| Vinegar: it flavours food, can help you lose weight, it | | | | and half a cupful of vinegar. Allow to boil for 10 |
| can clean kitchen surfaces brighter than bright, in fact | | | | minutes. Strain and bottle the juice and leave to stand |
| vinegar has many many uses which few people | | | | in a cool place.* Add a teaspoonful of white vinegar to |
| realise. Here are just 35 ideas for getting the most out | | | | egg whites used to make meringue. Leave to stand |
| of a bottle of vinegar ....* Add a cupful of apple cider | | | | for 30 seconds before whipping in the usual way. The |
| vinegar to bathwater to soothe tired muscles and | | | | vinegar increases stiffness and makes meringues |
| relieve dry itchy skin and sunburn.* The tell-tale aroma | | | | brilliantly white. If you run out of eggs, replace them |
| of fish and onions on the hands can be removed by | | | | with one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar per egg, |
| rubbing in neat vinegar before rinsing thoroughly in | | | | as long as the recipe includes another rising agent such |
| warm water.* Treat greasy hair after washing to a | | | | as self-raising flour.* Use hot vinegar compresses to |
| few cupfuls of neat vinegar added to the final rinse.* | | | | relieve pain from injury or arthritis and rheumatism. The |
| Make your own mint by gathering and stripping leaves | | | | lotion also benefits common sprains and strains.* Mix |
| from the stalks when dry. Tear into tiny pieces and | | | | together equal amounts of cider vinegar and cold |
| spread evenly in a shallow dish. Cover with vinegar | | | | water to produce a toner for greasy and combination |
| and leave for two or three hours before straining and | | | | skin. The mixture can also be used as a soothing |
| pressing leaves lightly in a screw-top jar. Store in a | | | | wash for tired puffy eyes.* In folk medicine vinegar is |
| cool, dry place.* Make your own playdough by mixing | | | | considered an elixir for a long healthy life and is |
| two cupfuls of flour with one cupful of salt, one-half | | | | recommended for internal and external use. Make a |
| cupful of water and one teaspoonful of vinegar. Mix | | | | daily drink from one tablespoonful of apple cider |
| the flour and salt first then slowly add water and | | | | vinegar to a cupful of warm or cold water, according |
| vinegar, stirring all the time until the mixture is stiff. Use | | | | to preference. The practice is believed to benefit the |
| your hands to kneed the dough. You've now got | | | | memory and to help the body fight many diseases of |
| playdough that is ready to use. You can brighten up | | | | advancing years.* Lighten age spots with a daily |
| your playdough with the addition of a little food | | | | application of pure apple cider vinegar.* If linen is badly |
| colouring.* Add a few drops of vinegar to shop-bought | | | | scorched take a cupful of vinegar to which is added |
| polish to improve the shine on wooden furniture.* Half a | | | | half an ounce of soap, two ounces of fuller's earth and |
| pint of paraffin mixed with half a pint of vinegar makes | | | | the juice of one lemon. Boil well and spread over the |
| a great cleaner and polisher for most kinds of furniture | | | | damaged parts. Leave to dry and wash the linen. You'll |
| and can also be used on lino, kitchen and bathroom | | | | find the stain has completely disappeared!* Remove |
| tiles, marble and paintwork.* Keep colours fast on | | | | mineral deposits from a steam iron by filling it with |
| striped towels by washing in hot, soapy water mixed | | | | equal parts of white vinegar and water. Let it steam |
| with a cupful of vinegar.* Make a cleaner for brass | | | | until dry before rinsing thoroughly with clean water.* |
| and copper by mixing equal parts of lemon juice and | | | | Make your own airspray by mixing two cupfuls of |
| vinegar which should be applied carefully and left to | | | | white vinegar with one cupful of crushed herbs, |
| stand for several minutes. Polish off with a fluff-free | | | | choosing from rosemary, lavender, cloves, thyme or |
| cloth.* Remove heavy dirt stains from children's toys | | | | pine needles. Place the ingredients in a saucepan and |
| and baby hardware, tiles and other heavy duty | | | | boil gently for 10 minutes then leave to cool. Pour into a |
| surfaces by using a cloth wrung out of lukewarm | | | | large jar with a close-fitting lid. Leave to stand for three |
| water to which a little vinegar has been added. Leave | | | | or four weeks. Strain and add the mixture to a spray |
| to dry before buffing with a clean fluff-free cloth.* | | | | container or atomiser. Use in the same way as |
| Clean windows with a solution of two teaspoonfuls of | | | | commercial air sprays.* When a dishcloth or face |
| vinegar to one pint of warm water.* Clean and polish | | | | flannel gets slimy and starts to smell, immerse it in a |
| stainless steel pans and other kitchen utensils using | | | | solution of water and vinegar in equal parts. Leave to |
| bicarbonate of soda on a cloth moistened with | | | | stand overnight and in the morning rinse thoroughly |
| vinegar.* Make your own fabric softener by mixing | | | | with clean water.* Ink stains can be removed by |
| bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and water (parts: 2-2-4). | | | | soaking the fabric in vinegar for an hour or two before |
| Add a quarter cupful of the mixture to the final rinse | | | | washing in the usual way.* Hot vinegar quickly |
| for hand or machine washing.* Add a teaspoonful of | | | | removes whitewash and distemper splashes from |
| vinegar to water when boiling fish to keep it firm and | | | | most surfaces, including fabrics.* Remove even |
| white.* Add a little vinegar to water used to clean leafy | | | | stubborn stains from the inside of tea and coffee pots |
| vegetables. You'll find insects and caterpillars will float | | | | using a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and |
| to the surface and make cleaning easier.* To prevent | | | | water. Fill the pot and leave to stand for 30 minutes |
| cheese becoming mouldy, wrap it in a piece of muslin | | | | before rinsing thoroughly.* Stickers and their gooey |
| which has been wrung out in vinegar. If you don't have | | | | remains can be removed by soaking the article in |
| muslin try a piece of closely woven net instead.* To | | | | vinegar until the pieces float free.* Remove salt stains |
| help tenderise inexpensive joints of meat, pour on a | | | | from shoes in winter by wiping them with a cloth |
| little vinegar before cooking in a very slow oven.* | | | | wrung out in a mixture of one tablespoonful of vinegar |
| Make your own red food colouring by mixing one | | | | to a cupful of water.* Remove grime from collars and |
| cupful of beetroot juice (tinned or fresh) and two | | | | cuffs by rubbing with a thick paste of baking soda and |
| tablespoonfuls of vinegar and water to your desired | | | | vinegar in equal parts. Leave to stand for half an hour |
| colour. Bottle and leave in a cool place.* Make your | | | | before washing in the usual way.* Remove rust from |
| own yellow colouring by placing the dark outer skins of | | | | bolts and other small metal objects by immersing in |
| five onions in a saucepan with one cupful of water | | | | neat vinegar until the residue dissolves. |