Washing with vinegar: two brilliant tips that make it a miracle when it comes to laundry

A lot of people know that white distilled vinegar is a handy household item, but not many are aware of the various ways it can be used. Read on to learn how you can get the most out of this “miracle” product.

From softening and deodorizing your clothes to removing stains, here are the many tips on using white distilled vinegar as reported by WikiHow.

METHOD 1

1. For clean clothes

Instead of the usual detergent, pour 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar into your washing machine. Not only does this clean your clothes, but it also does it without the harsh chemicals found in commercial laundry detergents.

2. Excellent fabric softener

Pour 1 cup of white distilled vinegar into the washer when a load of laundry reaches its last rinse cycle. The vinegar will work as an effective and natural fabric softener. Make sure to keep the cup of vinegar ready because you need to turn it in immediately the last rinse cycle comes around.

3. Pretreat stains with vinegar

Dilute 1/2 cup of vinegar in a gallon of water. Apply this directly to blemishes on your fabrics, with a clean cloth or by pouring the solution directly on the stain. Wash your clothes as you normally would.

4. Bleach clothes with a vinegar solution

Take 1/4 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of Borax, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Mix the items and use as a gentler alternative whenever you need to bleach your clothes.

5. Take out odors from clothes

Bet you didn’t know you could use white distilled vinegar to deodorize clothes. If you have smelly laundry, add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar straight to the washer during the last rinse cycle. Done! All the smells vanish just like that, and no, they don’t start to smell like vinegar.

METHOD 2

1. Effective color-guard

Pour 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar into an armful of laundry to protect the color from fading. This same technique will prevent dark colors such as black and navy from becoming dull due to repeated washing.

You may also try retreating fabrics with vinegar to keep their colors fast. Add 1/2 cup vinegar to one gallon of water. To keep colors from running, dip bright colors in the solution before washing them.

2. Keep away static and lint

1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar added to the last rinse cycle of a load of laundry will prevent the static that can make your clothes stick annoyingly. For many fabrics, it also helps prevent the buildup of lint.

3. Remove buildup on clothes

When regular detergents leave a soapy residue on your clothes, causing streaks or roughness, soak the items in 1 cup of vinegar mixed with a gallon of water.

4. Clean your washing machine

Just as soapy residue can damage your fabrics over time, it can also cause havoc in your washing machine. Once a month, put 1 cup of vinegar into your washer and run it without loading any clothes. This will remove the residue.