Vinegar - use it everyday!

I have recently been tightening my own belt as I am sure most of you have in these economic times. During the course of some of my research into how to strech a buck I have come across creative uses for vinegar and baking soda. I will leave you with vinegar uses today and suppliment my column with baking soda uses tomorrow. After that I will get some more of those wonderful home made cleaner recipes for you guys. Here's the article I downlowder from stretcher.com about vinegar. It's awesome.

50 Uses for Vinegar (from www.stretcher.com)

Most of us have grown up in an age where we're always searching for the newest and best product. I don't know about you, but I've spent a fortune over the years on cleaning products that are "New and Improved!" "Amazing!" and "Incredible!", but I've recently discovered an old cleaner that works better than most of the new ones for just a fraction of the price.
Now don't laugh - It's vinegar. I know what you're thinking because whenever I thought of Vinegar I thought of Easter Eggs. That's all we ever used it for when I was growing up. I've recently discovered an amazing amount of uses for it. If you give it a try I'm sure you'll be as surprised as I was. It's very inexpensive, especially if you buy it by the gallon or case at a Warehouse Club.

I've got a kitchen drain that drains very slowly. I recently poured some vinegar in it, then poured some baking soda into the vinegar and ran some hot water down the drain. I repeated the process one more time and my drain is working great now. The vinegar and baking soda will bubble up when mixed together and they cleaned that slow drain right out.

I use to worry about spraying weed killer in my yard, but not anymore. Fill a spray bottle with two parts water, two parts vinegar, and one part dish soap. It works great.

I keep a bottle of three parts vinegar and one part water under my sink and spray it on the kitchen counters each night after wiping them off. It sanitizes them and once it dries the smell of vinegar disappears. You're left with clean countertops.

One of my sons still has a problem with wetting the bed at night. When he has an accident I spray the vinegar and water mixture on his mattress and let it dry during the day to help keep his mattress from smelling. I also use it on the carpet if my toddler has an accident during the day (we're working on potty training!)

Is your showerhead clogged? Fill a baggie with vinegar and use a rubber band to secure it in place so that the showerhead will soak in the vinegar over night. The next morning your showerhead should be working just fine!

I also use the vinegar and baking soda mixture to clean toilets, bathtubs and pans that have dinner stuck to the bottom of them. It's amazing all of the uses that I've found for this old fashioned product! Vinegar...it's not just for Easter anymore!

So here we go with 50 ways to use your vinegar that you may have never thought of….
1. Kill grass on walks and driveways.
2. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until plants have starved.
3. Increase soil acidity. In hard water: one gallon of tap water for watering rhododendrons, gardenias, or azaleas.
4. Deter ants. Spray vinegar around doors, appliances, and along other areas where ants are known.
5. Polish car chrome. Apply full strength.
6. Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with full strength vinegar; rinse.
7. Keep cats away. Sprinkle vinegar on areas you don't want the cat walking, sleeping, or scratching on.
8. Keep dogs from scratching his ears. Use a clean, soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.
9. Keep chickens from pecking each other. Put a little in their drinking water.
10. Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar over night.
11. Freshen vegetables. Soak wilted vegetables in 2 cups of water and a tablespoon of vinegar.
12. Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons to water before boiling eggs. Keeps them from cracking.
13. Soothe a bee or jellyfish sting. Dot the irritation with vinegar and relieve itching.
14. Relieve sunburn. Lightly rub white vinegar; you may have to reapply.
15. Condition hair. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to dissolve sticky residue left by shampoo.
16. Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons to bath water.
17. Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.
18. Soothe a sore throat. Put a teaspoon of vinegar in a glass of water. Gargle and then swallow.
19. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.
20. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give you an overall healthy feeling.
21. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.
22. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.
23. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength vinegar.
24. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.
25. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.
26. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.
27. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the lunchbox over night.
28. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
29. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.
30. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through
31. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.
32. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.
33. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.
34. Clean china and fine glassware. Add a cup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.
35. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.
36. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.
37. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength vinegar.
38. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.
39. Unclog steam iron. Pour 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.
40. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.
41. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
42. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar before washing.
43. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.
44. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
45. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.
46. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.
47. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.
48. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.
49. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.
50. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.