Vinegar is most commonly used in recipes, but were you aware that it has other benefits as well? Here are ten great uses for vinegar that you may not have thought about before. These are tailored toward regular distilled white vinegar.

Use Vinegar as a Bleach-Free Laundry Disinfectant

Do you dread using bleach to disinfect your clothes? Maybe you can't stand the smell or it makes you sick. Try using one half cup of vinegar and one fourth cup of baking soda along with your detergent in your load of laundry. It whitens, brightens, cleans, and disinfects your clothes.

Plus, it's much safer for the environment. Another bonus is that vinegar can be used on all colors. It's much less expensive than color-safe bleach, totaling about $1.50 per gallon versus 4 or 5 times that for color-safe bleach.

Use Vinegar to Clean the Fish Bowl or Tank

Do you have a fish tank or bowl with glass that is brown in some areas? When you clean the fish's residence, put a generous amount of vinegar on your cleaning cloth with a dab of liquid dish soap. The vinegar clears away the residue and disinfects the tank.

The combination of the vinegar and dish soap makes it easier to slide the cloth around. Your fish will finally be able to see you through his glass and you don't have to be embarrassed at a tank that looks as if its never been cleaned.

Vinegar Makes a Great Window Cleaner

Are you tired of spending money on expensive window cleaning sprays? Just get yourself a good water bottle. Then, fill it about two-thirds of the way with water. Next, put about 3 drops of liquid dish soap into the water. Finally, fill the remaining area with vinegar. Shake it a little bit. Let it sit for a few minutes and then voila!

Now you have a really good window-cleaning solution that costs less than a candy bar to refill and gives you a great streak-free clean for your windows and mirrors. I suggest keeping one in each bathroom, one in the kitchen, and one in each vehicle. With them in reach, you'll never have streaky, dirty windows and mirrors again.

Use Vinegar to Clean Moldy Tupperware

Does your husband tend to leave moldy storage containers and dishes in his work truck? Or maybe you leave it in the fridge too long. That's okay. Just empty them outside and bring them on in. Place them open in the sink. Put a dab of liquid dish soap in each one. Then, put about 2 tablespoons of vinegar in each. Fill the rest of the way with hot water and let them soak.

For the lids, fill the sink only high enough to cover them with a dab of dish soap and about one fourth cup of vinegar and the rest hot water. Once the lids and containers have soaked for at least 20 minutes, wash them as you normally would. I prefer to use the dishwasher as an extra disinfection/sterilization process.

Clean Your Countertops With Vinegar

Vinegar can replace your chemical-ridden kitchen counter cleaners. Just mix half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. Spray the counters and wipe clean. You can also use hydrogen peroxide for this. If you like to see your cleaners soap up, just add a couple drops of dish soap to the solution.

The vinegar disinfects the counters and takes away odors as well. If you have a really tough stain, put a dash of baking soda on top of it. Then, spray with your vinegar solution and wipe clean. If there is white residue, you need to spray and wipe the vinegar solution until it is gone.

Vinegar Kills Fish Odors in the Microwave

Do you like to steam your fish in the microwave, but hate the smell? Place a cup or bowl of vinegar inside the microwave with your fish. Don't cook the fish in it. It should be beside the container the fish is in. The vinegar absorbs the odor.

Use Vinegar as a Deodorizer While Cooking

This trick is good if you are cooking something that is particularly pungent in odor, such as chitterlings, fish, or fried foods. Boil a pan of vinegar diluted halfway with water. This will help to absorb the odors. Just remember to start it before you start the "stinky" foods. This also works if you are baking something and don't want the smell to go throughout the house.

Vinegar Can Be Used to ease Heartburn

If you suffer from gas or heartburn frequently, you'll want to try this one. Drink a tablespoon of vinegar right before each meal. It helps to dissolve the acids, so there won't be as much left for the heartburn to feed off of.

Clean Your Refrigerator With Vinegar

Cleaning your refrigerator with vinegar frequently helps to kill germs and keep it smelling fresh. Use the same solution used to clean the counters above.

Use Vinegar To Ward off Stinky Feet

This is the really odd one. Do you know anyone who has smelly feet? Most people know at least one person who suffers from this. The person can soak their feet in a tub that has half water and half vinegar. The vinegar takes away the smell, kills germs, and relaxes sore muscles.

So, if you know anyone like this, you may want to hint about it. Try using the muscle relaxer part, though. You don't want to lose a good friend by telling them their feet stink, unless you have the kind of relationship where this conversation would be acceptable.

Know of any other awesome uses for vinegar? Comment below!

Need that bright, clean white look for your lights and whites? Need to disinfect all shades of clothing? Did you know chlorine bleach isn’t the only way? Keep your family clean with safer homemade bleaches and disinfectants that contain less harmful and more effective ingredients. 

Chlorine-Free Bleaching Spray

Instead of inhaling harmful fumes when spot-cleaning your clothing on-the-go or at home, try this. In a dark-colored spray bottle, mix equal parts of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water. For an extra strength solution, instead mix equal parts of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 100% lemon juice from concentrate, and water.

To use this solution, simply place a white cloth on the back side of the stain. Then, spray the solution onto the affected area and pat the stain into the cloth. Turn the clothing inside out and repeat. This solution should only be used on white or light colored clothing, as it may cause whitening of fabrics. Test a small, non-visible area prior to use to test the effects.

Whitening Clothing in the Laundry without Chlorine Bleach

Hydrogen peroxide is one way to whiten and disinfectant your whites during the laundering process. For this method, mix hydrogen peroxide and water 50/50, to make about one cup of solution. Pour this into the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. This way, it will come out during the correct cycle.

If you do not have a fabric softener dispenser in your machine, pour in the bleaching solution during the rinse cycle. You can also alternatively pour the hydrogen peroxide mixture in with the water while the machine is filling. If you hand wash your clothing, simply mix the hydrogen peroxide into the wash water with your detergent of choice, wash as usual, and rinse.

The other method for bleaching and disinfecting clothing during laundry involves food-grade white vinegar. Follow the same instructions as with the peroxide, only use white vinegar instead. For more strength, you can also add some lemon juice and baking soda. I recommend using equal parts of the liquid ingredients and a couple tablespoons of baking soda.

If you use the baking soda, put the baking soda directly in the washer with the clothing or in the powdered detergent dispenser. In addition to bleaching and disinfecting, vinegar can soften your clothing. Therefore, you should try to make sure it gets poured in during the rinse cycle, if at all possible.

Are These Alternative Bleaching Methods Safe for HE Washers?

While I have not personally attempted to use these natural bleaches in a high efficiency washing machine, I have done some research on it. So far, in all cases I have found, people have reported these to be safe for their machines and not cause damage. Of course, you should always use your own discretion and better judgment.

If you attempt to do this, it is recommended to put the vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser and the baking soda directly into the machine with the clothing. The main issue high efficiency machines have is actually with more soapy cleaners, such as normal non-HE detergents. Over-sudsing can break the machines. These alternative bleaching solutions cause very little, if any, sudsing. Therefore, that particular issue shouldn’t be a problem. But again, use your own discretion.

Do you have another bleach-free disinfectant method? Let us know in the comments section.