5 SURPRISING USES OF VINEGAR

Vinegar is a staple of every kitchen these days. But its uses are not confined to cooking. The acidic properties of vinegar make it the perfect thing to use in a wide variety of applications. In this piece, we list a few of vinegar’s rather surprising uses.
For the organic chemistry grads, vinegar is a liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid and water. Acetic acid is produced by the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Though vinegar is now used mainly as a cooking agent, its acidic properties mean that it has a lot of domestic and commercial uses, some of which we will mention here.
Don’t think that that bottle of vinegar in your kitchen is used only for one thing. It is so multi-faceted that it may just have superpowers too.
1. Eliminate odours
Burning something in the oven or spilling something on the floor is a common occurrence for anyone who spends hours of every day in the kitchen. If unattended, these can leave bad smells in your house. Soak a piece of white bread in vinegar and within 24 hours, your house will be smelling like a meadow.
2. Relief for sunburn
We’ve all had those reddish blotches on the skin when we’ve stayed out in the sun for longer that we needed to. Using equal parts vinegar and cooled black tea and sponging it onto the affected area of the skin will give you instant relief. Yes, you will carry an acidic smell on you for a few hours, but that outweighs the relief from skin burn, doesn’t it?
3. Clear up acne
Nothing prevents acne and kills pimples better than the anti-microbial properties of vinegar. Wipe your face with white vinegar a few times a week and you will have clear, glowing skin in no time.
4. Hair care
In the shower, pour a little apple cider vinegar onto your hair and scalp. Let it sit for a moment, then rinse and shampoo as usual. The vinegar will bring out the natural shine in your hair and make your shampoo more effective. This vinegar treatment will also help clear up dandruff in adults and cradle cap in babies.
5. Insect repellent
Mosquitoes and other insects hate the acidic properties of vinegar. So if you wish to dine out without being bitten by mosquitoes, spray your outdoor furniture with vinegar before you head out. Better still, spray yourself with some of the stuff so that mosquitoes won’t approach you.