Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tuesday Tips: The Vinegar Edition

Last week, we shared a bunch of tips related to vinegar's partner-in-fizz, baking soda. Including a great treatment for clogged drains. This week, we concentrate on vinegar on its own merits.

Have a recipe that calls for lemon juice and fresh out? Substitute 1/2 teaspoon vinegar for 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Vinegar is a great adversary for those pesky coffee/tea stains. Swirl a little in the bottom of a mug to clean. Or heat a little vinegar and water to clean out a teakettle or coffee carafe. And, of course, clean out your automatic coffeemaker by running a vinegar and water mixture through a brewing cycle. (Just make sure to run clean water through a couple brewing cycles to rinse thoroughly.)

In the same vein, run a cup of vinegar through a cycle of your empty dishwasher to flush out soap buildup and gunk.

Deodorize your garbage disposal by feeding it with a handful of vinegar ice cubes. Rinse with cold water after grinding them up.

And did you know vinegar is a great organic weedkiller. Fill a spray bottle and spray your weeds away. (Even better is the stronger undiluted 18 percent stuff you can find some places.)

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