If you're familiar with our blogs, you'll know we often spruik vinegar as an effective and safe cleaning product to use around the home.
We've recently uncovered a few new ways to use this natural wonder, however, that just might surprise you.
Quick Summary – 6 Smart Vinegar Hacks
- Fresh produce: Soak in 1:3 vinegar-water mix; cuts bacteria, keeps fruit/veg fresher longer.
- Burnt pans: Simmer vinegar + water; add bicarb, let fizz, scrub off black residue.
- Stale smells: Soak bread in vinegar, leave in smelly spot overnight; absorbs odours fast.
- Musty towels: Run hot wash with 1 cup vinegar; strips detergent build-up, restores softness.
- Wiper blades: Wipe rubber edge with vinegar cloth; clears grime, extends blade life.
- Clothing stains: Dab vinegar directly; wash as usual—works well on sweat + deodorant marks.
Love DIY cleaners? Explore more time + money-saving tips on the Electrodry blog.
6 Novel Ways Vinegar Can Be Use at Home
1. Preserve fruits and vegetable
Next time you bring your groceries home, wash your fresh produce in vinegar to help it last longer.
How to - Simply fill a large bowl with water and a quarter of a cup of vinegar. Leave the fruit and veggies in there for around 15 minutes and rinse well before you pop them into the fridge.
This neat trick means you'll get at least an extra few days out of your produce!
2. Rescue burnt pans
We've all been there. You turn the stove on and get distracted by the kids fighting in the other room (or a plethora of other things) and before you know it, you've ruined both dinner and your best pan.
Once you've scraped the charred food out (and ordered pizza for dinner instead!), pour a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water into the pan and bring it to a boil.
Turn the heat off and add a tablespoon of baking soda. Leave for 5 minutes and then give the pan a scrub.
3. Remove unpleasant odours
Is your home smelling more funky than fresh? Sometimes our homes can develop a stale, musty odour or a smell we can't quite put our finger on.
Try this unique hack to have your home smelling sweet again.
Immerse one piece of white bread into a bowl of vinegar. Make sure it is soaked through and place the bowl (with the bread still inside) into the smelly area of your house for a day or so.
So, why does it work? The acid in the vinegar combines with the bread yeast to absorb odours really well. Try it out and see how you go!
4. Revive old, lifeless towels
Nobody likes a scratchy towel. It just doesn't give you that feeling of luxury when you step out of a shower and wrap yourself up in it.
Restore the softness and ramp up the comfort levels by including half a cup of vinegar the next time you do a load of towels.
It's a far cheaper option than fabric softener and using vinegar can help to prevent static in your towels as well.
5. Extend the life of your windshield wipers
As your wipers age, they start to streak and smear on your windows. Instead of replacing them, try this first.
With a clean cloth, wipe white vinegar along the rubber exterior of your windscreen wipers, ensuring total coverage.
Clean windscreen wipers will mean there is less chance of grime being smeared across your windscreen.
6. Treat stained clothing
We know that vinegar can treat stains on your carpet, but did you know that your clothes can benefit from vinegar's properties as well?
Lightly rub vinegar into the stained area of the clothing before putting it into the washing machine.
Vinegar does a phenomenal job of loosening dirt and food particles, effectively lifting stains when followed by a wash cycle.
Not only could you save your favourite dress, but you'll save dollars on expensive stain removal products too!
