Vinegar can be your best friend, if you let it. A natual antibacterial, it can be used to replace many of the caustic chemicals in your home.

Vinegar is naturally acidic and makes an excellent base for many household helpers. By mixing a few ingredients, you can use vinegar substitutes for many over-the-counter cleaners and cures.

An Introduction to Vinegar

There are whole websites, like vinegartips.com, devoted to singing the praises of vinegar, but let's step back a moment to determine what it is, exactly. In the production of vinegar, natural chemical processes (like fermentation) turn the sugars in fruits and grains into a mild acid. The resulting liquid, containing acetic acid, is a natural antibacterial and mold inhibitor with an indefinite shelf life.

Save the Environment by Using More Natural Products like Vinegar

Taking advantage of some of the uses of vinegar is just one step in the process of making your home a more natural environment for your children and pets. Other ingredients, like olive oil, petroleum jelly, baking soda and plain toothpaste can all be used to perform useful tasks in your home without the chemical soup that is the norm for many over the counter products.

Making good use of multi-taskers like vinegar saves the environment, saves you money by allowing you to purchase in volume, and keeps caustic and dangerous chemicals away from your family. The following list of vinegar facts will help you decide how best to use this versatile ingredient.

Homemade Scouring Paste

Make a paste of five tablespoons of baking soda, one tablespoon of laundry detergent, and one tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar. Use immediately.

Homemade Grease Cutter

Use full strength vinegar on your stove, range hood, counters, and windows as a grease cutter and disinfectant.

Homemade Disinfectant and Anti-Bacterial

Mix vinegar with four tablespoons each of these four herbs, rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender flowers, to make four thieves vinegar.

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Clean glasses with cloudy mineral residue by coating them inside and out with vinegar soaked cotton cloths or paper towels. Allow to cure in place for half an hour.

Homemade Polish for Copper

Mix two tablespoons of salt or cream of tartar with one tablespoon of vinegar to make a paste.

Homemade Bug Spray

If sprayed regularly, undiluted vinegar applied to window frames, doorframes, and baseboards will discourage flies, ants, silverfish and sowbugs.

Extend the Life of Sponges, Cleaning Cloths, and Mop Heads

Textiles can be expensive, even those used for cleaning. Disinfect sponges and other cleaning cloths and aids by soaking them overnight in undiluted vinegar.

Clean and Bleach Grout

Mix equal parts vinegar and lemon juice to make an effective grout cleaner and bleach. Apply to grout with a toothbrush and allow to dry in place.

These are just a few examples of the many uses for vinegar in your home. You can see that using vinegar in new ways helps you to eliminate the need for specialty pest sprays, grout cleaners, kitchen disinfectants, metal polish, glass cleaner, scouring paste, and grease cutters.

Eliminating these products helps keep chemicals away from your family, out of landfill, and out of our water supply. Remember, a little knowledge and planning will create a safer home, save the environment, and save you pennies that add up over time.