We've always got a bottle in our freezer but we never thought that there was much use for it beyond our weekend Bloody Marys. But then, we received this list from a friend. At first we were startled. Wasn't our house going to smell like a bad frat party the boozy morning afterwards? Then we realized: plain vodka's nothing more than a mixture of pure alcohol and water. Now, instead of getting headaches off the cheap stuff, here are some ways we can use it around the house.
The 12 Best Household Uses for Vodka (Not including Martinis)
- Keep Aphids off houseplants. Wash off houseplants with tap water then dab the leaves with a cotton ball dipped in vodka. Do not use alcohol on delicate plants like African Violets.
- Shine chrome, glass and porcelain bathroom fixtures. Soak a soft, clean cloth with vodka and shine.
- Remove hairspray from mirrors. Soak a soft, clean cloth with vodka and wipe mirrors clean.
- Clean crystal and porcelain ornaments.
- Clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers by filling a spray bottle with vodka, then spraying the caulking. Wait 5 minutes, then wash clean. Bonus: the alcohol in the vodka actually kills mold and mildew.
- Clean a chandelier right where it hangs! Spray the chandelier with a solution of four teaspoons of vodka to one pint of water. Put down a cloth or plastic sheet to catch the drips.
- Remove stains by rubbing with a clean cloth soaked in vodka. Rinse thoroughly.
- Clean jewelry and cutlery. Soak it in vodka for five minutes, rinse and dry.
- Remove the glue left behind by stickers and labels. Rub the glue with a soft, clean cloth soaked in vodka.
- Use it to kill bees and wasps.
- To get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke, mix one part vodka to three parts water, spray and let dry.
- Clean tiles in the bathroom by spraying with vodka. Leave it on for 5 minutes and rinse. Great for getting rid of soap scum.
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[Image courtesy Elissa Wiehn, - Epicurious]
Originally posted by Abby on AT:LA.
Comments (3)
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Is there any difference between using this and using rubbing alcohol? Wouldn't rubbing alcohol be cheaper?
view Joan A.'s profile
Except in dire emergencies, using vodka for anything but consumption is blasphemy.
Example acceptable emergency: Sterilizing a bullet wound. But only a serious one.
Vodka (ethanol for drinking) is expensive only because of a) taxes and b) to a much lesser extent, marketing.
Rubbing alcohol USP is not suitable for drinking only because our government requires the addition of acetone and methyl isobutyl ketone in order to render the ethanol in it deathly toxic.
Why do they require this? To generate more tax revenue from Vodka and other alcoholic beverages...duh!
view AlmostAD's profile
Kill bees! Are you crazy?! If you've really got a bee problem, call an expert. We need all the bees we can get!!
view chartreuse's profile