10 Ways With…Vinegar

Did you know some of your trusty kitchen ingredients can also be used elsewhere in the home? We’ve been letting you in on some of them in our ’10 Ways With…’ series here on the My Appliances blog. First, we looked at lemons, before moving onto baking soda – and today we’re focusing on vinegar!

So get ready to be pleasantly surprised…there are plenty of ways you can use vinegar other than for your fish and chips! Read on…

1.Unclog Your Sink Drain – Got a potentially costly sink blockage on your hands? Try this easy and cheap solution to unclog it and get back to business in your kitchen!

2. Polish Your Silverware – Is your cutlery looking a little dull? Give it the attention it deserves by using vinegar to give it a lovely, sparkly shine.

3. Clean Your Computer Mouse – In your home office, vinegar can be used to clean debris from your computer mouse to ensure it works proeprly again. Do be aware, though, that you can only use the condiment on mice with a removable tracking ball – and do so with a solution made up of 50% vinegar and 50% water.

Start by removing the ball from underneath the mouse; you can do this by twisting off the cover which sits over it. Now, grab a cloth which you’ve wrung out after dampening with the vinegar and water solution and wipe the ball clean. You can now use a moistened cotton bud to clean out any gunk, before letting it dry for a while before adding the ball back in.

4. Sanitise Jam Jars – Love making preserves? You can easily sanitise jam jars with a little vinegar. All you need to do is fill the container with equal parts vinegar and warm, soapy water. Now, let it stand for around 10 minutes. Afterwards (and if you’re able to close it securely with the lid) give it a good shake, before rinsing well under the tap.

5. Remove Old Wallpaper – Sick of peeling back wallpaper that just won’t budge? Give it a helping hand by spraying equal parts vinegar and water on the paper until it’s wet through. Then, wait a few minutes and grab your wallpaper scraper. Et voila – the problem should now be much easier to solve!

6. Clean Your Car’s Wiper Blades – We bet you didn’t think you could use vinegar on your car, did you? Well you can! Dampen a cloth with some full-strength white vinegar and run it up and down the wiper blades on your windscreen to remove dirt.

7. Tackle Weeds – Give weeds like dandelions and unwanted grass the heave-ho. A good spray of full-strength white or apple cidar vinegar should help eradicate the problem. To treat unwanted greenery, give each plant a single spritz of vinegar early on in the season.

8. Remove Mildew – White vinegar is your go-to product to remove mildew stains in the bathroom. If the stain’s a  little lighter, dilute the vinegar with equal amounts of water and add to a damp cloth, before rubbing the affected area.

9. Restore Clothes – Have your clothes got a slight yellow tinge? Restore them to their former glory by soaking them overnight in a solution of one part vinegar to 12 parts warm water. The following morning, wring out your clothes and wash them as usual.

10. Clean Your Kettle – Say no to lime and mineral deposits in your tea kettle by adding a little vinegar – head here for a full tutorial.

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Until next time…