holy cow! WHAT a difference vinegar makes!

[phred52]

I did 2 loads of towels in my laundry today. First load, I used the last of the vinegar. For my second load of towels, I was out of vinegar, and the towels were washed exactly the same way but without the usual vinegar added.

WHAT a HUGE difference! I never really noticed before. First load is soft. Second load is ...well....not. Actually they feel scratchy, it is a very noticable difference. Got to go stock up on vinegar!

 

[dvc at last !]

This is news to me !
Do you use white or cider vinegar and how much ?
Thanks.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Use the white distilled vinegar. I just fill the fabric softener dispenser and leave it, but I could probably use less and still get the towels nice and soft. Best part is I can throw my microfiber in the same wash because there is no actual fabric softener being used. Only drawback is that it doesn't help with static cling so much. But the towels really do come out nice and they do NOT smell like vinegar.

 

[phred52]

I buy the gallon jugs of white vinegar & add 1/4 cup per load ((instead of using "real" fabric softner)).

 

[apnep]

Not only that but it really helps to loosen the dirt in the clothes and gets them cleaner.

Ang

 

[Canadian Traveler]

Thanks for the tip... I am going to try that tomorrow..

 

[Cruise]

Not only that but it really helps to loosen the dirt in the clothes and gets them cleaner.

Ang

AND helps keep your washer fresh and free from mildew.

 

[lizziepooh]

Do some of you put it in the wash water as well as the rinse water?

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

I discovered the wonders of vinegar last year, and we use it for just about everything now. I buy gallon jugs of white vinegar on sale whenever I can, and stock up with about 6 at a time. Use it in laundry every load. Keeps the laundry fresher and the washer smelling nice, and really does help to loosen the dirt.

Vinegar is not only great for laundry, but you can use it with your dishes as well. For those of you that hand wash, use a 1/1 mixture of dish soap and vinegar. In the dishwasher, pour a 1/8 cup in the bottom before you start it up. Keeps everything cleaner, and smelling better.

And we keep a bottle of 1/1 mixed vinegar and water under the sink. Instead of using those expensive Clorox wipes, the vinegar/water is great for keeping counter tops clean and killing germs. It's also about the best window cleaner you can get.

Also check out this site called The Wonders of Vinegar and look at the section marked 60 uses for Vinegar. You'd be surprised what this little wonder of nature can do.

Going back to the laundry thing, in addition to using Vinegar, I started making my own laundry detergent, because it was just getting so expensive. Mix this with 1/4 cup of vinegar in every load, and IMO you'd be hard pressed to find anything on the shelf that works as good. Also, it's dirt cheap to make. All our clothes come out so much cleaner and softer using this:

Simple Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

1. Grate 1/2 bar Fels Naptha or Ivory soap (or you can try other soaps) in a food processor or cheese grater.
2. 1 cup 20 Mule Borax
3. 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
4. 1 cup Baking soda.
5. Process until mixed.
That’s it. It takes 5 minutes. Use about 2 tablespoons per full load of laundry.

Fels Naptha, Borax and Washing Soda are usually available in the Laundry Aisle of your grocery store. Ivory soap can be substituted if your local store does not carry Fels Naptha.

My $15 investment in these ingredients should yield enough detergent for about 450 loads making it about 3 cents per load, plus the cost of the vinegar.

 

[JoShan1719]

Thanks for the tips! For the first time ever I'm looking forward to laundry tomorrow lol

 

[Duckyiam71]

Also check out this site called The Wonders of Vinegar and look at the section marked 60 uses for Vinegar. You'd be surprised what this little wonder of nature can do. This was supposed to quote Carl Fredrickson. Dont know what happened there?

Thanks for the tip and this great website! Vinegar is so cheap too!

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

I hate to keep going on about this, but vinegar is such an underused and cheap substance in everyday life!

I know it sound gross (and does take some getting used to), but if you plan to use vinegar as a health remedy (upset stomach) or as a daily drink mix, use Bragg's Organic. It contains what they call the "mother" which is a very nutritional substance that is in the bottom of the bottle. The standard apple cider vinegar in most grocery stores does not have this. You can find Braggs at health food chains and some gourmet grocery stores.

I drink 2oz of Bragg's mixed with 8 oz. of water twice a day to help with my diet goals and cholesterol. And believe it or not, as gross as it tastes, this mix is the best thing in the world for killing an upset stomach. You'd think it would make you barf, but it really settles the stomach acid right down. And it's great for cleaning your teeth, helping your skin tone, and strengthening your teeth and fingernails all at the same time.

Anyway, I could keep going, but I'll just let the vinegar do the talking from here on out....

 

[JoShan1719]

Also check out this site called The Wonders of Vinegar and look at the section marked 60 uses for Vinegar. You'd be surprised what this little wonder of nature can do. This was supposed to quote Carl Fredrickson. Dont know what happened there?

Thanks for the tip and this great website! Vinegar is so cheap too!

The "[/QUOTE]" portion at the end of his quote was deleted.

 

[lisaross]

Can u mix the vinegar in with the detergent? as for the softner u need to put it in at a certain time in my machine - too much work - so if i can just mix it w/the detergent i might give it a try..

 

[figment52]

Can u mix the vinegar in with the detergent? as for the softner u need to put it in at a certain time in my machine - too much work - so if i can just mix it w/the detergent i might give it a try..

I have added the vinegar at the beginning and it still works just as well as in the rinse water.

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

Can u mix the vinegar in with the detergent? as for the softner u need to put it in at a certain time in my machine - too much work - so if i can just mix it w/the detergent i might give it a try..

Personally, I just dump the detergent and vinegar in and start up the washer.

 

[dgthree]

Can u mix the vinegar in with the detergent? as for the softner u need to put it in at a certain time in my machine - too much work - so if i can just mix it w/the detergent i might give it a try..

I pour vinegar into a Downy ball & toss it in at the beginning of the wash cycle. The ball opens up in the rinse. Seems to work for me. I haven't used fabric softener in 5 years.

 

[Pembo]

I started using vinegar instead of fabric softener after I tried cleaning out the fs holder in the washer. It was so nasty with residue, blech. Vinegar works great. I use Bounce sheets in the dryer to get rid of static. I've found you can use the same sheet for 2 loads and then they make great shower door cleaners.

 

[cm8]

I hate to keep going on about this, but vinegar is such an underused and cheap substance in everyday life!

I know it sound gross (and does take some getting used to), but if you plan to use vinegar as a health remedy (upset stomach) or as a daily drink mix, use Bragg's Organic. It contains what they call the "mother" which is a very nutritional substance that is in the bottom of the bottle. The standard apple cider vinegar in most grocery stores does not have this. You can find Braggs at health food chains and some gourmet grocery stores.

I drink 2oz of Bragg's mixed with 8 oz. of water twice a day to help with my diet goals and cholesterol. And believe it or not, as gross as it tastes, this mix is the best thing in the world for killing an upset stomach. You'd think it would make you barf, but it really settles the stomach acid right down. And it's great for cleaning your teeth, helping your skin tone, and strengthening your teeth and fingernails all at the same time.

Anyway, I could keep going, but I'll just let the vinegar do the talking from here on out....

, we use Braggs to make our foods as well!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Thanks for the tip! I need to start buying gallon jugs of white vinegar, asap! We bought a new washer/dryer a couple months ago and they've been designated fabric softener free zones, as I'm going to be cloth diapering once my little one arrives this summer, and I've heard that fabric softener (even the residue in the washer/dryer - I read one DIS member's rant that her diapers were plastered in the stuff after washing them in a WDW resort laundry room) can ruin cloth diapers by making them less absorbent. The only problem is, my towels are so scratchy, now!

One more random vinegar use: white vinegar cures the hiccups, 100% of the time! Just pour about an ounce (or a "shot") in a cup and then drink it down quickly in one gulp. It's nasty, but your hiccups will be gone immediately!