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Friday, May 15, 2009

May National Vinegar Month - 20 Simple Uses



It's National Vinegar Month and to celebrate I found 20 helpful and interesting uses for Vinegar.

COOKING:

1. To make basic vinaigrette salad dressing use 1 part white distilled vinegar to 4 parts oil.

2.Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.

3.Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.

4.To keep eggs from cracking when boiling add a tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar to water.

5.If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

Cleaning:
6. To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

7. Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.

8.Remove ugly film in narrow-necked glass jars, flower vases, and bottles by letting undiluted white distilled vinegar sit in them for a few hours. Add a little rice or sand and shake vigorously to loosen stubborn stains. Repeat if necessary.

9. Remove soap buildup and odors from the dishwasher by pouring a cup of white distilled vinegar inside the empty machine and running it through a whole cycle. Do monthly.

10.Clean the wheel of a can opener using white distilled vinegar and an old toothbrush.

Laundry:
11. To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.

12. Attack spaghetti, barbecue, or ketchup stains with a white distilled vinegar and water solution.

13. Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.

14. Give patent leather shoes and bags a better shine by wiping them down with white distilled vinegar.

15.Keep the steam iron clean and in good working order by getting rid of mineral deposits in steam vents and spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled water. Set it in an upright position and let it steam for about 5 minutes. When the iron is cool, rinse the tank with water, refill and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Test before using.

Health:
16. Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.

17. Get rid of foot odor by washing feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soaking them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Remember that cotton socks aid odor control more effectively than wool ones.

18. Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.

19.Clean a hairbrush by soaking in a white distilled vinegar solution.

20. Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.

From the History Books

The word vinegar comes from the French word “vinaigre” which means “sour wine.” It was probably discovered by accident thousands of years ago—after a cask of wine had gone bad. When the wine was first made, natural sugars were fermented into alcohol. Over time, bacteria in the air transformed the alcohol into acetic acid, which gave the “sour wine” its bite.

Fun web sit all about Vinegar - http://www.vinegartips.com/

5 comments:

  1. Trish,

    A great use for vinegar is to mix half vinegar and half water into a spray bottle. This is great for correcting dogs, they hate the smell, it is harmless and the smell evaporates quickly! My dog trainer taught me this one! It works great!

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  2. Great post....lots of ideas here! Thanks

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  3. Thanks for sharing, I've just tried two of your 20 tips!! great post:)

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  4. I can use a few of these... thanks!

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  5. I always keep a spray bottle full of equal parts vinegar and water in the kitchen. I use that instead of those expensive all-surface cleaners. I even clean my bathrooms with it. It's fantastic for odor control and I can clean my mirror, sink, bathtub/shower and toilet with the same product; of course I use different towels for each. ;)

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