Tips for Cleaning Laundry with Vinegar
I've used it with fish and chips, I've cleaned out my tea kettle with it, and I've discovered
that vinegar is the most versatile cleaning agent around. And when it comes to adding
vinegar to my laundry routines, there are a seemingly unlimited number of ways it's used
to boost the effectiveness of cleaning and washing!
Vinegar and Your Washing Machine
All detergents can be assisted and possibly improved with the cleaning potential of white
distilled vinegar. We're not talking balsamic here, or even red wine vinegar. The type
you want to always use as a household cleanser is the white distilled vinegar. But why
would you want to use it?
For starters, a 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar in the wash cycle helps prevent lint from
clinging to clothes. You will also reduce and possibly eliminate the chemicals that most
new clothes have (as a result of the manufacturing process) with a 1/2 cup added to the
wash cycle.
Your rinse cycle can benefit from vinegar inclusion as well. By adding a 1/2 cup of
vinegar to the rinse water you'll remove soap residue that makes darker clothes appear
dull. This is an especially useful tip if you use chemical-free detergents because the
whites can dull over time
Wool or acrylic sweaters (hand or machine-washed) will lose their soapy smell when you
use a 1/2 cup of vinegar in the last rinse cycle.
And as a general rule, just 1/4 cup of vinegar in the final rinse will ensure cleaner
laundry.
Vinegar contains acid that is mild enough to not harm your clothing material, but strong
enough to dissolve the alkalies found in soap and detergent, preventing yellowing, and
acting as a fabric softener and static cling reducer. It also cuts mold and mildew.
And it's not all about your clothes; you can clean your washing machine and its hoses by
periodically running a cycle with just a cup of vinegar and nothing else in the wash to get
rid of soap scum quickly.
When you leave wet laundry in the machine, as most of us probably have done, you
might notice a moldy smell as an unfortunate reminder. Pour a few cups of vinegar into
the machine and wash the clothes with hot water. Run a normal cycle with detergent
after that.
Use Vinegar as a Stain Remover
Try dabbing a mustard stain with white distilled vinegar before a wash for extra
stain-fighting power.
If your clothes have perspiration stains or odors on them after being worn, simply
spray full-strength white distilled vinegar on collar and underarm areas, and they
should disappear.
Various stains on clothing and linen can actually be soaked out in equal parts of
milk and vinegar. Spaghetti, barbecue, and ketchup stains are neutralized with a
vinegar and water combination.
Vinegar without Your Washing Machine
Eliminate musky smells from cotton by lightly sprinkling fabrics with a little vinegar and
pressing them.
Wipe patent leather shoes and bags with vinegar to produce an impressive shine
consistently. An equal part of water and white vinegar also efficiently removes water and
salt stains on boots and shoes.
You can restore the whiteness of socks and dishcloths by bringing a large pot of water
and 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to a rolling boil, and soaking them in it overnight.
This tip might be my favorite. It just seems so simple and for a really big job. Let's say
you need to tackle smoky odors on your clothing. Fill a bathtub with very hot water and
1 cup of vinegar and hang the clothes over the tub so the steam rises. Give the fibers a
chance to absorb the steam and close the door to concentrate the process.
If these are clothes you iron, your steam iron will be kept clean and in optimal condition
by filling the water chamber with equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled water.
Leave the iron setting in an upright position and steaming for about 5 minutes then rinse
the tank with water when it is cool. Be sure to refill and shake water through the vents
and nozzles onto an old cloth to wash out mineral deposits, and do not forget to run your
iron on a test fabric before using it again on your good duds.
Finally, watch scorch marks on ironed clothes disappear when you rub them with a
warmed-up mixture of equal parts vinegar and salt. If that technique does not work, try
using a cloth that is dampened in full-strength vinegar.
My grandmother used to use vinegar, a bucket of hot water, and old newspapers to clean
her windows. It works great! It's cheap and it's safe. And ancient history shows us that
vinegar has been used to pickle, preserve, and perk up everything from cucumbers to
laundry for many thousands of years. It's considered to have medicinal properties as
well, and while we can't be certain the ancients ever said this about its use in laundry, let's
hear it for the versatile properties of vinegar!
