar when marinating as desired.
Put vinegar on a cloth and let sit on the back
of your kitchen faucet and it removes hard water
stains.
Vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that
collect in automatic drip coffee makers. Fill the
reservoir with vinegar and run it through a
brewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when
the cycle is finished.
(Be sure to check the owners manual for
specific instructions).
Brass, copper and pewter will shine if cleaned
with the following mixture. Dissolve 1 teaspoon
of salt in 1 cup of distilled vinegar.
Clean the dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar
through the whole cycle once a month to reduce
soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on
glassware.
Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the
drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then
flush with cold water.
Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down
the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar.
Rinse with hot water.
Eliminate onion odour by rubbing vinegar on your
fingers before and after slicing.
Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards by wiping
with full strength vinegar.
Cut grease and odour on dishes by adding a
tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.
Clean a teapot by boiling a mixture of water and
vinegar in it. Wipe away the grime.
Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal by making
vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal.
After grinding, run cold water through.
Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut
butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.
Get rid of cooking smells by letting a small pot
of vinegar and water simmer on the stove.
Freshen a lunchbox by soaking a piece of bread in
vinegar and let it sit in the lunchbox over night.
Clean the refrigerator by washing with a solution
of equal parts water and vinegar.
Clean stainless steel by wiping with a vinegar
dampened cloth.
Clean china and fine glassware by adding a cup of
vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the
glass or china in the solution and let dry.
Get stains out of pots by filling the pots with
a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint
of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be
washed away.
Clean food-stained pots and pans by filling the
pots and pans with vinegar and let stand for
thirty minutes.
Then rinse in hot, soapy water.
Clean the microwave by boiling a solution of 1/4 cup
of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave.
Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.
Make buttermilk. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a
cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes to thicken.
Replace a lemon by substituting 1/4 teaspoon of
vinegar for 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Firm up gelatin by adding a teaspoon of vinegar
for every box of gelatin used. To keep those
moulded desserts from sagging in the summer heat.
Prepare fluffier rice by adding a teaspoon of
vinegar to the water when it boils.
Make wine vinegar by mixing 2 tablespoons of
vinegar with 1 teaspoon of dry red wine.
Debug fresh vegetables by washing them in water
with vinegar and salt. Bugs float off.
Scale fish more easily by rubbing with vinegar 5
minutes before scaling.
Prevent soapy film on glassware by placing a cup
of vinegar on the bottom rack of your dishwasher,
run for five minutes, then run though the full
cycle.
The minerals found in foods and water will often
leave a dark stain on aluminium utensils.
This stain can be easily removed by boiling a
solution of 1 tablespoon of distilled vinegar
per cup of water in the utensil.
Utensils may also be boiled in the solution.
Unsightly film in small-necked bottles and other
containers can be cleaned by pouring vinegar into
the bottle and shaking. For tougher stains, add a
few tablespoons of rice or sand and shake
vigorously. Rinse thoroughly and repeat until
clean or determined hopeless.
After cleaning the bread box, keep it smelling
sweet by wiping it down with a cloth moistened
in distilled vinegar.
To eliminate fruit stains from your hands, rub
your hands with a little distilled vinegar and
wipe them with a cloth.
Grease build-up in an oven can be prevented by
wiping with a cleaning rag that has been moistened
in distilled vinegar and water.
Formica tops and counters will shine if cleaned
with a cloth soaked in distilled vinegar.
No-wax linoleum will shine better if wiped with
a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar in
1/2 gallon of water.
Stains on hard-to-clean glass, aluminium, or
porcelain utensils may be loosened by boiling in
a solution of one part vinegar to eight parts
water. The utensils should then be washed in
hot soapy water.
IN THE BATHROOM:
Kill germs on bathroom fixtures by using one part
vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle.
Spray the bathroom fixtures and floor, then wipe
clean.
Soap and stain build up can be removed from chrome
and plastic fixtures if they are cleaned with a
mixture of 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons
of distilled vinegar.
Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub,
tile, and shower curtains. Simply wipe the
surface with Vinegar and rinse with water.
Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet
by spraying them with vinegar and brushing
vigorously. The bowl may be deodorized by adding 3
cups of distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for
a half hour, then flush.
Unclog a shower head by unscrewing it, remove the
rubber washer, place the head in a pot filled with
equal parts Vinegar and water, bring to a boil,
then simmer for five minutes.
Corrosion may be removed from showerheads or
faucets by soaking them in diluted distilled
vinegar overnight. This may be easily accomplished
by saturating a terry cloth towel in vinegar and
wrapping it around the showerhead or faucet.
Bath tub film can be removed by wiping with
vinegar and then with soda.Rinse clean with water.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Use vinegar in the steam cleaner to reduce soap
bubbles.
Mix vinegar with linseed oil and use it to clean
your wood.
Clean eyeglasses by wiping each lens with a drop
of vinegar.
Soak new propane lantern wicks in vinegar for
several hours. Let dry before using. Will burn
longer and brighter.
Deodorize the air. Vinegar is a natural air
freshener when sprayed in a room.
Turn a chicken bone into rubber by soaking it in a
glass of vinegar for three days. It will bend like
rubber.
Deodorize a room filled with cigarette smoke or
paint fumes. Place a small bowl of vinegar in
the room.
Remove decals or bumper stickers by soaking a
cloth in Vinegar and cover the decal or bumper
sticker for several minutes until the vinegar
soaks in. The decals and bumper stickers should
peel off easily.
Cleaning windows by using undiluted Vinegar in
a spray bottle. Dry off with newspaper.
Prevent patching plaster from drying by adding one
tablespoon vinegar to the water when mixing to
slow the drying time.
Plastic can be cleaned and made anti-static by
wiping down with a solution of 1 tablespoon of
distilled vinegar to 1 gallon of water.
This will cut down on the plastics' tendency to
attract dust.
The colours in carpets and rugs will often look
like they have taken a new lease on life if they
are brushed with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar in
a gallon of water.
A mixture of one teaspoon of liquid detergent and
1 teaspoon of 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. Then dry
quickly, using a fan or hair dryer. This should be
done as soon as the stain is discovered.
Spots caused by cola-based soft drinks can be
removed from 100 percent cotton, cotton polyester
and permanent press fabrics if done so with in 24
hours. To do it, sponge distilled vinegar directly
onto the stain and rub away the spots. Then clean
according to the directions on the manufacturer's
care tag.
Sponging away grease and dirt with a sponge dipped
in distilled vinegar will keep exhaust fan grills,
air-conditioner blades and grills dust free.
Leather articles can be cleaned with a mixture of
distilled vinegar and linseed oil. Rub the mixture
into the leather and then polish with a soft cloth.
To loosen old glue around rungs and joints of
tables and chairs under repair, apply distilled
vinegar with a small oil can.
Soak a paint brush in hot vinegar, then wash out
with warm, sudsy water to soften it up.
Patent leather will shine better if wiped with a
soft cloth which has been moisten with distilled
vinegar.
To add a pleasant scent to a room while at the
same time removing an unpleasant odour, add
cardamom or other fragrant spice to a bowl of
distilled vinegar and place in the warmest corner
of the room.
Varnished wood often takes on a cloudy appearance.
If the cloudiness hasn't gone through to the wood,
the cloudiness can be removed by rubbing the wood
with a soft lintless cloth wrung out from a
solution of 1 tablespoon of distilled vinegar in a
quart of luke-warm water. Complete the job by
wiping the surface with a soft dry cloth.
Dirt and grime can be easily removed from woodwork
with a solution of 1 cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of
distilled vinegar, and 1/4 cup of baking soda in a
cup of warm water. This solution will not dull the
finish or leave streaks.
Stubborn rings resulting from wet glasses being
placed on wood furniture may be removed by rubbing
with a mixture of equal parts of distilled vinegar
and olive oil. Rub with the grain and polish for
the best results.
Wood panelling may be cleaned with a mixture of
1 ounce of olive oil and 2 ounces of distilled
vinegar in 1 quart of warm water. Moisten a soft
cloth with the solution and wipe the panelling.
The yellowing is then removed by wiping with a
soft, dry cloth.
Amanda Martin-Shaver
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