原文: 5 Unexpected Ways To Clean With Vinegar

My girlfriend had gotten some marinade recipe off the internet and among it's ingredient list was vinegar. Not cider vinegar, not white wine vinegar, just vinegar. So she reached under the sink and pulled out the gallon jug of white vinegar. She might as well have soaked the meat in kerosene.

When I found out what she did I was a little peeved. Vinegar is a great ingredient that can add a lot of versatility and depth to food, I'd never suggest you shy away from vinegar as a whole. But not white vinegar, that is not a food product.

I really can't blame her though, not her fault. It's those lazy grocery stores. They're the ones who've decided to store the white vinegar with the food grade vinegars for some reason. You know where should they be storing the white vinegar? In the cleaning section.

That's right, white vinegar is the original miracle cleaning product. It's cheap, you can buy it in bulk, it's not particularly harsh and it works on almost anything. To prove it to you (or so you can prove it to yourself) here are 5 unexpected ways to clean with vinegar:

1. Throw a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and you've got a substitute general purpose cleaner. You won't have to worry about the dog licking it or ruining fabrics because it's less harsh than bleach. It also cuts through grease better and handles foul odors.
   
2. Mix a half cup of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of salt and you've got a nice metal polish. It's great for everything from silverware to bathroom fixtures. And if you've got some really tough hard water stains this works too. Just soak a paper towel with the mixture and leave it on whatever needs cleaning for about 5 minutes. Then wipe it off and the calcium deposits will come right off.
   
3. If your shower pressure is getting so bad that you'd be better off dribbling on yourself, try taking your shower head apart and soaking the pieces in a bowl of vinegar. After about 20 minutes, rinse, wipe and put back together. It's like getting a brand new one.
   
4. If your microwave looks like that scene from gremlins, try heating a bowl of 50/50 vinegar and water on high for 3 minutes. Then wait 3 more minutes for everything to soak in and wipe with a wet sponge. Everything comes off like it was never there and even the burned popcorn smell will disappear. By the way, this also works in the oven if you use a metal bowl.
   
5. If your white plastic bowls are looking a bit yellow in the bottom and still smell like garlic from last weeks spaghetti you're not alone. Plastic has a tendency to allow oil and fat particles to 'stick' to it on a molecular level that won't wash off. Try pouring a cup of vinegar in there and then fill the bowl with water. Let it sit overnight and by morning your bowls should be good as new.

I like white vinegar. It has a place, just not on my plate. So I hope this list helps you put it in perspective and next time you need to add vinegar to a poorly written marinade recipe you'll choose something with more flavor and less scouring power.

Note: Here is a pdf from the Vinegar Institute that lists dozens of additional uses for vinegar.

-Garrett

译文: 5种用醋来清洁的意想不到的方法

      写与2008年6月27日。作者是加勒特维兰，他在FatBastardEats.com.网站上专为男人写一些烹饪或任何人想做出速食品的文章

      我的女朋友已经从网上得到了一些眼泡菜的食谱，其中的材料之一就是醋。不是苹果酒，也不是白酒醋，就只是醋。所以她从水槽下面找到了一罐一加仑的白醋。她还是把肉浸在煤油里的好。

      当我知道她所作的事时我有点恼怒了。醋时一种很好的材料，它有很多功能，而且能深入食物中。总的来说，我从来没有建议你们不使用醋。但并不是白醋，那不是一种好产品。

      我实在不能怪她，不时她的错。这是那些懒惰的食杂店的错。是他们因为一些原因决定了储存白醋和食用醋。你知道他们应该把白醋储存在哪吗？应该在清洁区域。

      那就对了。白醋是极好的最原始的清洁洗涤用品。它很廉价，你可以大量购买。它并不特别粗糙，对任何东西都很适用。为向你证明这一点（或者你可以向自己证明这一点），以下有5种意想不到的方法是用醋来清洁的：

      将50/50 的醋和水混合到一个喷雾瓶中，你就得到了一瓶万能清洁剂的替代品了。你不用担心小狗会舔它，也不用担心它会毁坏纺织品，因为它没有漂白剂那么刺激。它也能更好地溶解油脂，清除恶臭。

      把半杯醋与两汤匙盐混合你就拥有金属抛光剂了。从银器到浴室设备，它都能很好地处理。如果有难处理的硬水污点它也能清理。只要用混合水将纸巾浸湿，把它放在任何需要清理的地方5分钟。然后擦掉，那些金属沉淀物就会被清理掉。

      如果你淋浴的水压很糟糕，那你最好把淋浴头旋开，把那些零件浸在一碗醋当中。20分钟后，进行洗涤然后擦干，重新装起来。那就像买了件新的一样。

      如果你的微波炉看起来像小鬼玩过的一样，那就试着把50/50 的醋和水的混合物加热至3分钟。然后再等待3分钟，让那些东西完全被吸收，用湿海绵擦干净。所有的污垢都会被清除，干净地就像从来没脏过一样，即使是烧焦的爆米花味都没有了。顺便说一句，如果你用一个金属碗，这个方法对烤箱也很有用。如果你的白塑料碗在底部看起来有点黄色，而且从上周吃意大利面条开始就一直有大蒜的味道，那现在你有办法了。塑料很容易沾上难洗掉的油脂。可以尝试倒一杯醋在里面，然后再用水把碗灌满。一夜之后你的碗就会像新的一样。

      我喜欢白醋。她有自己的用处，并不是在我的盘里。所以我希望这些方法能帮助你正确而看待醋，下一次你需要在书上写的腌泡菜秘方中加上醋，你就会选择一些香料而不是洗涤剂。