21 Ways to Clean Your Whole Home with Vinegar

Use these tips and tricks to clean your entire home with vinegar. It is a budget-friendly and safe way to clean practically every room!

Have you ever used vinegar to clean? If not, giving it a try should be at the top of your to-do list. Vinegar is a powerful disinfectant which makes it perfect for cleaning your home. It has been shown to kill nasties such as E.Coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus in a gentle and natural way which makes it safe for your family. You won’t have to worry about harsh chemicals harming you or them. Since you can usually pick up a gallon of white vinegar for less than $2.00, it is also incredibly budget friendly. Make the switch to vinegar along with baking soda and salt and you could possibly save hundreds per year on cleaning supplies alone!

If you’ve been on the fence about making the switch, check out these 21 Ways to Clean Your Whole Home with Vinegar. They’ll make you want to grab your spray bottle and get moving!

21 Ways to Clean Your Whole Home with Vinegar

Get Rid of Small Critters: No matter how much you try to avoid it, at some point your pantry will be invaded by creepy crawly critters. They come in the food you buy and there won’t be any avoiding them once you’ve got them. To get rid of them naturally, pour 1 ½ cups of apple cider vinegar into a cup or bowl then add 2 drops of original Dawn dish liquid. Leave it in the pantry, uncovered for a week or so. It will attract the bugs and your pantry will be critter free. Once you’ve removed the bowl, remove the products, toss anything the bugs destroyed and wash your pantry shelves down with the Dawn to prevent a re-infestation.

Clean the Floors: Clean your tile or linoleum floors with a 50/50 white vinegar and water solution. It won’t suds like the soaps you’re used to, but you will have clean and sanitized floors without a ton of effort.

Streak-Free Mirrors: Looking for streak free mirrors? Mix a solution of ¼ c white vinegar and ¾ c rubbing alcohol. Spray on your mirrors then wipe clean with a lint free cloth. Your mirrors will be clear and clean without leaving any streaks. This is great for bathroom mirrors since it will disinfect them as well.

To Remove Odors: Stinky smells in your home? Sit a few bowls of white vinegar in different places. The vinegar will soak up the smells over in a day or two’s time and your home will smell fantastic after! If you want to speed things along, you can add a few separate bowls of baking soda or pour undiluted vinegar onto a rag and wave your “flag” around the room. Both will help to soak up any lingering smells, including smoke.

To Clean Computer Accessories: Dirty keyboard or monitor? Turn them off and unplug them. Using a Q-tip dipped in white vinegar, clean out all of the nooks and crannies that you usually can’t reach. Just be careful that you never spray vinegar directly on your electronics or that you don’t reach the electrical circuits with the cotton swab. You could short them out if you do.

Remove Ink Marks: Ask any Mom and they will tell you that a toddler with an ink pen can be a very bad thing. Luckily, vinegar can help. Simply spray undiluted vinegar on the stain, let sit for 5 minutes then wipe clean. Your “artwork” should come right off.

Clean Window Blinds: Window blinds are notoriously hard to clean, but using a mixture made of equal parts white vinegar and hot water makes it easy. Simply spray on with a light mist then use a lint free cloth to wipe clean.

To Degrease the Kitchen: Kitchens can be a very messy place and if yours is greasy, it can seem worse than it is. To degrease your kitchen, fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Spray directly on then wipe off. If you want to add your favorite scent, essential oils work very well with this. Just be sure to shake before each use to fully mix the oils.

As a Carpet Shampoo: Skip the expensive carpet shampoos that can fade your carpet and instead use a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar for every 1 gallon of water in your shampooer. No need to worry about fading and it will deodorize your carpet as it cleans.

To Prevent Mildew on Rugs and Fabric: If mildew is a concern on your outdoor furniture or anywhere in your home, spraying it down with full-strength white vinegar can help prevent it. Just be sure to use a light mist so that you don’t soak it through and cause worse issues.

Clean Leather: Make a mixture of white vinegar and boiled linseed oil to clean your leather with. Spray on with a light mist then wipe down with a soft cloth.

Fix Wood Scratches: I told you that vinegar could be used in your whole home and this one just proves it! Mix apple cider vinegar with iodine (equal parts to start) then paint on wood scratches with an artist’s paintbrush. It will fix the scratch and your wood will look like new! Have a darker wood? Use more iodine.

Remove Candle Wax: We’ve all had a candle drip off of the holder and onto the table below, but it doesn’t need to be a big issue. Make a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Blow dry the wax to loosen it up a bit, remove the best you can, then clean the rest with the vinegar. The wax should come right off.

Clean and Disinfect Toilets: Nasty toilet? Add ½ cup baking soda to your toilet bowl. Clean with your toilet brush then add 1 cup white vinegar. Once the foaming action has stopped, flush and your toilet is both clean and disinfected. If you only need to disinfect, add the 1 cup of vinegar, swish around the bowl with your toilet brush then allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Flush and you’re good to “go.”

Shine Sink Features: Can you see yourself in the faucet? If not, spray on full strength vinegar then wipe clean. Your sink should shine now!

Unclog Drains: Nasty drains? Pour ½ cup baking soda down them followed by 1 cup of white vinegar. Allow it to sit and foam until it stops. Once it is done, rinse the drain with 1 cup hot water followed by free-flowing cold water (i.e. turn the faucet on with cold water and let it run for a few). Your drain should flow freely now. Bonus – This also takes care of any smells lingering down your drains as well!

Clean Stainless Steel: There’s no real need to buy expensive stainless steel cleaners when vinegar will do the job! Simply spray a light mist on your stainless and wipe with a lint free cloth. Bye-bye fingerprints!

Clean the Microwave or Oven: Most of us have had something explode in the microwave at one point or another, but vinegar can help make cleaning a snap. Make a solution of ¼ cup water and 1 cup vinegar and add to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes and the gunk should wipe right off! If you want to give it an extra boost, add ¼ of a lemon to the mixture and watch it both shine and smell great!

Clean the Fridge: Mix up a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water and use it to clean your fridge. It will remove any dirt, disinfect and prevent any potential “growth” issues from food that may have been left in your fridge for too long. Plus, it will remove any lingering smells that might be hanging around.

Disinfect and Clean Cutting Boards: Do you have wood cutting boards? They can be a pain to clean but vinegar can help. Sprinkle baking soda over your board then lightly spray with full-strength vinegar. Allow the foam to dry then rinse with cold water. Allow to dry completely before putting them away. This works for both wood and plastic cutting boards.

Clean your Coffee Pot: Coffeepots can get nasty inside over time, especially if you use it several times each day. To clean, add full strength vinegar to your pots water reservoir and run a complete cycle. Follow your vinegar rinse by running water through your pot until the vinegar smell is gone. This is also how to clean a Keurig. Just keep in mind that cleaning a Keurig will likely mean that you will need to run several cycles to remove all of the vinegar residue. It took 4 full tanks of water the last time I cleaned mine.