I never leave the grocery store without grabbing another gallon of white vinegar.
Sure, I might forget the milk, bread and eggs that I went into the store for in the first place, but not the vinegar.
Vinegar is incredibly useful around the yard and garden. That’s why it’s first and foremost on the brain!
Because of its acidic nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time.
White vinegar is pretty awesome stuff.
But are you ready to use it around your yard and garden for fast and amazing results? Here are 9 ways to use vinegar around the yard and garden that will blow your mind!
1.) Safe and effective pest control
If you have problems with ants and other insects invading your home, they are most likely coming in through your doorways and windowsills.
If you pour vinegar across the sill, it halts them from crossing. Soak a rag with white vinegar and lay it down in your doorway. No more ants. Done.
What about slugs in your garden? Pour a few drops of white vinegar on them carefully avoiding spilling vinegar on your plants. Eggshells work great as well to deter slugs.
Flies swarming your pool? Yuck. Pour vinegar around the sides of your pool and it helps keep the flies away.
Drink a couple of spoonfuls a day to keep mosquitoes away~ your sweat will be unpleasant to them!
If you rub or spray yourself with vinegar, it will keep ticks off. They may get on you, but will not stay.
2.) Removing stains from flower pots
That staining that occurs in plastic and clay flower pots comes right out without having to scrub. Fill your kitchen sink with cold water and add plain white vinegar to about 2/3 water to 1/3 vinegar.
Soak the pots and their saucers until they look clean and new. This could take about an hour, sometimes two hours for more stubborn stains.
Wash with mild dish detergent and water before re-using the pot.
3.) Getting rid of brown patches in your lawn
I have two daschunds. They pee a ton on my front lawn. The problem is that their urine leaves these unsightly brown and yellow patches.
And if you have cats that go outside you might have the same problem. More of those ugly patches that kill your lawn from their pee.
But if you put a tablespoon of vinegar in your dog’s drinking water every day you will no longer have those brown spots in your lawn from the dog’s urine.
4.) Instant antibacterial
I always wear gardening gloves when working with roses, blackberries or any other plant with thistles.
Sometimes I really prefer working sans gloves with just my bare hands. It gives me a better grip on the plants and feel for the soil.
But of course, my hands tend to get all scratched up. No fun. White vinegar can be used to treat those scratches if you are unable to wash your hands, an instant antibacterial.
Ditto if you are into long walks and hiking. Take a little vial of white vinegar is a great idea. If you nick your hands you can treat them with a dab of vinegar to disinfect them.
5.) Use vinegar around the yard to suppress weeds!
Mix 3 parts water with 1 part concentrated acetic acid, or vinegar, to get a final concentration of 6%.
You should be able to achieve a 6% acetic acid concentration by mixing white vinegar with concentrated lemon or lime juice in equal parts.
Put solution in a spray bottle and spray on young, tender, new growth of plants. While it’s not taken into the roots, it will burn top growth.
If you repeat the process every week during the vigorous growing season, you will kill off the plants by starving the roots.
Natural, organic and cheap weed killer. What more do you want?
6.) Use vinegar around the yard to suppress weeds part II
Kill a stubborn individual weed by pouring hot vinegar on it. This might take a couple of times to work completely.
But it’s ideal to slay those weeds growing in between your garden pathways and brick patio.
Also use hot vinegar to kill the weeds that spring up in your concrete driveway and grasses that have come up through the sidewalk and your precious herbaceous bed.
Check the weather to make sure it’s not going to rain for a few days. Pour the hot vinegar on and leave for a couple of days.
Weeds will die back.
7.) Keeping cats out of the children’s sandbox
If you have a cat who has ever peed or pooped in your kids or grandkids sandbox then you know exactly how disgusting that experience can be.
Pour vinegar around the children’s sandbox to keep cats from thinking it’s their outdoor litter box.
Re-apply every month regardless or after you’ve had a heavy rain.
8.) Increase soil acidity
How about using vinegar to water your acid-loving plants like rhododendron, heathers or azaleas?
In hard water areas, add 1 1/4 cups of vinegar to 4 3/4 quarts of tap water. The vinegar will release iron in the soil for the plants to use.
Vinegar poured over your azaleas will actually give the leaves a sheen!
9.) To neutralize garden lime
Rinse your hands liberally with vinegar after working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin!
These are good tips, and if I were to go hiking then I would take vinegar with me, but, I would not drink it, even if it keeps the mosquitoes away. I will try the tip for the dogs water!
The article was full of amazing ideas for using Vinegar. It was very interesting, informative and even educational. I will be putting some of the Vinegar tips to good use. I’m eager to see the results after using Vinegar. Thank You for the wonderful article.
Great ideas!
Love all of these great ideas for using vinegar. I have used for for weed prevention and love the results!
The gawd awful bird!
Hot vinegar on stubborn weeds in the cracks of concrete is my favorite. Those weeds are almost impossible to remove by pulling so I have done this for decades. Thanks, great article.
Wow terrific idea it’s a money saver.
my fav goto for all natural solutions!
thanks for the great tips
Very interesting ways I would never have thought of, to use vinegar!
cool
such an inexpensive pest control. I love it
Absolutely LOVE these! Very popular in my area in Arizona where it can be difficult to grow plants.
I knew some of these, but others are definitely handy tips I’ll have to try, like the dog’s water
We fed the bees this past winter with sugar water and they were really content bee’s.
Wonderful ideas. Thank you
I want to win so much as my house in front is blah and this is awesome.
Just love this❤️ Good morning Tom & Laura! Have a wonderful blessed day ❣️🌻
You can’t beat natural remedies 💕
Thanks for all the info 🌹
I have never seen so many useful tips for using vinegar! I have done some of these with great success, but will be trying many more of your tips! Thank you!
I did not know all these wonderful things! Thank you for sharing!
Great information! I always keep vinegar in the pantry.
I worked as a housekeeper for a mega wealthy billionaire. All he allowed anyone in his staff on his huge property to clean with is vinegar. I tried telling his secretary (he wasn’t ever available to talk to) “vinegar is great and all but only does so much and should not be used on some things like real marble countertops or slate and stone floors” but rich people don’t listen to cleaning staff.
I got so tired of the smell of vinegar after working there.
Just noticed some ants in my kitchen the other day hate ant traps so definitely will be trying the vinegar on a cloth. Thanks for all the useful tips!
The article on vinegar is definitely a keeper! I had no idea the additional benefits of keeping it stocked up. Thank you!
Obviously Vinegar has at least as many uses as cats have lives! Bravo! I’ll be using vinegar in new ways after reading this great article! You never cease to amaze me Laura & Tom. Enjoy a fulling summer.
I swear by white vinegar and think it is pretty awesome too with its endless uses. I do use it regularly in the garden to control the ants which are relentless here in Florida. Thank you for all the useful tips.
Thank you for sharing I am always looking for ways of using and utilizing home products for cleaning and other projects.
Thank you!
I’m going to try this for pest control. I don’t like using pesticides and last summer our garden was ravaged by insects. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for all of these tips!
Thank you for 9 shocking ways to use vinegar in yard & garden
Thanks for the tips. I had no idea you could use vinegar to kill weeds
Wow! Have never heard the tip about vinegar in a Pup’s water to eliminate grass brown spots! What a wonderful thing! Will definitely do this! Thanks!
Great info!