From Persia to Peoria to Peking, vinegar is both bottled and
used throughout the world. Although it’s creation is not
documented, it is believed to be the result of a bad batch of
wine. While most of us think of grapes when we think of
vinegar, it can be the product of any number of fruits and
grains. In the Philippines recipes wil call for coconut
vinegar, the Japanese use rice vinegar and in the British Isles
most pantries will stock apple cider vinegar.
Vinegar has a wide variety of household uses, for which you would
use a very inexpensive white vinegar. This is the most common
vinegar found and it is made from distilled corn. It has a
very sharp and bitter taste and is really best used for such
purposes as the following:
1. Mixed with salt, it is an excellent all purpose cleaner
for copper, brass, and bronze. Use plain white vinegar for
stainless steel and chrome.
2. To remove film and spots from glasses and dishes, soak
them in vinegar and water.
3. To prevent grease build up in your oven or to fight
mildew, dust and odors on your walls, wipe them down with plain
white vinegar.
4. ½ tsp of white vinegar to a quart of plaster makes it
harden at a slower rate.
5. Mix boiling vinegar and soapy water to clean paint brushes.
6. To unclog drains, pour boiling vinegar down them.
7. Clean fireplace bricks and rug stains with undiluted
vinegar.
8. To remove the lime coating in your tea kettle add vinegar
to the water and let it sit overnight.
9. Wipe pet’s coats with vinegar to remove skunk odor.
10. Add it to your laundry rinse water to remove excess soap
and prevent yellowing.
