Remember
this: Acidic cleansers have a low pH balance and alkaline cleansers have a high
pH balance. Household cleansers pH or alkaline ratios vary just like dirt and
stains do. That’s why you have to pick and choose through all of the store
bought cleansers to clean your floor, wipe down furniture, remove stains from
furniture or clothes, brighten and clean clothes, beauty regiments, garden uses
etc.
That
basically means vinegar is a really great natural acid that
works. Vinegar’s pH balance can easily be adjusted by using simple tap water.
Vinegar will clean both alkaline stains and grime. It will disinfect, relieve
pain, it’s used in home medical remedies to kill garden pests. Vinegar is
'awesome sauce' for inside your home or in your garden.
For pennies, you can buy a gallon of Heinz or store brand white
distilled vinegar to use 101 ways around the house and in your garden. For all
purpose cleaning, use white distilled vinegar. Apple cider vinegar often leaves
residues or discoloration. Apple cider vinegar is wonderful for health but, for
garden purposes, use simple white vinegar.
History
Lesson
For hundreds of years old ladies to gents have been using the wonderful
power and benefits of vinegar for preserving food, sanitation, gardening, medicine, hygiene and what have
you. Vinegar is truly the world’s first antibacterial agent for humans, animals and yes, plants. It’s used
by folks in third world countries to CEO’s in exclusive swanky sky scrapers.
No teacher ever told me while going to school that Babylonians used
vinegar over 7000 years ago by fermenting fruits, particularly dates and early
Europeans fermented vegetables. I think we all know that Asians pretty much
wrote the book on fermenting vegetables. What still links us to our ancestors
is that we still use vinegar the very same way our folks used it.
SMELL! Yes, we
all agree that vinegar absolutely stinks. Remember those days of walking in the
house and your mother was cooking sauerkraut? Goodness gracious. I used to
think my folks were absolutely bonkers. How could they eat something that stunk
so bad and made you pucker was absolutely crazy to me.
It took me a while to eat sauerkraut on its own. I’m Irish and cooked
cabbage in a lovely broth was pretty much a staple around our house. My mother
used to bake sauerkraut on a bed of mashed potatoes and sliced polish sausage
and a few dabs of butter.
Every now and again, while in Chicago, I’ll have a polish dog with kraut
on it. Now I have a fondness for sauerkraut. There’s nothing like that tang
that brings back fond memories of holding my nose and complaining to my mother
about eating stink weed. She used to yell back, “It’s just cabbage!”
As a kid, my mind couldn’t fathom eating something made out of the same
ingredient that we used to wash windows, kill weeds, clean cat litter boxes
etc. My love of pickles is what made me overcome the stink of sauerkraut.
With age comes knowledge. Well, knowledge via my mother and grandmother.
The older I became I was force to pay attention to how to mix and use vinegar
for different purposes. While my friend’s mothers were using good ol’ pine-sol,
my mother was using vinegar, table salt, baking soda, mineral oil etc. I
actually envied friends who had blue toilette water. If we weren’t using Heinz
vinegar.. . Clorox bleach was second choice.
Author Vicky Lansky actually writes a really good book on 400 uses of
Vinegar. I’m sure you can find it on Amazon.com or Books.Google.com for a few bucks. Here are a few
ways I’ve used vinegar particularly for garden use.
Vinegar Uses
Give life back to droopy
flowers and preserve cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar to a quart of water. Mix well and replace the
water in the vase with the vinegar mixture.
Get rid of mineral deposits in terracotta, clay, glazed
or plastic pots. Soak lime crusted
plant containers for one hour in a bucket filled with a 50/50
solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar. It will release and
soften the mineral deposits t so that scrubbing is easy.
Kill weeds growing in sidewalk cracks by pouring full strength of white vinegar directly
on them. This works particularly well in hard to reach or thin crevices and cracks on sidewalks and
driveways. The vinegar works its’ way directly to the roots. The plant will die
off. Boiling hot water also works.
Improve your seed germination. Did
you know that you can totally improve seed germination ratio by using vinegar?
Simple vinegar of any type is most useful for seeds that are more difficult to
germinate such as asparagus, morning glories, okra and moonflowers. First rub
or rather scratch seeds gently between two pieces of coarse sandpaper or use an
emery board. Then soak the seeds overnight in 1 cup of warm water, 2 teaspoons
of vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid. Plant seeds accordingly the next
day. You can use the same method, but without the emery board or sandpaper for
beets, nasturtiums, parsley, and parsnips. Your efforts will pay off because it
really does work on hard shelled seeds.
Feed acid loving
plants
like azaleas, blueberry, hydrangeas, northern bayberry, rhododendrons, and
gardenias a little help by watering them with a white distilled vinegar
solution now and again. One cup of white
distilled vinegar to a gallon of tap water is a good mixture.
Stop
nasty ants by pouring
full strength white distilled vinegar on the area that they congregate on or on
their path. Vinegar will also get rid of ant hills. They move onto greener
pastures but, at least you’ll get rid of them where you don’t want them. I’ve
known folks to wipe down cupboards and counter tops to rid ants and it always
seems to work. It rids the ant’s scent that’s left behind when they walk
around.
Discourage all
cats
from getting into the kids’ sandbox with white distilled vinegar. They simple
can’t stand the smell. Use full strength. This can also be used in the house to
discourage a spraying male cat. For indoors, use 50/50 ratio of water and
vinegar placed in a spray bottle.
Clean
a birdbath by scrubbing it with full strength white distilled
vinegar. Rinse well. Your birds will love you and it helps keep fungus, sludge
and moss away. This also works for your animal’s outdoor or indoor water or
feeding bowls. Be sure to rinse well so that they don’t smell it. It not only
de-gunks your birdbath but also helps rid germs and bacteria for healthier birds.
Did you know that adding vinegar to your dog’s water dish will help repel fleas and ticks? A few teaspoons per gallon will also help your dog’s skin ailments.
Easily get rid of
the water lines in a flower vase or any glass items by filling the mineral
stained container with a solution of half water and half white distilled
vinegar. You can also soak a paper towel in white distilled vinegar and stuff
it directly into the vase so that it comes in contact with the water line. Adding
vinegar to a dishwasher or washing machine also freshens, cleans and removes
mold or mildew.
Get rid of hen peckers. Are
your chickens pecking each other and not going about their daily business like
taking care of your garden pests? Add a tablespoon of vinegar to their drinking
water, and they will stop! Somehow it works. Some folks believe that chickens
aren’t really harassing each other but, are actually going after tiny mites that live under the birds feathers. Vinegar in the water most likely works the same way as putting
vinegar in your dog’s water bowl to repel fleas and ticks.
Remove baked on soil deposits on glazed ceramic ware caused by sun exposer by soaking them for
several hours in an inch of full strength white distilled vinegar. Soaking your
planters also cures mildew, fungus and other plant diseases. Be sure to remove
your plants and rinse well before repotting. You can also spread plant disease by touching a plant with powdery mildew or diseased tomato plant. Always wash hands after touching diseased plants so it doesn't spread to healthy plants.
Avoid skin ailments like warts or nail fungus after working in the garden by rinsing
your hands in vinegar. Soil, plants, compost, manure and other organic
matter can cause irritants. Sometimes plant diseases are caused from us
touching a plants that have a fungus like powdery mildew than retouching and
infecting other plants.
Vinegar will also whiten
your fingernails and toenails too. I always use a hand lotion to moisturize my hands after
rinsing with vinegar. Simply repurpose
an old dish soap bottle. Keep it hand to squirt some on your hands when needed.
Follow up with moisturizer.
Garden lime can be neutralized. Sometimes we add too much lime to soil which can cause severe damage to tomato plants or citrus trees. Adding distilled white vinegar to the area. Sometimes we
over estimate how much lime to use and it will effect a plant overnight. Use a
50/50 ratio of water and full strength vinegar to neutralize the lime. It
basically brings back a normal PH
balance. I recommend that you water well the next day.
Get rid of or loosen rust on tools, spigots, nuts, screws or bolts by soaking the items overnight or several days in full strength,
undiluted white distilled vinegar. Straight coca cola also works but, vinegar
is cheaper!
White vinegar can increase the acidity of potting soil. Simply adding it to your watering can.
Sometimes house plants need a boost in acidity particularly if you’re reusing
potting soil over and over again. Use 4 tablespoons per gallon of water.
Clean house
plants
leaves with 50/50 water and vinegar. Follow up with wiping leaves with baby
oil / mineral oil. It makes healthy shiny house plants.
Cure a cement or plastic pond and even your indoor aquarium by
adding one gallon of white distilled vinegar to every 200 gallons of water. Let
sit three days. Empty and rinse thoroughly. If you have a smaller aquarium,
soak a sponge in vinegar and keep washing down the sides. The vinegar rids any
fungus or mildew that can harm a fish or slow down the muck that commonly grows
in ponds. Rinse well and let completely dry before adding your fish and plants
back.
Sanitize
outdoor furniture and picnic tables with a cloth soaked in
white distilled vinegar. It’s cheaper than Pinesol or common household bleach.
Give your house a bath. Use 10
gallon bucket, 2 cups vinegar, squirt of dish soap fill with water. Dip scrub
brush and get rid of algae, soil
stains and water stains.
Moths are cute but are most damaging to plants. To catch moths use a mixture of 2 parts white distilled vinegar
and 1 part molasses. It works every time. Place the mixture in a cut milk jug,
tin can or plastic beverage container and hang in a tree. Make sure you cut a
wide opening to invite moths. Most other bugs stay away.
Kill slugs ASAP by spraying them with full strength vinegar. Use 1 part water and 1 part white distilled
vinegar. Table salt also works. It’s hard to see them die but, slugs can over
run a garden. Vinegar also gets rid of slug and snail tracks. Did you know that
their tracks are actually damaging? Snail and slug tracks can ruin marble, wood
and some tiles. Get them before they over run your lettuce garden.
Rabbits, gophers, squirrels and mice hate vinegar. Keep small rodents from eating your plants by placing a cotton ball soaked in
white distilled vinegar in an old medicine bottle, 35mm film container, water
bottle, or a bowl with lid (cream cheese container, frosting container etc.). Poke a hole in the top for the aroma to escape and place in the garden. Vinegar
stinks to most rodents. It replicates coyote or fox urine. Your 5 year old can
be helpful in this manner too. :O)
Easily clean
plastic patio furniture with a solution of 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1
gallon of water. Scrub-a-dub-dub and almost all water and dirt stains are gone.
It also disinfects the plastic. Try using it on your kid’s toys. Works just as
good as household bleach.
Remove grass and berry stains easily with vinegar. Use on your hands, clothes, gloves and even on your shoes.Be sure to follow up with skin
moisturizer to avoid irritation. After scrubbing a stain from your clothes
with vinegar, use 1 cup of vinegar in your washing machine along with your
usual detergent to boost cleaning power.
Adding 2 cups of vinegar to an empty dishwasher or 4 cups to an empty washing machine clears away mineral build up and kills any bacteria too.
Safely
wash fresh vegetables with vinegar. It’s green, digestible and
cheaper than those fancy vegetable washes. Stir 1 tablespoon of white distilled
vinegar into 1 ½ quarts of water. Rinse with plain water.
Get
the stink out of garden socks or shoes with vinegar. Blend 1 cup of vinegar to one gallon
of water. Soak shoes and rinse. Most all tennis shoes can be washed in a
washing machine. Be sure to follow-up by washing the items in your washing
machine. You won’t believe how clean they’ll look. Vinegar is color safe. Clean socks mean less chance of foot fungus.
Wash all of your garden buckets, gloves, plant containers and crocks with vinegar and water. A 50/50 ratio of water and vinegar works wonders. Sometimes garden soil will spread plant disease or fungus.
Wash down your outdoor water fountains. Soak and scrub down your fountain and water pump with vinegar. It easily removes mineral deposits, fungus and organic material. The water will look clearer and it prolongs sludge
buildup.
Do you want healthy, happy hummingbirds?
Clean hummingbird feeders with a 50/50 ratio of
distilled vinegar and water. Just washing with dish soap or detergent can leave
behind harmful residue. Hummingbirds are more sensitive to soaps and detergents
than other birds.
Quickly aid insect bites and stings. Vinegar helps stop the itch and swelling by neutralizing the venom. Dab the mosquito bite or bee sting with a cotton ball or tissue
saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar. Keep a used water bottle or
dish soap bottle handy with vinegar. You won’t regret it.
Add vinegar to your rain water container. Vinegar works like household bleach to
disinfect still water and keeps algae at bay. Use 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons.
More or less can be used depending upon your humidity level.
Keep mosquitos out of your compost bin, manure or
compost tea container by placing a bowl of 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar, 1 teaspoon
of dish soap 1 cup of water and one good size rock. I always keep chicken wire
over my bins to keep birds from falling into my manure tea. A bowl sits easily
on top. If you’re wondering, the rock helps keep the bowl from tipping over in
the wind.
Stop your cat
from eating your houseplants by spraying the leaves with a solution of white
distilled vinegar and water. Use 25% vinegar to 75% simple tap water.
Keep your feline out of your garden area by placing paper, a cloth, or sponge there that has been soaked in
white distilled vinegar.
Vinegar also helps from keeping your cat from
sitting on a table or window sill where you place houseplants. There’s nothing
worse than coming home to a broken flower pot and potting soil everywhere. Keep
a vinegar soaked sponge on a dish or plastic lid next to the plant container. I
usually cut a sponge into 2 inch squares and place them around. You’ll barely
smell the vinegar but, cats in particular can’t stand the smell of vinegar.
Vinegar also neutralizes cat urine or where they like to paw furniture. A cat's paws has an oil that marks their spot just like urine does.
Save
your fruit trees. Fruit flies can be a problem in some areas.
Southern California and Arizona has their share of invasive and damaging fruit
flies. Make fruit fly baits that are deadly and most effective. Blend 1 cup of
water, 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon
of molasses. Use plastic milk
containers, old tin cans or water bottles without their lids and make two holes
in opposite ends for wire handles. Attach the handles then add an inch of the
mixture to each can. Hang 2 - 3 tins in each tree. Check on the traps on a
regular basis to refill and clean when necessary.
Never
forget that vinegar is a wonderful fungicide. If
your plants or rose bushes are struggling or suffering from black spots or
other fungal diseases, blend 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and mix it with 1
gallon of compost tea or manure tea. Place the mixture in a garden sprayer or
spray bottle and use it on the leaves of your plants. You’ll see a difference almost overnight.
The method is slightly
different for roses. Blend 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar, and mix it with 1
gallon of water to control common fungal diseases. Don’t forget to use compost
tea or manure tea on your roses to get the best results. For powdery mildew,
mix 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 gallon of water. Spray the leaves of your
effected plants. This will help control the problem.
Clean your hot house or greenhouse glass with 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water. Vinegar also helps to keep ice from forming on glass as well. Great for your windshield or greenhouse.
There are hundreds of more uses for vinegar in your
daily garden uses. I recommend keeping a jug of vinegar in your garden shed or
in a cabinet just for household or garden use.
Vinegar will kill both salmonella
and e.coli. A 50/50 water and vinegar mix should do it.
Place in a spray bottle, spray area and let sit for 30 seconds. America’s Test
Kitchen did their own trial and found it to be true. Use to clean hen houses,
egg baskets etc. Next time your out of bleach or Lysol, reach for your vinegar.
Rinse your hair with a 50/50 ratio of white vinegar
and water to help with itchy scalp,
dandruff or sunburn on your scalp.
Sunburn! Vinegar bath for when you’ve had too much sun. A
few cups of vinegar in a bath should relieve pain and inflammation. You can
also soak a wash cloth with water and vinegar and place it directly on the sunburn.
Trial by error, there will be times where a mixture
of vinegar and water may be too strong for a plant or not strong enough.
Everyone’s soil, temperature and humidity is different. Use the measurements
stated above with the idea that you may have to temper the concoctions to suit
your environment. Just know, once you start using vinegar inside and outside
for gardening, you’ll always use it.
All in all, Easter would be boring without using
vinegar to help dye our eggs, or our mornings would be dragging without that
great cup of coffee made from a coffee maker ritually cleaned with vinegar.
It’s the simple things in life that make our lives grand and meaningful. If you
can get away with overcoming vinegar’s smell and feeling great about using a
true green product, then your life is just plain cool.
White distilled vinegar can be
found at any discount store like Dollar Tree, 99¢ Store, Walmart
and Target. Almost all grocery stores carry vinegar. The acidity percentage
will be written on the label. A ratio of 5% is just fine. Many nurseries will
carry a 20% acidity ratio which is great for killing weeds like dandelions or even hard to kill thistle. I like using Heinz white distilled vinegar because, it comes in different strengths, it's consistent and the acidity strength is written on the front label.
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Howdy!
Thank you very much for your comments and questions.I will be sure to reply as soon as I can. With Regards ~Emma