How to Use Vinegar Around the House

Besides being an acidic liquid you can use for flavoring, vinegar is also a versatile cleaner, and you can use it to clean various surfaces and appliances in your home. To learn more about how to use vinegar around the house, continue reading this insightful 5-Minute Crafts guide.

1. A greasy cooktop

Vinegar is great for removing grease from your cooktop thanks to its acidity. The procedure is simple, and it goes like this:

1. Pour white vinegar and warm water at a 1:1 ratio into a spray bottle and shake it a bit to mix things well.
2. Spray the mix onto a cooktop.
3. Wait up to 10 minutes, then wipe the cooktop with a sponge or some cloth you use for this purpose.

If you don’t remove all the grease, repeat the process and leave the mix to corrode the remaining grease longer before wiping it.

2. A stained food processor

If your food processor or blender has leftover food, stains, or a bad smell, this is what you should do:

1. Pour water and vinegar into the bowl at a 1:1 ratio.
2. Turn your food processor on, then let it operate as long as needed to eliminate the filth.
3. Empty the bowl’s contents and wash the food processor as you normally would.

3. A smelly trash can

You can prevent bad smells from your trash can if you invest a few minutes in cleaning every time you throw out the garbage. And the procedure looks like this:

1. Make a 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
2. Once you take out the full plastic bag, spray the trash can and its lid from the inside and, if necessary, the outside.
3. Wipe the trash can and the lid with a cloth you use for cleaning, then add an empty plastic bag.

4. A messy knife block

Everyone cleans their knives before putting them away, but the knife block requires cleaning too. To clean the slots you put your knives in, take this approach:

1. Take a paper towel and soak it with vinegar.
2. Wrap the paper towel around a knife.
3. Slide the wrapped knife into the slots to clean them.

5. A mineral-infested kettle

If your kettle is full of mineral deposits, descale it this way:

1. Make a 1:1 water and vinegar ratio mixture and pour it into the kettle.
2. Boil the mixture.
3. Empty the kettle and rinse it with running water.

6. A dirty wooden floor

Vinegar is also an efficient wooden floor cleaner when combined with water. However, note that you should use the following formula to clean prefabricated or sealed hardwood floors only, never unfinished or waxed hardwood floors.

1. Make a mixture of half a cup of vinegar and a gallon (around 4 liters) of hot water.
2. Dip the floor mop in the mixture and wring it out afterward to avoid dipping drops on the floor.
3. Mop the wooden floor.