As far as most cooks are concerned, standard distilled vinegar is a rarely used item. We tend to gravitate toward flavored vinegars or those made from ingredients that will lend a certain flavor profile to the foods we cook, and aside from being the perfect tool to help a poached egg from spreading too far into the poaching liquid or coloring Easter eggs, it is almost never used in food preperation.

does that mean we don’t have a big ol’ jug of the stuff hanging out under our kitchen sinks? Of course not! Plain vinegar may not be all that great for cooking, but it has a ton of other uses that I find incredibly useful. Most of you probably know that vinegar and water are great glass cleaners and tah vinegar can help clean your coffee maker, but ther are other tricks to be found in that bottle.

Let’s explore a few of them, shall we?

Thirteen Uses For Common Household Vinegar

1. Use vinegar to disinfect and freshen your fridge. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water and give the inside a thorough wipe-down. Not only will it help things smell fresher, but it will inhibit mildew growth
2. Disinfect wood cutting boards. Just wipe down the board with full strength white vinegar after each use. the acid in the vinegar will take out most common nasties such as e.coli and salmonella, and it won’t harm the wood like water will.
3. We know vinegar will clean out a coffee maker, but did you know that a cup of undiluted white vinegar run through your dishwasher once a month will dissolve built-up soap residue and clean out hard water deposits?
4. When you’re finished frying, clean up grease splatters from your stove top, walls, range hood, and surrounding counter top by washing them with a sponge dipped in undiluted white vinegar. Use another sponge soaked in cold tap water to rinse, then wipe dry with a soft cloth.
5. Boiling 2 cups vinegar in your frying pan for 10 minutes will help keep food from sticking to it for several months at a time.
6. Give those dark stains on your aluminum cookware (caused by cooking acidic foods) the heave-ho by mixing in 1 teaspoon white vinegar for every cup of water needed to cover the stains. Let it boil for a couple of minutes, then rinse with cold water.
7. To get a thermos bottle clean, fill it with warm water and 1/4 cup white vinegar. If you see any residue, add some uncooked rice, which will act as an abrasive to scrape it off. Close and shake well. Then rinse and let it air-dry.
8. It’s often difficult to get strong onion, garlic, or fish odors off your hands after preparing a meal. But you’ll find these scents are a lot easier to wash off if you rub some distilled vinegar on your hands before and after you slice your vegetables or clean your fish.
9. You can use undiluted white vinegar on your hands to remove stains from berries and other fruits.
10. Pour about a teaspoon of vinegar into a nearly empty mayonnaise jar and swish it around to get out the last of the mayonnaise.
11. Soak a paper towel with vinegar and place it in a smelly lunchbox overnight to remove those hard-to-get-rid-of odors.
12. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Just pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water
13. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

And there you go. Yet another 13 home and environment friendly tips from yours truly! Tell a friend, tell the world! Heck Let’s jut go have a drink!

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