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Home » Cleaning tips

Did you know all the household uses for vinegar, coffee grinds, baking soda and more?

By Debbiedoo's Team Published: Sep 14, 2013 · Modified: Feb 4, 2025

Good morning!

No craft or home decor today, just some tips and tricks I recently read about and thought I would pass them along.

Did you know all the household uses for vinegar, coffee grinds baking soda and more?

These are pantry staples and the uses for them go above and beyond!

Let’s start with

Coffee

As much as ants love sweet things, they hate coffee.
Its scent is too strong and repels them. If there is a place in your kitchen where you have an ant problem, try sprinkling some coffee grounds to deal with your pest problem.
When you have to get rid of the grinds from your coffee maker, don’t think of it as garbage. Instead, think of it as fertilizer. The coffee grounds are chock full of nutrients that will help your plants grow.

Vinegar

Do you have light traffic stains on your carpet? Before you go to the store and invest in some heavy duty spot cleaners, try mixing one part vinegar to one part water.

Liberally douse the area with the solution and blot with a wash rag. This will help take care of some of the milder stains.

A wooden cutting board can be hard to clean, as you don’t want to warp the surface or fear that a conventional spray cleaner left chemicals lurking. Instead, fill a spray bottle with one part water and one part vinegar. Spray down the cutting board and wipe it off with a paper towel. No warping, no weird chemicals, no germs.

Cornstarch

Did someone get a greasy stain on your wallpaper?
Not a problem with cornstarch. Add two tablespoons of cornstarch to two tablespoons of water so it makes a pasty consistency. Rub this over the spot, and it will extract the grease from stain. Just try this on a hidden part of your wallpaper to make sure it doesn’t cause any problems.

Baking Soda

You can add baking soda to your wash to not only serve as a fabric softener, but also as a deodorizer. Just pour one-quarter to half a cup of baking soda in the wash as you add your detergent.
You can polish brass door knobs or window latches with baking soda. Its slightly gritty consistency helps wipe away gunk, but is still safe enough to not scratch the metal.

Olive (Or Vegetable) Oil

 

 Gardeners take note: You can use olive or vegetable oil to prevent dirt from clumping on your tools. Just coat with a light slick of oil (in a pinch, use cooking spray). You can also use this trick on your lawnmower blades.

Does the lock on your front door never want to give up your house key?
Try wiping your key down with some vegetable oil. It acts as a lubricant, helping the key to get into the lock more freely.
Funny we learn something new every day!
5 Household staples to live and clean by!

  You can follow me anytime, anyplace!

All info and images courtesy of the Huff Post Home There were many more tips and trick for staples in your pantry.

I am also very excited to share my new stencil line with you.

Farmhouse/rustic stencil line by Debbiedoo’s HERE

Thank you for your visit today!

I share all things, thrifty home decor, crafts and a recipe or two on occasion.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cynthia

    September 14, 2013 at 10:24 am

    Great tips Debbie, I use distilled white vinegar to wash my tile floors, when I have them, LOL!!!

    Cynthia

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 14, 2013 at 10:31 am

      Thanks Cindy, congratulations to you. I tried leaving you a comment again:(

      Reply
  2. Angela

    September 14, 2013 at 10:31 am

    Excellent tips, Debbie! I have newly discovered the many wonderful uses of vinegar myself! That stuff is amazing!!! Have a great weekend!~~Angela

    Reply
  3. Sarah

    September 14, 2013 at 11:11 am

    Great tips! Didn’t know that about ants and coffee. I do use the coffee grounds in my garden.

    Reply
  4. Kristin

    September 14, 2013 at 1:22 pm

    Fab tips, I didn’t know about coffee and ants, I’ll have to try that. I also use the baking soda with super hot water when washing towels so they don’t get that smell and it works like a charm every time 🙂
    XO
    Kristin

    Reply
    • jessie

      September 14, 2013 at 3:45 pm

      Good tip on the baking soda and towels,I will try this..thanks

      Reply
  5. The Polka Dot Closet

    September 14, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    OK, I am never throwing my morning coffee grounds in the garbage again!! Off to the garden hey go!

    Carol

    Reply
  6. Bev

    September 14, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    Coffee grounds work great for acid loving plants such as gardenias, camellias, azaleas, etc. I use them quite often on mine and try to be sure to have some around the plants roots if rain showers are expected.
    Some of the tips I am not familiar with but will definitely check them out. Thanks Deb for sharing this helpful info!

    Reply
  7. jessie

    September 14, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    Great tips Debbie..I did not know about coffee and ants,now I know .Thanks

    Reply
  8. Linda

    September 14, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    I use vinegar for a weed killer. Be sure and not get it on grass or your plants. Use a small spray bottle.
    If I am in a hurry and find my black shoes are not too shinny ( leather) I will wipe them with a dab of olive oil and wipe off.
    Coffee grounds and banana peels ( back yard garden, not my front yard—-ladies curb appeal :); I put them on the ground around my roses.
    I tried every loves cornstarch recipe for window cleaner. it made a mess and it still is hard to get the film off. And I followed to a T

    nutmeg kills ants but have to put something over not safe at all for dogs or cats to get a hold of or walk on Vinegar should never be put on any type of grout- the acid. Thanks

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      September 14, 2013 at 11:38 pm

      Thank you for your great tips too!

      Reply
  9. Rosemary

    September 14, 2013 at 9:21 pm

    I haven’t tried the coffee thing for ants, but, pepper works too. Hmmmmm, I’d probably sneeze less with the coffee. lol

    Reply
  10. Shirley@housepitalitydesigns

    September 15, 2013 at 10:06 am

    Love those tips…had no idea ants hate coffee grounds!

    Reply
  11. Amy

    September 15, 2013 at 10:55 am

    Excellent tips, Debbie! Gettin’ out the old cutting board and vinegar right now!

    Reply
  12. Kris

    September 15, 2013 at 11:30 am

    Thanks for these great tips Debbie. I knew of using coffee grounds for fertilizer and if someone throws up on something but not for ants. Great tips.
    Kris

    Reply
  13. Ricki Jill Treleaven

    September 15, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    Great tips, especially the one about coffee and ants!

    Reply
  14. val

    September 16, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    This is so good to know. I love that you share such great things with all of us. Happy Monday!

    Reply
  15. C3 Carpet Cleaning

    September 26, 2013 at 9:49 am

    Great list! You can already clean a lot with baking soda and vinegar.

    Reply
  16. Liz beam

    January 28, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    I live in Alaska and since we do not have air conditioning to help filter the air I have a lot of dust and pollens that get into everything! Allergy are horrible with my family! I have been using vinager and baking soda for so much!
    I even use it one my beds and let them air dry. But I have also noticed that when I bathe my animals I mix a little baking soda in their shampoo and use a mild vinegar water to rinse them!
    How ever I am still trying to work on my carpets! I have yet to figure out the ratios for my bissle machine! do you have any idea! Loving my vinegar and baking soda lemons and coffee grounds thank to you!
    Also I noticed there are ways to de ice your car windows with vinager!!

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      January 28, 2014 at 2:49 pm

      Thank you! I have not figured out carpets yet:(

      Reply
  17. Liz beam

    January 28, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    Oops I had help with typing excuse my typos and your website attached to my comment sorry lol
    Liz

    Reply
  18. Mari

    October 21, 2014 at 7:30 am

    I use vinegar in my washing machine dispenser along with the soap and fabric softener when washing my towels. It takes out any soap residue and makes the towels soft and fluffy like new! That’s about 1/2 to 3/4 cup vinegar. It also whitenes and brightens all clothing. I also spray a mixture of vinegar and water (1 cup water, 1/3 cup vinegar) on the kitchen floor while using a steam cleaner. Takes any film away and leaves the floors shiny.

    Reply
    • debbiedoo's

      October 21, 2014 at 8:39 am

      Thank you Mari for sharing your tip! I love it.

      Reply

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