Uses for Vinegar Around the Home You Wouldn’t Expect

Think vinegar is only for chips? Wrong! Here are 13 unexpected uses for vinegar around the home.

A few months ago I shared some surprising uses for coconut oil by Californian artist Yumi Sakugawa, which you guys really loved.  Well, today I’m sharing another one of her fabulous illustrations for WonderHowTo on 13 unexpected uses for vinegar.  This is just as good and surprising as the coconut oil illustration!

Testing the alkalinity of soil with vinegar?  Stopping pets from scratching their ears? De-wrinkling clothes?  All with vinegar?  Alchemy.  Pure alchemy!

Please note, these uses for vinegar are for white distilled vinegar, rather than malt or apple cider vinegar. Here’s where I buy my white vinegar in bulk.

13 Surprising Uses For Vinegar

In case you are using a text reader, then here is what the infographic says:

Cure Hiccups

Simply swallow one teaspoon of vinegar to make hiccups go away.

Stop Pets Scratching Their Ears

Another use for vinegar is to wash your pet’s ears and then wipe their ears down with vinegar to make them less itchy.

Increase Grease-Fighting Potency of Dishwashing Liquid

Add 3 to 4 tablespoons to a bottle of dishwashing liquid and give it a few shakes to boost its cleaning power.

De-Wrinkle Clothing Without Using An Ironing Board

After removing your clothing from the dryer, mist it with a 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts water solution. Then hang up your clothing and let it dry. Genius!

Eliminate Ants From Your Home

In a more unexpected use of vinegar, you can help eliminate ants. Simply spray your kitchen counter and other surfaces with vinegar, and wipe dry. This will deter ants from coming back. Please note, you shouldn’t spray vinegar on natural stone, granite, quartz, or marble countertops as it may etch them.

Remove Stickiness & Grime From Scissors

Simply wipe down the scissor blades with a paper towel or cloth soaked in vinegar.

Make Your Brick Floor Look Amazing

Wipe the surface with a damp mop dipped in a solution of one cup of vinegar and one gallon of warm water.

Minimise Scratches on Wood Furniture

This is such a handy use for vinegar! To make a scratch less noticeable, simply mix vinegar and iodine in a small glass jar, and then painting over the scratch with the solution using a small artist’s paintbrush.

Test the Alkalinity of Your Soil

Place a handful of soil into a container and pour in half a cup of vinegar. If the soil fizzes, it is more alkaline. If it does not, it is more acidic.

Poach Eggs Like A Pro

Adding a few teaspoons of vinegar to water whilst poaching an egg will make the egg whites congeal more easily.

Make it Easier to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs

Add two tablespoons of vinegar to every litre of water to make eggs easier to shell.

Relieve Jellyfish Stings

Adding vinegar to the skin will help neutralise the stinging created from the tentacles left in the skin.

Neutralise the Spiciness In Foods

Finally, in our last of the uses for vinegar, have you added too many spicy spices whilst cooking? Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to your food to help neutralise the spiciness. You can add more if needed, just keep tasting to check your food.

And there you have it!  13 very unexpected uses of vinegar! Were there any surprises here for you? Did you learn anything new? And have you got any more questions about vinegar? Here’s everything you need to know about white vinegar for cleaning.

ps: you might like this post on natural cleaning products that you can make with vinegar, and also this post on why you should wash berries in vinegar!