A few weeks ago, I shared a whole mess of ways to use coconut oil — something simple that can be kept for years in your home without spoiling. It’s basic, it’s awesome, and it’s SO useful. You know what else fits into that basic-awesome-useful category? VINEGAR! Of all kinds!

Honestly, the first things that come to mind when I think of vinegar is either a) cleaning with white vinegar or b) eating malt vinegar on my fries! When I was pregnant, I craved malt vinegar like nobody’s business. I actually considered drinking it straight out of the bottle, but thought better of it — instead, I just ate a LOT of fries. Probably that’s the lesser of two evils? Either way, vinegar is excellent, in all forms, and today I’m going to share TEN brilliant ways to use vinegar in your daily life — let’s do it!

10 Brilliant Ways To Use Vinegar!

10 Brilliant Ways To Use Vinegar

01. To disinfect your child’s toys! Plastic toys can be soaked in a water-vinegar solution to get rid of lingering bacteria that kids really enjoy spreading around. Some daycare centers use this method — especially when toys end up in their mouths so often!

02. To clean your sink drain! Pour a 1/2 cup of white vinegar down your drain and let it stand for about 20 minutes. You can boost this cleaning power with baking soda if you’d like, then follow it up with a few kettles of boiling water. If your drain was clogged, not just dirty, you can use a plunger (but probably not the one that uses you in your toilet, for obvious reasons).

03. To kill fruit flies! My pal Maggie of SheLetThemEatCake.com swears by using vinegar to snuff out those pesky fruit flies. Here’s what she does: “I add it to a bowl, say a 1/4 cup or so with a drop or two of dish soap. Cover it with saran and poke toothpick holes in it. Change every couple of days, it’s like they smell death and avoid it if you don’t change it up. That sounds terrible, but they’re fruit flies!!!” Sounds good to me!

04. To boost your laundry cleaning power! Toss in a cup or so of white vinegar to your next load for added freshness. That’ll get the funk out of your stale, summery beach towels too!

05. To wash your fruits and veggies! Get rid of icky pesticide residue by soaking your fruits and veggies in a vinegar solution before using them. Good Green Habits has a great post on how to do just that.

06. To clean your dishwasher! Get rid of stains and soap scum and stink by using vinegar to swish out your fancy dishwashing machine! I found this awesome video via Clean My Space that shows you how to use vinegar with baking soda to kick your stinky dishwasher in the butt! #karatechop

07. To cure hiccups! To this day, one of my BFFs carries tiny restaurant packets of white vinegar in her purse and swigs them as soon as her hiccups hit. She gets those mean, barking, painful sort of hiccups, and swears that one good swig of vinegar is all it takes to send those hiccups packing.

08. As a safe flea repellent for your pets! You can create a safe flea spray using apple cider vinegar that can be applied to your pet’s skin before heading outdoors. Earth Clinic suggests making a diluted solution of ACV and water in a sprayer to apply it easily. Just be sure to cover your pet’s eyes before spritzing.

09. To kill the weeds between sidewalk cracks and cobblestone! Say goodbye to the pesky bits of greenery that like to show up between your paving stones by mixing up a concoction of vinegar, sea salt, and a drop of dish liquid, then spraying it on the unwanted shrubbery. Adios, weeds!

10. As bug bite relief! Some swear by a dab of vinegar on your bug bites to take away that uncomfortable sting. Bring it with you the next time you’re camping or out at the cottage — a little goes a long way!

Time to stock up on every kind of vinegar you can find! Thankfully, despite its incredible versatility, vinegar is a cost-effective way to do any of the 10 things I’ve listed, which means you’ll never have to worry about running out! Enjoy the virtue of vinegar, my friends — and feel free to add your OWN favorite uses to the comments! We’d love to hear what you’ve been using it for lately!

Image source: sunchild123 via photopin cc