Vinegar Hacks That Are Actually Useful

Published on 06/25/2024
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Revive Wilted Vegetables

If you have some wilted vegetables that look like they're past their prime, you may be able to still save them. Vinegar works great at bringing vegetables back to life. Just add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to a container filled with ice water. Next, soak your vegetables and watch them spring back to life. This won't work if it's way past time to throw it out, but leafy greens that just started to wilt should be fine.

This is a great tip for when you just need some greens to finish off a salad or dish and don't have time to run to the store to pick up more.

Revive Wilted Vegetables

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Disinfect A Wooden Cutting Board

Wooden cutting boards are one of those things you always want to keep as clean as possible. So, it's a good idea to let it soak in a vinegar solution every now and then to make sure that it's totally disinfected. Just mix around four parts water and one part vinegar and let your board soak for a couple of minutes. Next, rinse it down and dry it to avoid messing up the wood.

The disinfecting process gets it much cleaner than if you were to just wash it the same way you wash your dishes. It's also a good idea to rub it down with a tiny bit of oil to prevent warping.

Disinfect A Wooden Cutting Board

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Whiten Your Teeth

Nobody wants yellow teeth. However, whitening strips can be painful and expensive. Luckily, there's a vinegar solution for that. Just mix some vinegar and baking powder together and use it to brush your teeth for a couple of weeks. The solution helps break down plaque for a white smile. The results won't be as instant as whitening strips, but it's much less expensive, and with constant use, you'll notice a brighter smile.

For the solution, mix two parts vinegar and one part baking soda. However, don't use it any more than two weeks as the acidity can damage your teeth's enamel if used over long periods of time.

Whiten Your Teeth

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Unclog Your Sink Using Vinegar And Baking Soda

Having a clogged sink is never fun. There are cleaners you can buy from the store, but that's really not necessary. Save some money and use a vinegar solution instead, which usually works just as well. Pour around a cup of baking soda down your drain and let it sit there for a couple of minutes. Next, pour a cup of vinegar down the drain. You'll see the solution start to fizz.

The strong chemical reaction is almost guaranteed to unclog any dirty drain. After the reaction has stopped, run your tap on full pressure to wash everything away and make sure there's nothing still stuck in the drain.

Unclog Your Sink Using Vinegar And Baking Soda

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Make Your Own Buttermilk

Buttermilk is called for in a ton of different dishes. So, if you're baking or cooking and find that you don't have any on hand, avoid a trip to the store and use vinegar instead. Just add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes before stirring and mixing everything together. The vinegar gives the milk the same acidic properties found in buttermilk.

It'll save you a trip to the store, which is particularly useful if you've already started making whatever it is you need the buttermilk for and don't have the time to go anywhere.

Make Your Own Buttermilk

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Disinfect Your Toothbrush

For whatever reason, a lot of us don't really think about disinfecting our toothbrushes very often. The truth is you should be regularly soaking your toothbrush to disinfect. Luckily, there's a vinegar solution for that. All you need to do is add two tablespoons of vinegar and a half tablespoon of baking soda to half a cup of water. Next, soak your toothbrush in the solution and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.

If you want, you can do this weekly. However, doing it occasionally is better than not doing it all. You can also disinfect your toothbrush by soaking it in mouthwash.

Disinfect Your Toothbrush

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Use Vinegar To Ward Off Ants

Ants can be pests at times, especially if they've gotten into your pantry or found something lying around on your counters. If that happens, all you need to do is spray some vinegar around the area they've been attracted to. Since ants travel using scent and pheromones, this should get rid of them. The vinegar blocks any pheromones left behind by the ants, and they're forced to abandon whatever it is they've gotten into.

The best thing about using vinegar to get rid of ants is that it's all-natural, so you don't have to worry about any harsh chemicals getting into your food.

Use Vinegar To Ward Off Ants

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