Tuesday, March 16, 2010

More Uses for White Vinegar

Fill a spray bottle with full strength vinegar and spray on weeds or grass that is growing where you don’t want it too. It will kill all plant life where you spray it, so make sure you don’t spray it anywhere that you don’t want to kill anything that is growing. You may need to apply a few times to effectively kill weeds/grass.

Are you looking to plant acid loving plants like blueberries, rhododendrons, gardenias or azaleas? Add 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water and pour into the soil. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.

Want to keep that beautiful bouquet of flowers fresh longer? Add 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons white vinegar into a 1-quart vase of water. Trim the stems and change the water every five days.

A teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each quart bowl of drinking water helps keep your pet free of fleas and ticks.

Use vinegar to help remove the stain and odor of fresh pet urine. (You may want to test the fabric before with a small amount of vinegar to make sure it’s colorfast.) Sprinkle distilled vinegar over the fresh pet accident. Wait a few minutes and blot it with a sponge from the center outward to soak up the urine and vinegar. After most of the moisture seems to have been removed blot it with a dry cloth. This procedure may need to be repeated for stubborn stains.

Wet your stinky dog down with fresh water. Mix 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and 2 gallons water. Pour this solution over your dog; making sure their coat is completely wet with the solution. Dry the dog off without rinsing. The smell will be gone!

How many times do you go to use a paintbrush and it’s become hard and stiff? All you need to do to soften it up is soak the paintbrush in some hot white distilled vinegar. Then wash out with some warm water and dish soap.

Need to clean salt off of your leather shoes? Make a solution water and white vinegar (1:1 ratio). Dip a cloth into the solution, and dab it over the salt-streaked parts of your shoes. (Use sparingly.) You may have to repeat the cleaning process a few times before all the salt is removed. Salt actually can damage leather, so it's best to clean shoes as quickly as possible. Don't let the salt stains build up.

Wash your filthy fireplace with a 1:1 ratio of water and vinegar to remove the blackened soot on glass front doors. You can also use the solution to clean soot off of the brick.

Pour a small amount of white vinegar on a clean cloth. Gently rub the area of lime staining with the cloth until the stain is gone. Test a small are first to ensure no discoloration.

Do you have a DVD that is worn and freezes up on you? Before you throw it away try wiping it down with white distilled vinegar and a soft cloth. Make sure the DVD is completely dry before re-inserting in the DVD player so you don’t ruin your player. This won’t always fix the freezing-up problem with DVD’s, but it’s definitely worth a shot!

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