Six Uncommon Uses for White Vinegar
Deodorizing Your Hands
White vinegar makes a great hand cleaner. It will neutralize the leftover smells associated with touching garlic and onions. To remove a leftover smell, just pour some white vinegar over your hands and rub them together well. Rinse. Next wash them with soap and water as you normally would, and the smell should be gone!
Repel Cats From Your Garden
Cats hate the smell of vinegar! Put some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it around the border of your garden. Be careful not to spray it on the plants or the soil just around them. Vinegar raises the acidity of the soil and this could hurt your plants.
A Quick Test For Soil Alkalinity
To see if your soil is alkaline you can use a little white vinegar. Take a small test sample of the soil and add a few drops or so of the white vinegar. If the vinegar drops begin to make a fizzy reaction your soil is alkaline.
Natural Air Freshener (No Kidding!)
Although we’re all familiar with the distinctive smell of white vinegar, it can actually be used for a deodorizer. When you need to get rid of the leftover smell from cooking vinegar will do the trick. This also works for deodorizing cigarette smoke or paint fumes. Place a small bowl filled with white vinegar in a central location of the room. Another option would be to pour some white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it (full-strength, not diluted) around the room as you would any room deodorizer.
Cold Sore Treatment
White vinegar, when applied to a cold sore, will kill bacteria and dry up the cold sore. Using a cotton ball, dab a bit of the vinegar directly to the affected area. It will also help to ease the pain and swelling.
Cleaning Tubs, Toilets and More
Having trouble scrubbing that stained bathtub? You can soften calcium deposits and hard-water stains in your tub by adding some white vinegar to your cleaning routine. Fill the bathtub with hot water and add 2 cups of vinegar. Let the water and vinegar solution sit for around three hours. When you drain the tub, your cleaning should go much easier now. Maybe it’s a toilet giving you problems. White vinegar can help you there too. Pour one cup of vinegar directly into the toilet bowl and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes before flushing. White vinegar does wonders for cleaning mildew stains too. In fact, mildew covered patio furniture can be cleaned with white vinegar without the decay caused by using bleach. Put some undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray your patio furniture. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then wipe it clean. This even works on the woven-strap chairs!
