Of course, vinegar’s many talents are old news to people with more worldly wisdom than I have.
It’s been used as a cooking ingredient, cleaner, and preservative forthousands of years.
For me, though, the idea that I didn’t have to use a chemical-laden commercial cleaner?
Photo:Brie Goldman, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
In short, vinegar contains acid.
Acid helps food taste good.
It also helps break down dirt, mold, and mineral deposits.
That makes it mild enough for consuming but powerful enough for several cleaning jobs.
Here’s the thing about multitaskers, though: They do many things decently but rarely anything perfectly.
Distilled white vinegar is no exception.
It has its flaws.
For one, it stinks.
My coping mechanism has been to plug my nose and conjure happy childhood memories ofdecorating Easter eggs.
Second, at 5% acidic concentration, it’s not the world’s strongest cleaner.
It hassomeantimicrobial properties but shouldn’t be considered a disinfectant.
(That extra acid also comes at a costcleaning vinegar is a horrific cooking ingredient.)
Here’s a list of things you shouldnever clean with vinegar.
But again, I love a multitasker, however flawed.
Perfection is overratedanother thing I’ve learned at REAL SIMPLE.
And distilled white vinegar, my smelly little house elf, has humbly helped me with so many chores.
Let’s celebrate some of the surprising things it can do.
I simply put a bowl of the stuff on the bottom rack and initiate the cycle.
Does it do a deep clean?
But it does nix some stains and deposits and make the inside gleam.
Over time, those deposits can keep the machine from working effectively.
And I need it to work!
So I adddistilled white vinegar to the water carafealong with some water and run a cycle.
Make Delicious Salad Dressing
OK,that one’s obvious.
