What do you do with your bottle of apple cider vinegar after learning that it doesn’t do much of what it’s advertised as doing such as helping with weight loss and in fact has adverse effects such as wearing down the tooth enamel and increasing the likelihood of cavities? Don’t despair about your lost money. There is yet hope. Here are some ways you can use apple cider vinegar around the house.
Health
Sinuses
Apple cider vinegar has long been used to treat sinus infections. The acetic acid in the vinegar helps stop bacteria growth which helps and also has antibacterial properties which break mucus down. Just add a few drops of apple cider vinegar into your humidifier and breathe through the nose.
Pets
Fleas can be a real nuisance for pets. Dilute apple cider vinegar in a ratio of 1:1 then spray this mix on your pets before they venture outside. Fleas will be sure to avoid them. Cats hate the smell of apple cider vinegar so you can spray it in places where you don’t want them to go, and they’ll avoid those areas.
Food
Fortify hard-boiled eggs
Add some apple cider vinegar to your boiled water to help avoid broken shells for your hard-boiled eggs. Vinegar also speeds up the clotting of the white eggs increasing your likelihood of producing consistently good-boiled eggs.
Preserve food
Just like other types of vinegar, apple cider vinegar is an effective preservative. It works by making the food acidic which deactivates the enzymes and bacteria that make food go bad. Find out how to pickle each specific food from recipes online.
Cleaning
All-purpose cleaner
Its antibacterial properties make it a great addition to all your cleaning needs, especially in the kitchen where it can also function as a mild disinfectant. Use a diluted mixture to wash your fruits and vegetables. Pour some in your humidifier to clean the humidifier. Simply remove the filter, rinse it with water then add vinegar to the tank and let it sit for half an hour. Then rinse and dry the humidifier. You can also use apple cider vinegar to clean dentures and toothbrushes.
Deodorizer
If a certain smell has adhered to your skin, for example, the smell of garlic after chopping them, wash your hands with diluted apple cider vinegar to get rid of it. You can also spray a diluted mixture in a 1:1 ratio with water into the air or directly on surfaces with an unpleasant smell to deodorize a room. In the kitchen, the diluted mixture for about 20-30 minutes to get rid of any strong cooking smells. You can also pour a mixture along with lemon and baking soda down your sink or garbage disposal to combat any bad odours.
Floor cleaner
Use diluted apple cider vinegar when mopping ceramic, laminate, and vinyl floors. It will freshen them up, remove stains and unpleasant smells and also act as a mild disinfectant. Regularly using it will decrease your likelihood of dealing with pests like ants. In this way, it works as a bug-repellent.
Stain remover
The acidic nature of apple cider vinegar makes it great for cleaning and stain removal. It’s safer to use than bleach and gentler on fabrics. Just remember not to use apple cider vinegar and bleach together, it releases toxic chlorine gas. You can also add some vinegar in the washing machine when doing your laundry. It will remove stains as well as that old, musty, washing machine smell. Some stains that apple cider is effective against include hard water stains, tea, coffee, tomato and ketchup, grass, sweat, blood, ink and crayon and rust.
Flytrap
Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of apple cider vinegar. Trap them by pouring diluted apple cider vinegar in a bowl then covering that bowl with cling film with tiny holes poked in it. They’ll fly in but be unable to fly out.
Beauty
Skincare
People experiencing uncomfortable itching, swelling, cracking and blistering symptoms of eczema can get relief from using apple cider vinegar. You can add it to your bath or dilute it and use it as a toner. People with any other skin conditions like acne can use it as well as people trying to age gracefully. It’s highly acidic so do not use it on your skin without first diluting it to prevent burns. The general recipe is mixing 1 part of vinegar in two parts of water. If you have sensitive skin, you can dilute it further.
Apple cider vinegar can also be used to treat sunburn in the event that you don’t have aloe vera. Just dilute some vinegar and use a washcloth to apply it to the affected areas.
Deodorant
Its antibacterial property helps combat bad odour. Just apply some diluted solution to your underarms to remain odour free all day.
5 Natural Deodorant Alternatives That You Should Try
Hair
Using apple cider vinegar as a rinse can help clear up any product build-up and even treat certain conditions like dandruff. It helps detangle hair and add shine to it. The ratio of vinegar to water should be 1:1 but you can dilute it further if you have sensitive skin. Massaging diluted apple cider vinegar into the scalp can also help get rid of dandruff.
Gardening
Spray undiluted apple cider vinegar on unwanted weeds in your garden to get rid of them. You can also try adding soap and lemon juice to increase the effectiveness of the solution.
Check out
