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15 Uses of Vinegar

Learn some of the best ways to use vinegar in your daily life

If you don't have vinegar on-hand in your pantry, you might want to change that as soon as possible. Vinegar is so common (and, to be honest, so smelly) that it's easy to overlook. But doing that would be a mistake because, as mundane as it is, vinegar is the key ingredient in dozens of budget-friendly, all-natural life hacks. 

Of course, we all know that vinegar can be used in cooking, but its uses go far beyond the kitchen. The same acidic properties that make it so useful in recipes make it exceptionally good at many cleaning tasks. Why buy expensive cleaning solutions with obscure and potentially dangerous chemicals when you can do the job just as well with simple, harmless vinegar?

Whether you're looking for a solution to a specific problem, a creative concoction, or an all-purpose hack, you can find what you're looking for below. 

1. Make Homemade Dryer Sheets with Essential Oils

If you have sensitive skin, you may want to avoid standard dryer sheets. They may leave chemicals behind on clothes, which then irritate your skin. These vinegar and essential oil fabric dryer sheets are perfect for adding a fresh scent to your clothes without the extra chemicals.

2. Make Homemade Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Vinegar's acidity makes it perfect for cleaning many of the surfaces around your home. There's no need to buy half a dozen overpriced cleaning products that only do one job. Diluted vinegar is especially great for cleaning wood floors and other surfaces you want to protect from abrasive chemicals.

3. Kill Weeds

Vinegar may not be quite as effective as consumer weed-killers, but it's cheaper and far healthier for you and the environment. Enjoy your extra peace of mind and your extra cash.

4. Make DIY Fabric Softener

This project comes with two different ways to make cheap, simple, and safe fabric softener. Choose the one that works best for you!

5. Make Citrus Vinegar DIY Cleaner

A perfect, citrusy all-purpose cleaner. It can be diluted for light touch-up cleaning or left strong for tougher jobs. 

6. Clean Your Oven

If your oven's self-clean mode just makes your house hot and smelly for hours without accomplishing much of anything, then you'll want to look into this vinegar cleaning solution. It does a great job cleaning tough, old grime, but you won't ever have to worry about harmful chemicals coming into contact with your food later. 

7. Make Fruit Infused Vinegar Recipes

Infusing vinegar with fruit is a great way to be creative with some delicious flavors in the kitchen, and you won't have to deal with the prices of traditional fermented vinegar. Try something new without breaking the bank!

8. Clean Your Fridge's Water Tray

Most of us would rather just not look at our fridge's water tray, but it's there whether we want it to be or not. Thankfully, there's a solution to the nasty-looking buildup that can easily take it over. Better yet, that solution is completely safe and costs less than $3.

9. Unclog Your Sink

Maybe you've sensed the theme by now: a lot of household cleaning tasks which we often assume require harsh chemicals can be accomplished with safe ingredients like vinegar and baking soda. Unclogging your plugged sink is no exception.

10. Clean Your Dishes

Skip paying for expensive dishwasher tabs. These are cheap, effective, fun to make, and can even be easily worked into a chic decorative display. 

11. Rinse Your Hair

Vinegar isn't just good at cleaning grease out of ovens and off of mirrors, it can help take care of your hair as well. Apple Cider Vinegar is all the rage right now, and with good reason. Work this concoction into your shower routine and see the difference it makes for your hair and scalp!

12. Spray Away Fridge Odor

Even a well-kept fridge can become smelly over time. You, of course, don't want that. This vinegar and essential oil spray is a wonderful way of getting rid of those smells without posing any risk to your health or the condition of your food. 

13. Make Natural DIY Glass Cleaner

Glass can be tough to clean. You don't want anything too tough and abrasive, but a solution that will leave streaks and smudges is almost as bad. This vinegar-based solution is a great choice to help you avoid either extreme without having to break out your wallet.

14. Make Balsamic Vinegar DIY Wood Stain

Vinegar can do more than remove unwanted stains. As it turns out, you can also use a balsamic vinegar mix to add stain to wood. This is especially useful if you enjoy making wood DIY crafts. 

15. Clean Old Bottles

You could throw those used bottles in the recycling bin, or you could use this easy method to clean them and have them ready to use again for whatever drinks you choose. You could also easily repurpose them for trendy upcycling decor projects. 

Did we miss anything? Comment below and tell us your favorite vinegar life hacks!

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