Vinegar is an incredibly useful and inexpensive must have in any home. Don't let the stinky smell steer you away. Save money and help the environment by using white vinegar in place of many of your commercially purchased household items.

Window cleaner - Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Use as you would a commercial window cleaning product.

Fabric softener - Pour 1/2 cup white vinegar into your washing machine's fabric softener dispenser or add to the rinse cycle. You may also add a few drops of essential oils for more fragrance.

Sunburn - Soothe sunburn with a spray made of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. Avoid eyes.

Clean coffee pot - Remove stubborn stains from the carafe by swishing 1/4 cup white vinegar around in it then washing with hot soapy water. Also, to clean the inside of your coffee pot mix 1/2 cup vinegar with enough water to fill your pot and run through coffee maker. Run clean water through once more.

Dishwasher rinse - For spot free glasses fill your dishwasher's rinse aid compartment with white vinegar.

Hair conditioner - In the shower, rinse your hair with white vinegar for shine and softness.

Stop stings and bites - Using a cotton ball dab white vinegar on insect stings and bites for instant relief.

Kill unwanted weeds and grass - Mix equal parts white vinegar and water and spray onto unwanted weeds and grass in your garden.

Polish chrome fixtures - Shine up those faucets by dabbing white vinegar on a cleaning cloth and wipe down chrome fixtures.

Facial toner - Depending on your skin type use either diluted, or undiluted vinegar on a cotton ball in place of a commercial toner.

Vinegar is completely safe and all natural. It has been used throughout history for many medical and domestic purposes. Because of it's acidic nature, vinegar is ideal for cleaning around the home. Diluted with water it can cut through kitchen grease, kill mold and bacteria, clean up pet urine, deodorize trash cans and garbage disposals, and make dishes sparkle.

Vinegar is a great alternative to chemical containing herbicides, especially if you are striving for an organic garden. The acetic acid contained in the vinegar is not absorbed by a plant's root system. Spraying a potent mixture onto the leaves of the unwanted plant will not remove it completely if it is a perennial.