Surprising Things You Can Clean With Vinegar

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Things You Didn’t Know You Can Clean With Vinegar

Vinegar is an essential part of many DIY cleaning products. While there are certain things you should never clean with vinegar, there are also a variety of surprising things you can clean with vinegar around your house.

Not sure which vinegar is right for cleaning your home? Be sure to check out this guide on the best vinegar for cleaning. Then you can use these amazing vinegar cleaning hacks!

1. Children’s Slime

Slime is hugely popular with kids, but a parent’s worst nightmare if it ends up on clothes or carpets. While water won’t do a thing to clean slime, you can use vinegar to remove slime from clothing and carpets.

To get slime off of clothes, take off as much excess slime as possible. Then soak the area in white vinegar for 5 minutes. When it’s done soaking, rinse the clothing with warm water and wash as usual.

If slime ended up on your carpet, remove as much excess slime as possible and pour vinegar over the area. Vinegar can also help soften the slime if it dried on your carpet. Once it’s softened, use an organic cotton unpaper towel to wipe away the slime.

Are you wondering why I only recommend using organic cotton towels for cleaning? Check out this post to learn more about the differences between microfiber and cotton cleaning cloths.

2. Ballpoint Pen

Did your kids ditch the slime in favor of playing with a ballpoint pen, and now you have ink all over your walls? Don’t freak out. Instead, dip a sponge or microfiber cleaning cloth in some vinegar and use it to gently remove the ink.

Whether it was an exploding or leaking pen that left ink all over your clothes, vinegar also helps remove these stains. Simply combine one part white vinegar with two parts whole milk in a large bowl. Then let your clothing soak.

Ideally, you’d like your clothing to soak overnight, but if you only have a few hours to spare, that will work as well. When the clothing is done soaking, pull it out, hang it to dry, and then wash it as normal.

3. Shower Head

You don’t have to put up with a shower head spraying water in every direction because vinegar is an excellent solution to dissolve the mineral build-up that causes this problem.

To clean your shower head, simply add one cup of vinegar to a plastic bag, and secure the bag so the shower head is sitting in the vinegar. Let it soak overnight. In the morning, take the bag off and turn on the shower to rinse it.

Once you get your shower head clean, are you interested in making your entire bathroom more eco-friendly? Then be sure to check out these great tips for making a zero waste bathroom!

4. Window Blinds

Many people don’t think about cleaning their window blinds because they’re not exactly easy to wash. However, with some white vinegar, you can take care of this chore in no time.

First, create a solution of equal parts vinegar and hot water. Then pull on a pair of white cotton gloves. Moisten the fingers in the solution, and slide your fingers across the blinds to easily wipe away the dust and grime.

Keep a container of clean water close by so you can wash off the glove when it gets too dirty. This will help you make sure your blinds get as clean as possible.

Once your blinds are clean, you can then use this homemade glass cleaner to get your windows sparkling clean as well.

5. Stiff Towels

If your towels are scratchy, stiff, and won’t absorb water like they used to, the problem is soapy residue that builds up on them. To take care of this issue, simply soak them overnight in equal parts hot water and white vinegar. Then wash them like normal.

Did you know that laundry detergent and fabric softener are two of the biggest culprits that make towels scratchy and stiff? Once you use vinegar to get your towels soft and fluffy again, discover how you can use soap nuts to naturally clean your clothes and avoid the problems caused by chemicals in laundry detergent and fabric softeners.

You can also check out this post to discover even more great ways to naturally soften your laundry without using fabric softeners.

6. Bumper Sticker Residue

Are you driving around with a bumper sticker you really wish wasn’t on your car anymore? Well, it just so happens that this is one of the other things you can clean with vinegar.

Use a paintbrush or microfiber cleaning cloth to cover the bumper sticker in white vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then take a plastic putty knife to gently remove the sticker and residue.

7. Dishwasher

You might already be using this homemade dishwasher detergent to get your dishes clean, but did you know you can also use vinegar two different ways in the dishwasher?

First, if you want to get sparkling dishes without turning to harsh chemicals, simply use vinegar in place of your rinsing agent.

Second, about once or twice a year, pour two cups of white vinegar into the bottom of an empty dishwasher and run it on the short cycle without any dishes. This will help remove any mineral deposits that have built up in the dishwasher and keep it running at peak efficiency.

8. Microwave

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had something accidentally explode in the microwave. And of course, when things explode in the microwave, they REALLY explode.

We’re talking bits and pieces stuck on every wall, the top, the door, and all those glorious little cracks and crevices. Plus, since the microwave was on when the food exploded, it means everything is now even more difficult to remove.

Fortunately, I’ve since discovered that if I put one cup of water and one cup of vinegar in a large bowl and microwave it for 5 minutes, the steam will loosen all that gunk and make it incredibly easy to just wipe away.

9. Shoes

There are several ways you can use vinegar to clean shoes. If you have white canvas shoes that have gotten dirty, you can use vinegar and baking soda to clean them.

Mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with one tablespoon of baking soda and one cup of warm water. Dip a brush or cloth into the solution and use it to scrub your shoes. Once the solution dries, brush it off and let your shoes air-dry.

If you have salt or water stains on your leather shoes, create a solution of one cup of water and one tablespoon white vinegar. Wipe the solution over the stained area only, and then finish with polish.

Finally, if you have a pair of shoes that smell so bad you’re afraid you might have to call a HAZMAT team to come remove them, you can use vinegar to freshen them up. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant that will kill the bacteria causing the odor.

Simply create a mixture of one part hot water and two parts white vinegar to soak the insoles for a few hours. When the shoes are done soaking, let them air-dry.

10. Coffee Maker and Pots

Not only can you use vinegar to clean mineral deposits on shower heads and dishwashers, but you can also use it to clean coffee pots and coffee makers.

If you have mineral deposits in the bottom of your coffee pot or teapot, bring a solution of one cup of vinegar and four tablespoons of baking soda to a boil to remove them.

To naturally descale your drip coffee maker, fill the reservoir with white vinegar and run it through a brewing cycle once. To be sure your coffee maker is thoroughly rinsed before you use it, run it through two cycles with clean water.

Things You Can Clean With Vinegar

Vinegar is an amazing natural cleaner that you can use around your entire home. Now that you know some of the amazing things you can clean with vinegar, you can get everything in your home safely and naturally clean.

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