Inexpensive white vinegar can be used to whiten, brighten, reduce odor, remove mildew and green your laundry by reducing your use of chemicals. Keep a bottle next to your detergent to keep laundry looking its best.
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Remove Perspiration Stains and Odor
Fabric Brightener
The acid in white distilled vinegar is so mild that it will not harm fabrics in the laundry; yet is strong enough to dissolve residues (alkalies) left by soaps and detergents. Just adding 1/2 cup vinegar to the final rinse will result in brighter, clearer colors.Fabric Softener
White distilled vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener leaving no residue on laundry. Just add 1/2 cup to the final rinse. This should be used with all fire-retardant children's clothing. Commercial fabric softeners interfere with fire retardant qualities.Fabric Mildew Remover
Leaving wet towels in a hamper or a load of wet clothing in the laundry washer creates mildew and a moldy smell. To get everything smelling fresh, complete these two steps:
Using hot water, add two cups of white distilled vinegar to the wash cycle and wash the moldy clothes. Then run a normal cycle with detergent.
Seam and Hemline Mark Remover
To get rid of the tiny holes left along a seam or hemline when a garment is altered, moisten a cloth with white distilled vinegar, place it under the fabric and press.Laundry Whitener
The mild acid in vinegar acts as a whitener and brightens dingy clothes in the laundry. To get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again, add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water. Heat to boiling and add the articles. Let soak overnight and then launder as usual. This should only be used on 100 percent cotton clothing.Washing Machine Cleaner
Soap scum and mineral deposits can build up in the hoses of your washer restricting water flow and performance. Four times per year, remove soap scum and clean the hoses by using hot water and a cup of white distilled vinegar in the wash cycle.
If you have automatic detergent or fabric softener dispensers, use pure white distilled vinegar to clean any build-up that may limit performance.
Reduce Lint and Static Cling
Add 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the laundry's wash cycle to prevent lint and pet hair from clinging to clothes.Remove Soap Residue from Laundry
Adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to laundry's final rinse will remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull.Remove Smoke Odor
If your washable clothing reeks of cigarette or cigar smoke odor, add 1/2 cup vinegar to your laundry wash cycle. For nonwashable clothing, fill the bathtub with very hot water and 1 cup white distilled vinegar. Hang the garments above the steaming water and shut the door so the steam can penetrate the fibers.Steam Iron Cleaner
Mineral deposits can clog an iron's steam vents and spray nozzles. To remove those deposits,fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled water. Set the iron in an upright position on a heatproof surface and let it steam for about five minutes. When the iron is cool, rinse the tank with water. Then refill the iron and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Iron an old cloth for several minutes before moving on to wearable garments.
To remove scorch marks from the faceplate of an iron, rub with a warmed-up solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and salt. Finish with a cloth dampened with full-strength white distilled vinegar.
