Do you use vinegar in your home for many household uses? Well, you really should! There are hundreds, if not thousands of benefits to using vinegar either indoors or outdoors. I know it has an icky smell, but for some reason, this icky smelling natural liquid is a wonder worker. It not only cleans, but it kills bad bacteria too. We have shared many homemade cleaning product recipes on our site, some of which use vinegar.
Well, today I want to talk about one of my favorite places to use vinegar….. in the laundry room!
Have you ever thought about using white vinegar in your laundry? The first time I had was several years ago and I haven’t looked back since! Vinegar is just a part of our laundry routine.
Let me first answer the obvious question…. won’t your laundry smell like stinky feet? Well….. that’s the weird part about it…. No. It actually leaves no “stinky feet” odor, but actually eliminates odors. So no need to worry about stinky laundry…. but in fact, quite the opposite!
So now let’s count the ways that vinegar and your laundry go together like peanut butter and jelly:
1. Fluff up your fabrics and towels. They will start to become fluffy and soft again! We notice this difference in our towels the most, but we also see it in all of the fabrics washed!
2. Reduce odors! Not only does the vinegar “fluff” the towels, it actually takes smells out too! The stinky towels, sports clothes, boys clothes, all of it! Get rid of those odors naturally and gently!
3. Kills bacteria on your clothing, towels, bedding, etc.
4. Use as as an alternative to Fabric Softener (we show 4 ways in our previous post HERE).
5. Reduce static. Vinegar will not only soften clothes, but reduces some of the static as well.
6. Greater clothing life! Your clothes and towels will last longer as vinegar is more gentle than commercial fabric softeners and does not break down the threads as quickly.
7. Perfect for sensitive skin! Unlike commercial products which can irritate skin, using vinegar instead is much better for your skin!
8. Reduces allergies! Because it naturally kills without chemicals or scents, you will have less sneezing fits!
9. Prevent and reduce colors bleeding. It acts as a natural “color catcher” in which if you had to wash colors together, it will help in preventing the bleeding of colors onto other fabrics. Now I know many,many that swear by this tip….. but I am so cheap that I haven’t tested it and am a Laundry freak about not mixing colors as I don’t want to ruin or replace. I haven’t even used the commercial Shout color catcher…. but I have testimonies from many that this is that same thing, but does it naturally and cheaply!
10. Cleaner Washing Machine. Finally, keep the odors and bacteria in your washer away. This will occur naturally when you are using it for your laundry! Double duty!
Recommended usage: 1/2 cup of vinegar in a full load and a 1/4 cup in a smaller load. You just pour it in at the beginning in the fabric softener slot or during your rinse cycle when you would normally put in your liquid fabric softener. We have found this to be immensely beneficial to our laundry and to our budget! And it is a natural alternative!
Disclaimer: As with all homemade solutions, remember to always test a small hidden area first.
Jolee
Cassie, we just think so much alike! I’ve been using white vinegar instead of fabric softener for so long! One of the reasons I started was that my husband and kids have really sensitive skin and any little bit of detergent not completely rinsed out would irritate their skin. Vinegar helps remove all residue of the detergent used out of every fiber of your clothes. That’s also why clothes last longer, too!
Cassie
Awesome! That extra tip of removing excess detergent residue is a great one and totally makes sense! Thanks Jolee!
Janet
I use the vinegar in my downy ball no fabric softener just the vinegar.
Kelly
Please advise if I can/should use vinegar in the fabric softener section
in the new “HE” or “high efficiency” machines…they say to use only
HE detergents and HE fabric softeners…
thanks,
Cassie
Hi Kelly,
We have new HE machines and this is all I have used since the day we have bought them. I know they say to use special HE products that you “buy” from the store, but I think it is just a ploy to sell more products 😉 I also know dozens and dozens of families that also have HE machines and use these methods as well. However, that is just my opinion and the personal opinions of others. I am not an appliance expert, so you should do what makes you the most comfortable!
Crystal Stanke
Actually, HE products just make less suds and/or are more condensed since HE washers use less water. 🙂 Vinegar is perfectly safe, just don’t use soap that isn’t HE as it will have too many suds and not rinse out properly.
Judy
I have LG HE front loader and I use vinegar also and I have used non HE soap in it as well with no issues mine is a older one but it seems like a ploy to encourage spending more money on special products I have never seen a HE fabric softeners.
Redo It Yourself Inspirations
I babied my new front loading HE machine. Then after buying a non HE labeled detergent, I had no issues. So I get whatever I want on sale. I use vinegar for many cleaning reasons but never in the washer. Thank you for the tip. I’m certainly going to add it. My dishtowels still have cooking odors after washing. I hope this will cure that problem. Thank you for sharing these great tips! I need to buy more vinegar and less commercial junk. 😉
Jan
Vinegar not only cleans and keeps the smels away, it is also very friendly for the heat ellement in your washing machines because it keeps the calcium away.
Libby
Hi,
WHERE exactly and how much vinegar do we put? I also have a HE washer/dryer. It has a seperate compartment for fabric softener. There? Thanks!
Cassie
HI Libby – here’s the paragraph above explaining that:”Recommended usage: 1/2 cup of vinegar in a full load and a 1/4 cup in a smaller load. You just pour it in at the beginning in the fabric softener slot or during your rinse cycle when you would normally put in your liquid fabric softener. We have found this to be immensely beneficial to our laundry and to our budget! And it is a natural alternative!”
Jennifer
Hi what type of vinegar, the white vinegar I buy is also called malt.
Cassie
Good question Jennifer. I realized I didn’t mention that above. I think it really only works with Distilled White Vinegar. They sell at Walmart for $2.38 a gallon and Sam’s and Costco selling a 2 pk (2 gallons) for $3.38ish.
shelly
I have an older top load, no slot for ANYTHING washer. Would I just add half a cup at the beginning of the load when I add my detergent and clothes?
Cassie
Hi Shelly- yes, just like you would for liquid detergent or liquid fabric softener.
Elkins
together with detergent?
Cassie
See Rachel’s suggestion below too!
Rachel
I have an old machine and put my vinegar in the downy ball.
Cassie
That’s a great idea Rachel!
Sandi
I also use vinegar in my dish washer. It keeps your glasses from getting cloudy with hard water and it disinfects also.
Pat
Sandi how much do you put in dish washer?
Missy
What if we don’t have a spot for softener. I know you said put in when it starts rinsing but I ALWAYS forget. Lol. I do have a spot for bleach. Can I put it there? Thanks.
Cassie
Hi Missy,
I think you should be able to do that!
lucy rust
years ago i had a magazine that had all kinds of ways to use vinegar it is amazing thks i enjoyed reading i would buy a mag of tips and tricks for sure
Myra
Do you use the vinegar in addition to the laundry detergent or instead of? I’ve used vinegar when my towels start to smell and it takes the smell right out.
Cassie
Hi Myra, I use vinegar in addition to laundry detergent. The two together do miracles for natural laundry cleaning!
Martine
Wow ,thanks for this one , I am going to try it. I have only just found your website. If you wanted a specially nice smell to the laundry perhaps you could try adding a tiny bit of essential oil ,like lavender or lemon ? What do you think ?
Cassie
Absolutely Martine! I do and it works great! Here’s the post on that specifically: https://thethriftycouple.com/2013/05/02/four-easy-ways-to-make-your-own-fabric-softener/
Lisha
Will vinegar get rid of smoke damage in clothing from a house fire AND if I wash those clothes in my washer will the smoke linger in my washer or should I take them to a laundry mat? My daughter had a house fire over the holidays and we are not sure how to deal with getting rid of that smell safely.
Chris
@Lisha I think vinegar will help a lot with smoke however I’ve only ever used it with smoke from camp fires. I’d probably go to a laundry mat so you could use several machines at once. (It may take several washes though.) Thereby eliminating the smell in your own home. Sorry for this tragedy.
Jeannette
It will help with smoky smell in cars & house. We bought a car from a smoker and it helped. Also had a small fire in our stove, put out bowls of vinegar and the smell did leave.
Jean
I like Myra’s question..Vinegar in addition to detergent or instead of? I read the posts so it gets rids of smells and germ’s..dose it clean also?
Chris
Vinegar IN addition to detergent. Sometimes I put it in with the detergent and also with the softener. I have a HE machine my mom and daughter older styles and we all three use it when washing clothes as well as in our dishwashers.
Vinegar really helps clothes not “bleed” and loose their color! Wash after wash.
Cheryl
I have used vinegar in the laundry for years. Always used it in my towels especially in the summertime when u find the towel the kids used when they got out of the pool and its been rolled up in a ball and starting to smell like mildew. I have an LG front loader and it has 4 compartments for the detergent bleach softner and a “pre wash” compartment that’s where I add the vinegar.
Barbara
I have a stainless steel kitchen sinks. I have been using vinegar in it since I moved here in 2006. I have a spray bottle that has vinegar in it. When we get done with dinner. I use the bottle to spray counters and sink. Makes the kitchen smell good. I can’t use the stuff we would buy from the stores. My skin doesn’t like it.
I was wonder will the vinegar help with the yellow stains on white t-shirts? Husband wears them under dress shirts.
Cassie
I have heard that vinegar is great for underarm stains, but even better is this solution: https://thethriftycouple.com/2013/05/10/simple-homemade-laundry-stain-remover-natural-and-safe-too/
Marie
I have been using vinegar for awhile, and I just found out that they make a commercial cleaning vinegar that is cheaper than ‘normal’ vinegar..
Cassie
Hmmm…. I haven’t heard of it. Is it more acidic? Do they had something to it? Normal household vinegar has been perfect for us, but I am not familiar with this.
Christie
This might sound like a silly question, but I haven’t seen it asked… I don’t normally use a liquid fabric softener, so if I do this, should I still add a dryer sheet when putting my clothes in the dryer?
Cassie
Hi Christie,
This is intended to replace the dryer sheets. Here’s more details on using vinegar as fabric softener and recipes for doing so: https://thethriftycouple.com/2013/05/02/four-easy-ways-to-make-your-own-fabric-softener/
Candi
OK…I’m going to give this a try, because I use vinegar for cleaning LOTS of other things! Question: Can you still use bleach AND the vinegar as a softener? I know that you cannot use bleach with, say, some of the oxygen additives for the laundry, and I cannot imagine why you wouldn’t be able to use bleach and vinegar…but, I thought I would ask!
Cassie
Hi Candi,
You should be able to….. but I don’t know for certain. We stopped using bleach many years ago and use a powdered hydrogen peroxide (like oxy clean) from Tropical Traditions. This is the one cleaning product I have replaced with a store bought version, but it is still natural. I talk about that here: https://thethriftycouple.com/2014/01/06/free-shipping-today-only-at-tropical-traditions-50-off-natural-oxygen-bleach-pure-coconut-oil-and-more/
And I do know for sure that use can use vinegar and this powdered natural bleach alternative together. Hopefully that helps!
Connie K
I have used vinegar on my towels for the last year. I love how fluffy they are. I can tell when I forgot to use the vinegar on my towels. They don’t even look the same. I actually rotate my towels so that they are being used the same amount of time and washed the same. We reuse our towels for at least 2-3 days. I only makes sense because you are drying off a clean body. I have never used vinegar on my regular laundry. I think I will try and do that to help reduce static in our cold weather area. Thank you!
Chad
Hi, not sure if this is still being monitored. I have been adding white vinegar to Seventh Generation laundry detergent right in the main/full wash (not holding it until the rinse cycle) and wondering if that is safe…
Thanks!
Emilie Agerskov
It also helps get rid of the excessive lint if you accidentally washed something dark with some lint-producing towels. Fill a spray bottle with undiluted distilled white vinegar and keep it on hand in the laundry room to remove perspiration odor and stains on washable clothing. Spray the vinegar directly on the fabric on the inside of the underarm areas and allow it to work for at least ten minutes before tossing the garment into the washing machine. If the fabric feels stiff before washing, use a soft-bristled brush to break up the residue. The vinegar will help to cut through residual deodorant left on clothing and prevent underarm yellowing.