this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2024
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pet urine, whiskey, perfume, you can use white vinegar to get rid of most smells on most materials: carpets, furniture, clothes, without damaging the material.

vinegar is amazing at breaking down odors and then evaporating and not leaving a trace.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Pet urine+whiskey+perfume sounds like a night to remember!!!!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

That's, like, Tuesday

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

unforgettable.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Or a Furry orgie

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I use vinegar for all cleaning in my house except pet urine. Vinegar will clean dog urine okay, especially in the laundry. But you GOTTA use an enzymatic cleaner for cat urine or take it out to bake in the sun for days.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

i used vinegar for cat urine for years without a problem, but I have heard that the enzymatic cleaners work well.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

On fabrics? I guess I should clarify I meant any fabrics or carpet. Vinegar does a good job as a last step because I always put it in the second wash (after the enzymatic cleaner) to get any smell that survived.

I've tried vinegar on cat urine on carpet and it didn't dent the smell. Did get the cat spray on walls okay though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

With carpet it depends on how deep it went. If it's a big spot, chances are it's through the padding and maybe even subfloor, and the odor comes back if not completely neutralized. I've had to pull up and replace padding before in spots because once it gets in that stuff, it's hard to get out. The carpet itself isn't the problem.

Also, once you've seen underneath a carpet/padding that has some age to it, you won't want carpet again. It's no wonder odors linger.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

carpets, clothes and beds, yea, never had trouble removing a cat urine smell using white vinegar.

for stronger smells, ill pour vinegar over the whole area, leave it alone until it dries, pour more, the smell always goes away eventually.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

And it's generally pretty cheap in bulk jugs. Good for laundry too.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

definitely, vinegar has so many uses.

i'm trying to focus on one per post, if i listed all of the uses I think the post would sort of lose effectiveness.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, it will replace it with vinegar smell. I use it for cleaning places with lyme and windows, and when I'm done the place smells like a pickle factory.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

White vinegar dries odorless; the acetic acid smell goes away after the vinegar dries.

you'll deodorize whatever other smells there are, then when the white vinegar dries, you'll have no smell left.

If you're cleaning and then leaving while the windows, scrubbed lyme or the scrubs you are using are still not completely dry, you'll smell the acetic acid of the white vinegar.

If you go back after things are dry, you'll notice there's no lingering odor.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Yep, my only point is while it's drying the smell is less agreeable than other perfumed cleaning products.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

got it.

I prefer waiting a few minutes for odorless non-toxic stuff.

commercial detergents or sprays are usually oil-based and that smell lingers. but when the petrochemicals are flower or lemon-scented, people don't mind so much.

I'll just drown it all in vinegar!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I do prefer vinegar and also wonder why people bother with other stuff for mirrors and glass surfaces.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

I think it's entirely the fault of marketing that people aren't aware of many effective and simple alternatives.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Instructions unclear, bathed myself in white vinegar and I still seem to smell weird.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago

It's in another comment, just keep dousing yourself over and over ad infinitum.

it should be fine or you might dissolve.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I like the fizzyness, but I never noticed an extra cleaning oomph whenever I combined baking soda with the vinegar versus vinegar by itself.

do you notice a big difference after you add baking soda?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

it's fantastic for removing camp smoke and mildew.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Vinegar is great when washing pet laundry like blankets and bed covers.