10 Money Saving Uses for White Vinegar

In Cents Sense # 459, I explained how to clean your shower head and faucets with white vinegar. Today, I (@Michelethebargainqueen of www.savingmoneyandmakingmoney.com) will give you an additional ten uses for white vinegar that you may not have heard that can save you a ton of money.

With a huge bottle of white vinegar only costing you a few dollars, it is a fantastic way to save money.

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As you may know by now, I love to save money! If I can use something that I already have on hand and it can be used for something else, I get excited.

Here are an additional ten uses for white vinegar!

Soothe Sunburn

We were just at the beach and even though I am careful not to get sunburned, I turned a little pink on my chest. I grabbed few paper towels and soaked them in vinegar and gently pressed onto my chest. The vinegar’s acetic acid balances the skin’s pH to ease the pain and puffiness, and in additional bonus is that it helps prevent blistering and peeling.

Relieve Swimmer’s Ear Fast

While I was dealing with the sunburn, my husband asked if I had anything in the first aid kit for swimmer’s ear. Although I did not have anything in the first aid kit, I did have vinegar along to make a salad dressing. I just mixed-up equal parts of the white vinegar AND rubbing alcohol and put a couple of drops in the ear that is bothering you. We did not have an eye dropper, so we just soaked a cotton ball, and I squeezed a couple of drops into his ear. Wait about 30 seconds and the tilt your head to drain. Again, the vinegar’s acetic acid will kill the infection-causing bacteria while the rubbing alcohol will help dry out the ear canal!

Soften Stiff Towels

This works for new towels or old towels that are a little stiff and not so soft. Instead of using your fabric softener (which can cause a waxy buildup on fabric over time), toss them in the wash and just add ½ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Again, it is the vinegar’s acetic acid that will help break down the starches added by the manufacturers to keep towels looking crisp. This will make your towels more absorbent AND softer!

Wash Hummingbird Feeders

I love to have hummingbirds around and have about four hummingbird feeders throughout my garden. When the nectar starts to turn bad, it will cause mold to grow inside the feeders. Hummingbirds are extremely sensitive to detergents and could even cause them to lose their ability to drink! White vinegar to the rescue! Just soak the feeders in warm water with some white vinegar and then clean with a bottle scrubber. Let it rinse and dry before putting clean new water/sugar in the feeder!

Help Flowering Shrubs Flourish

We have a couple of azalea bushes and a rhododendron out front, and they were looking a little icky. After doing a little research, I found out that my soil was too alkaline for the acid-loving plants. White vinegar to the rescue! Just add one cup of vinegar to a gallon of water and use it to water them. You only need to do this once a week. The white vinegar will lower the pH of the soil to help ensure that you will have healthy, beautiful blooms.

Get a Longer-Lasting Manicure

Before we went to the beach (and before I had bought a bottle of rubbing alcohol) I gave myself a manicure. I usually wipe my nails with rubbing alcohol before I paint my nails. Since I was out, I tried white vinegar to see if that would work as well. It did! I just took a cotton ball and saturated it with the white vinegar and swiped my nails. It helps to dissolve any surface oils that are on your nails, so that the polish goes on smoothly AND it is less prone to chipping!

Make Garbage Disposal More Efficient

Keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh and running smoothly by throwing in a couple of white vinegar ice cubes every couple of weeks. (The vinegar ice cubes are great for having sunburn as well!)  Just grind the ice cubes (I use about 4 or 5) with the water running and then let the water run a little bit after grinding. The white vinegar’s acetic acid helps deodorize the disposal and the ice will help sharpen the blades and dislodge any stuck-on food particles. (If my dishwasher starts to smell bad, I run it with a small dish of white vinegar on the top shelf.)

Remove Pesticides/Bacteria from Produce

Do not bother buying those sprays that will remove pesticides from fruit and vegetables. The only thing you need is white vinegar, water, and a spray bottle. Mix one part vinegar to three parts water in a spray bottle. Just spray each piece of produce, rub with your fingers, and run under cold water.

Paint Fumes be Gone

I am so glad that my husband loves to fix things around the house and that also means painting. The only problem is that the smell of paint gives me a headache. A trick that I learned was to put a few small bowls of white vinegar around the room and let it sit overnight. The white vinegar will absorb the paint vapors and it will get rid of the horrible headache smell! Just throw out the vinegar once the smell is gone!

Eliminate Litter Box Odors

I wish I would have known about this little fact when I had my kitties. A friend of mine does this and see has nine cats and you would never know that walking into her house. Wash the litter box like normal with soap and water. The put ½ inch of white vinegar and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse the litter box and let it dry completely before adding the new litter. Again, the white vinegar’s acetic acid will kill the odor-causing bacteria!

There it is ten additional uses for white vinegar for you to try to save money! Do you use white vinegar for anything else? Let me know.

Remember what my husband always says, “Saving Money IS Making Money!”