You may not like the taste of vinegar, but you might appreciate the versatility of this fermented grain alcohol. It’s natural, it’s affordable, and it solves many, many homestead problems. Let’s explore some common, everyday uses.

Soothe throats.
Grandmothers and theatre people reach for the apple cider vinegar at the first sign of a sore throat. With both anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, vinegar is a marvel at coating, soothing, and cutting through the phlegm. Mix 1 tsp with a cup of warm water and sip or gargle up to 3x/day. Add a drizzle of honey to sweeten the deal.

Treat bug bites.
Reduce the itch and burn of insect bites by dabbing apple cider vinegar onto the wound. The natural acidity neutralizes the venom AND disinfects the scratch marks you’ve already added. If you have baking soda on hand, dab it on to completely cover the sting, then add white vinegar to make a paste.

Extend cut flower life.
Kill off bacteria still growing in cut flowers with 2 Tb white vinegar in 1 quart/liter of water. Changing the water every few days also helps lengthen fresh-cut beauty. Bonus: Add 3 Tb sugar to your vinegar-water concoction to help feed the blooms.

Kill weeds.
Young, tender weeds/seedlings are susceptible to a direct spray of household vinegar. The same 5% acetic acid that neutralizes bug venom, also acts as a natural contact herbicide, effective within 24 hours. NOTE: Be selective with your spray, as vinegar kills ANY tender growth…not just weeds.

Trap fruit flies.
Conduct a science experience in your kitchen with a shallow bowl, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, and a few drop of dish detergent. Cover with cling wrap, and poke holes into the top for flies to enter, land, and perish. Bonus: Add pieces of banana peel to sweeten the lure.

Restore hair health.
When you run out of conditioner, consider applying an occasional rinse of vitamins B- and C-rich apple cider vinegar instead! A simple 1:1 mixture of water to vinegar can remove dead skin/dandruff from your scalp, reduce itching from psoriasis or eczema, strengthen thinning hair, remove product buildup, and increase shine.
​
Soften laundry.
Replace pricey fabric softener with distilled white vinegar. Adding up to 1 cup to the softener dispenser or final rinse cycle deodorizes, breaks down excess detergent buildup, and leaves your laundry freshly and organically softer. Bonus: Vinegar prevents irritating static cling!

A friend made a last-minute popover recently and said, “Does your house always look like this?”

I looked around for something weird. “Like what?”

“Like this.” She waved her hand in a broad gesture. “Clean and tidy!”

Ah. I smiled a little. Yes. Yes it does. But only when I have a 10—(or more)—minute warning.

I usually clean the house on Mondays. Top to bottom. Change the sheets, vacuum, dust, wipe down counters, scrub toilets, and water plants. I start dinner in the crockpot. If I have extra time, I’ll try to organize the always-present pile of recipes, bills, magazines and other paperwork. It kicks off the week in a positive way. And then, all I have to do the other six days is maintain. 

But you know how it goes: The tidiness starts to loosen up a bit two days later. I mean, I don’t live in a museum with a full-time cleaning crew. Real life happens! The countertops get sticky in odd places. Dirt gets tracked in. Toilet paper gets down to four squares. Spiders weave webs in the corners overnight.

So when the phone rings and a friend says, “Hey—are you home? I’m in the area and thought I’d stop by”…I go into 10-minute-cleanup mode.

Most guests are happy to stay in the open-floor-plan living/dining/kitchen area. Couch cushions, blankets, slippers, and reading material are a very quick tidy-up: 2 minutes, tops. The dark wood floors ALWAYS need a sweep: 30 seconds. After I hide the pile of paperwork in the laundry room and store away errant cups, silverware and other dishes in the dishwasher, I wipe down the counters: 1 minute. The downstairs powder room always needs something—and sometimes more than “something”—so I give that area a solid minute.

That usually leaves me about five minutes to put out coffee, cookies/pastries, fruit, napkins—whatever I have on hand—for an impromptu casual chat. Guests never turn down that hosting gesture, and are usually delighted!

You know why? Because that 10 minutes of tearing around, getting things in order and putting out refreshments makes guests feel special. And they might just stay a little longer. We might get to laugh a little harder. I might learn something important—something life-changing.

To me, that’s far more important than any errand I needed to run, any news story I needed to read, any item on my to-do list. And I hope you’ll come to the same conclusion the next time a friend calls and says, “You home? I’m in the neighborhood…”