Using Vinegar for What???

Vinegar is a sour-tasting liquid produced usually by oxidation of the alcohol in wine (plain white vinegar or red wine vinegar) or cider (cider vinegar), and typically used for things like pickling, food preservation, marinating meat, or one of my favourites - putting on to of your French fries.
Apple cider vinegar has been noted for weight loss by helping the body burn calories better by boosting your metabolism, helping your body metabolize fats, and reducing your overall appetite and apparently this has been proven to help people loose weight. I know that there are supplements that suggest you take one or two capsules before every meal, but I have read over and over that the best way is just to have a teaspoon of cider vinegar before each meal, some recommend taking it with honey for an additional nutritional boost and to help sweeten the taste.

Apparently vinegar will also increases the health and shine of your hair. Shampoo as usual , then rinse hair with a mixture of one cup vinegar and two cups water. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette hair, restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil. I personally have not tried this on my hair as I am afraid of what “highlights” might mean, but my one son who has dandruff caused by eczema uses this after shampooing and it helps with the dandruff, chapped skin, itchiness and removes any build up in his hair.

Here is a quick run down of some of the ways to use vinegar for health and beauty:

- Neutralizes the alkali left by shampoos.
- Helps keep your hands soft.
- Helps you lose weight
- Can help relieve a sore throat.
- Can remove the nits if your children get lice.
- Antiseptic for abrasions
- Reduce itch from poison ivy or mosquito bites
- Helps re-hydrate sunburned skin.
- Is a skin cleanser
- Helps relieve dandruff
- Helps eliminate low-grade fevers

Many people use vinegar for things like cleaning windows, but vinegar is great to have as part of your cleaning supplies. You can use it as a rinse agent in your dishwasher, in your rinse cycle of your washing machine to remove any soap build up and to soften your clothes and help remove static, you can clean your bathroom, floors, walls, kitchen cupboard, you name it and vinegar will wash it.

Here is a quick run down of some of the things vinegar can do when you clean:

- Dissolves mineral deposits
- Deodorizes
- Disinfects
- Fabric softener
- Static cling reducer
- Air freshener
- Stain remover
- Neutralizes urine
- Removes calcium and lime deposits.
- Clean soap scum, mildew, and grime from bathtub, tile, and shower curtains

Some people do not particularly like the smell of vinegar throughout their entire house, myself included, so when I make my cleaning supplies I always put a couple of drops of essential oils in as well. You need to use something that complements the vinegar enough to cover it up, so scents such as Green tea and Cucumber (my personal fav), Peppermint, Tea Tree, or Lemon all all good scents that work well. I personally love being able to pick my own scent, that is pleasing to me instead of having overpowering scents in the chemical laden commercial products that I use to buy.

I also love that once I make up a batch of All-Purpose Cleaner, I can wash anything without switching back and forth between cleaners. I can clean my cupboards, stove, fridge and floors, windows, mirrors all with the same cleaner, which saves time and money!

Now what about some other uses?

Did you know that bugs hate vinegar? Vinegar will kill dust mites, help keep flies away, and repels ants and mosquitoes (therefore, the more vinegar you injest, the more the bugs will stay away from you too!). I pour vinegar in areas that I want to keep the ants away and to help kill weeds, but be careful, vinegar will also kill grass and other such things, so only pour in areas that you will not be killing off things you want!

For more posts like this one also see:

Making Summer Cleaning Quick and Effective

Making Your Own Household Cleaners