While apple cider vinegar is super useful for pickling and canning, there are many other uses for this amazing liquid. Fortunately, you can learn everything you need to know about apple cider vinegar uses with a search online.
You can buy the ready-to-use version at any grocery store or pick it up from your local farmer to ensure that you know exactly where it was made and what went into it. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits and uses of apple cider vinegar.
The Basics
Made from juiced apples that have been crushed in a press, the mixture is first left to sit before bacteria and yeast are introduced. The yeast starts the alcoholic fermentation process, where the sugars in the juice are turned into alcohol.
Then, in a second process that happens later, the alcohol in the liquid is turned into vinegar. Many enterprising DIYers make their own apple cider vinegar at home, using cores and scraps from various apple recipes. You can keep these scraps in the freezer as you add to the pile, which ensures that they all stay fresh until you’re ready to use them. Once you get enough scraps, mix it with water and let it sit for at least six months, until the alcohol has turned to vinegar. You should be able to smell it!
Health Benefits
Studies have found that ingesting apple cider vinegar has tons of health benefits, including soothing digestive issues, curing hiccups, and even assisting in weight loss. All of these uses involve either drinking apple cider vinegar or putting it on your skin.
When ingesting apple cider vinegar, you need to make sure that you dilute it well first- either in apple juice or in water. If you don’t, you risk burning your esophagus or injuring the enamel on your teeth, since the vinegar is so acidic. While many doctors tout drinking apple cider vinegar as the next best thing to improve your health, drinking too much has been found to put a strain on your kidneys and bones due to the increased acid levels in your bloodstream. If you want to try ingesting it, let your doctor know so they can keep an eye on your blood sugar levels.
When you buy apple cider vinegar, make sure to buy the type labeled “all-natural” and/or “unfiltered”. You can usually tell this apart from the regular kind because the all-natural version is cloudy, and often has some floating particulate matter in the bottle. This floating substance is known as the mother, and it’s a remnant of the bacteria and yeast that were added to the vinegar to turn the alcohol into vinegar. The mother is an all-natural probiotic culture, and it’s perfectly safe to drink.
Exploring Uses
Here are a few uses for apple cider vinegar (ACV) that will come in handy in daily life.
1. Treat dandruff
Apple cider vinegar changes the pH balance of your scalp, making it harder for yeast to grow there.
2. Stir up a tasty vinaigrette
Apple cider vinegar is a key ingredient in many vinaigrettes, since it has a lighter and fruitier taste than most other vinegars.
3. Clean your countertops
ACV has anti-bacterial properties, so mix some up with water in a spray bottle before tackling the dirtiest or smelliest areas of your home.
4. Clear your nose out
Doctors have found that apple cider vinegar contains tons of potassium, which thins out the mucus that causes stuffy noses.
5. Ward off a sore throat
Next time you’re feeling a tickle, gargle with some ACV and warm water- the germs lurking in your throat won’t survive in the acidic conditions, which will leave you feeling better in no time.
6. Soothe sunburned skin
Treat your red and itchy sunburned skin topically with a mixture of equal parts water and apple cider vinegar.
7. Mix up an amazing chocolate cake
Did you know that apple cider vinegar is a key ingredient in red velvet cake? It gives the cake a light and airy crumb.
8. Stop hiccups
One folk remedy insists that the sour flavor of ACV stops hiccups instantly!
9. Make pickles
This one is obvious, but apple cider vinegar is a key ingredient in many delicious homemade pickle recipes.
10. Get rid of fleas
A diluted mixture of ACV and water can help your furry best friend if they’re plagued by fleas.
11. Get rid of acne
Using apple cider vinegar on your skin helps to tone it- use it in the morning to ensure that you always go out with a fresh face.
12. Relieve nighttime leg cramps
Painful nighttime leg cramps are thought to be caused by a lack of potassium, and drinking ACV mixed with warm water can help add potassium to your diet.
13. Freshen your breath
Apple cider vinegar’s anti-microbial properties help kill the germs that cause bad breath.
14. Deodorize your feet
If your feet are particularly stinky, soak them in a mix of ACV and water to help kill odor-causing bacteria.
15. Deal with that unsightly bruise
Anti-inflammatory apple cider vinegar will bring down the swelling on that nasty bruise in no time.
16. Fertilize your garden
There are some plants that thrive in more acidic environments! Fertilize your soil with apple cider vinegar for a pesticide-free green thumb.
17. Soothe an itch
Applied directly to an itch, it can help stop the irritating burning sensation in its tracks.
18. Boost your energy
Apple cider vinegar contains potassium and tons of natural beneficial enzymes that store-bought energy drinks can only try to replicate.
19. Stop your cat from biting power cords
Rub it on your plastic cables to stop your cat from chewing them when you aren’t around.
20. Make a foolproof trap for fruit flies
Pour a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar into a small dish, then top with some liquid dish soap for a cheap and effective fruit fly trap.
21. Get rid of foul-smelling odors in your laundry
Mix in a cup of ACV with your laundry if you find that the stinky odors just won’t go away.
22. Use it to make buttermilk at home
If you want buttermilk pancakes but don’t have buttermilk, make your own by souring regular milk- a teaspoon of vinegar per cup works perfectly!
23. Clean your hair
Apple cider vinegar mixed with chamomile tea can rinse imperfections right out of your hair, leaving it shining and gorgeous.
24. Prolong the shelf life of your fruit and vegetables
Adding a tiny amount of apple cider vinegar to the water when washing fruits and vegetables will help prolong their shelf life exponentially.
25. Treat yeast infections
Soak in a bathtub filled with water and 1.5 cups of ACV for 20 minutes if you feel a yeast infection coming on.