Survival essentials: The little-known uses of vinegar

08/13/2024 / By HRS Editors

Vinegar is a versatile cooking ingredient, but this item also has many uses around the house. Aside from cooking, vinegar can be used to clean and even kill weeds. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com)

The survival uses of vinegar detailed below should convince you to add it to your prepper shopping list:

Clean and sanitize surfaces

While store-bought multipurpose cleaners are convenient since you can use them on different surfaces, many of these cleaners sometimes contain harmful chemicals that are bad for human health and the environment. Fortunately, vinegar is nontoxic and eco-friendly.

It’s also affordable so you can stock up before SHTF.

Vinegar is a great ingredient for homemade cleaning products because you can use it on most surfaces without worrying about damage.

Vinegar is a great cleaner and disinfectant because it’s made from acetic acid.

Acetic acid is a colorless organic compound that gives vinegar its uniquely sour taste and pungent aroma. Some store-bought household cleaners also contain acetic acid.

Due to the acidic nature of vinegar, it can dissolve dirt, grease, grime and mineral deposits. It’s also strong enough to kill bacteria.

Here are different types of vinegar to stock up on before SHTF:

Apple cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red or white wine vinegar
White distilled vinegar

Kill weeds

If weeds are overtaking the plants in your home garden, you can use a mixture of vinegar and dish soap to kill weeds.

Use your vinegar weed-killer mixture with caution because the acetic acid in vinegar can also kill other plants. Apply vinegar directly to weeds to avoid harming other plants in your garden.

Remove labels/stickers

If you reuse or repurpose glass jars and other containers for food storage, you can use vinegar to remove labels and stickers.

Try submerging the jars in some vinegar for several hours. This should make it easier to clean off the stickers.

Sanitize jars or containers

Food storage is an important aspect of preparedness, and having a variety of clean containers and jars that are also sanitary is vital to food safety.

Use vinegar to clean and sanitize jars for food storage or for containers for pickling vegetables from your garden. (Related: Understanding different types of emergencies and how to prepare for them.)

Unclog drains

If you have clogged drains at home, combine baking soda and vinegar to unclog them.

Aside from vinegar, you can also use various essential oils to ensure that your home is clean and smells fresh even after SHTF.

Where to buy lab-verified non-toxic cleaning materials

The Health Ranger Store is committed to helping you prepare for different emergencies. That’s why we’re proud to introduce different items that can also double as non-toxic cleaning materials.

Frankincense serrata essential oil contains components with natural cleansing properties, such as alpha- and beta-pinene, limonene, myrcene and linalool. These compounds make frankincense serrata essential oil a great addition to homemade natural cleaning solutions as well as a versatile item in your Emergency Preparedness Kit.

Health Ranger Select Organic Frankincense Serrata Essential Oil is carefully extracted from the sap of the Boswellia serrata tree and is a great all-around essential oil for your home and self-care needs.

This versatile essential oil contains no additives, fillers, or synthetic chemicals. It is also non-China, certified organic and rigorously lab-tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbes.

You can also try peppermint essential oil, which is extracted by steam distilling the leaves and topmost flowers of the Mentha piperita plant, which is a hybrid species of spearmint and water mint. This versatile oil contains high concentrations of menthol (50-60 percent) and menthone (10-30 percent).

Health Ranger’s Organic Peppermint Essential Oil can be used topically or for aromatherapy to support good health. You can also use it to keep your breath fresh or to freshen your home naturally.

Unlike store-bought fresheners, our premium peppermint essential oil contains no toxic chemicals. Health Ranger’s Organic Peppermint Essential Oil is also certified organic and contains no additives or synthetic chemicals.

Enjoy the crisp aroma of tea tree oil with Health Ranger’s Organic Tea Tree Essential Oil. It has potent cleansing properties that make it an ideal ingredient in natural hand soaps, cleaning products and other household products.

This essential oil is derived from Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia that’s been used for hundreds of years for its many benefits. As a natural cleanser, it can rid your home of external threats.

Our premium tea tree oil is sourced directly from Australia and is lab-tested for microbiology, heavy metals and glyphosate. It is also non-toxic, non-GMO, non-China and certified organic.

Visit Health Ranger Store and Brighteon Store to find more products for your prepping needs. You can also go to Homesteading.news for more tips on how to keep your home clean using vinegar and other non-toxic ingredients and products.

Learn more about essential food items you should have in your survival stockpile on our website.

Watch this clip about why you need Frankincense Serrata Essential Oil in your stockpile.

This video is from the Health Ranger Store channel on Brighteon.com.