Vinegar is great. You can use it for all kinds of things and is almost plastic free to buy.

Vinegar is made by converting ethanol (alcohol) into acetic acid – the main ingredient in vinegar.

Vinegar is typically a 4-8% solution of acetic acid; the rest is water.This makes it a moderately strong acid.

Read about pH of acids and alkaline here.

Vinegars can be made at home.

Live Vinegar 

Most vinegars are sold processed and filtered but you can buy live vinegar.

• This still contains the mother Mother of vinegar a cloudy monstrous swamp  of acetic acid bacteria and cellulose. This is created during the fermentation process of alcohol into vinegar
• The ‘mother’ is alive and is made up from bacteria, enzymes and living nutrients.
• The presence of the mother shows that the vinegar has not been processed or filtered.
• It is the mother that gives vinegar all its claimed health benefits.
• You can also use it to make more vinegar

Apple Vinegar

• is good as a  hair conditioner and skin toner
• It can also be used for cleaning
• And almost everything else.
• It can be  made at home!
• Tescos do an apple vinegar in a glass bottle with a metal screwtop lid. Apart from the little plasticised disc in the lid they are as plastic free as you can get.

Find out more about apple vinegar here including where to buy the good stuff

White vinegar

White vinegar is made 

• can be used for cleaning and pickling
• It is  made from either acetic acid produced in a laboratory or from grain-based ethanol (alcohol)
• It is clear
• It can be bought cheaply in large glass bottles at most supermarkets. However they will have  either a plastic lid or a metal lid lined with plastic.  It is a plastic price worth paying for this versatile product.

Malt Vinegar

• is for pickles, chutneys and chips.
• Malt vinegar is made from beer which is allowed to ferment until bacteria turn it into vinegar.
• It has has a deep brown colour.
• It can be bought cheaply in large glass bottles at most supermarkets. However they will have  either a plastic lid or a metal lid lined with plastic.  It is a plastic price worth paying for this versatile product.

Uses

Disinfectant

Vinegar is a mild disinfectant. It will kill some microbes but not all. You can read more here.

Cleaning

Vinegar is an acid so good at cleaning inorganic soils and alkaline stains and grime but NOT grease and fats.

Vinegar can be used to clean all manner of things – you can find a big list here

Clear dirt off PCs and peripherals with equal parts white vinegar and water on a cloth damp not dripping

Other Stuff

• Erase ballpoint-pen marks
• Burnish your scissors
• Clean your window blinds
• Clean your piano keys
• Get rid of water rings on furniture
• Restore your rugs
• Remove carpet stains
• Brighten up brickwork
• Revitalize wood paneling
• Wipe off wax or polish buildup
• Revitalize leather furniture
• Conceal scratches in wood furniture
• Remove candle wax