How to use vinegar in laundry, and where to avoid it.

Adding vinegar to your laundry routines will whiten, brighten, reduce odors, and soften clothes without harsh chemicals. Vinegar is inexpensive, and safe to use in standard and high-efficiency washers. When buying vinegar for laundry, choose distilled white vinegar. It contains no tannins (natural plant dyes) that can stain clothes. If you only have cider vinegar, dilute it with water before pouring it directly on clothes. 

Here are 11 reasons to add vinegar to your laundry routine and their benefits.

Tip

Don't be concerned about your laundry smelling like vinegar. The odor will dissipate during the wash or rinse cycle. To mask the acrid odor and leave a bit of fragrance in your laundry, make DIY-scented vinegar by adding a few drops of essential oil.

• 01 of 11

  Banish Mildew Odor

  

  Adding vinegar during the wash cycle can get rid of any moldy or sour odors on towels. Fill the washer with hot water (use warm water for dark-colored towels). Add 2 cups of distilled white vinegar and run a complete cycle. Run a second complete cycle with detergent.

  This works well for small amounts of mildew and sour smells. For larger mold issues and stains, you'll need to use a more aggressive treatment.

• 02 of 11

  Dissolve Soap Residue

  

  The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar can dissolve residues (alkalies) left in fabrics by soaps and detergents. Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser, or add the vinegar manually at the beginning of the rinse cycle.

• 03 of 11

  Brighten and Whiten Clothes

  

  Vinegar can be used to brighten dingy clothes. To get white cotton dishcloths, underwear, and socks white again, add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar to 1 gallon of water in a large pot. Heat the solution to boiling, turn off the heat, and add the dingy items. Allow them to soak overnight, and then launder as usual.

• 04 of 11

  Naturally Soften Fabrics

  

  Distilled white vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener by removing trapped body soil and detergent residue that leaves laundry feeling scratchy. Use 1/2 cup in the final rinse cycle instead of a commercial fabric softener.

• 05 of 11

  Reduce Lint and Pet Hair

  

  Using vinegar in the rinse cycle will help prevent lint and pet hair from clinging to clothes. Add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser or directly to the washer at the start of the rinse cycle. Do not combine with a commercial fabric softener.

• 06 of 11

  Fight Underarm Odor

  

  Vinegar can be sprayed onto clothes to remove perspiration odor and stains on washable white clothes. Fill a spray bottle with undiluted distilled white vinegar, and keep it on hand in the laundry room. Spray the vinegar directly on the underarm areas, and allow it to work for at least 10 minutes before tossing the garment into the washing machine.

  If the fabric feels stiff before washing, use a soft-bristled brush (an old toothbrush works well) to break up the residue. The vinegar helps to cut through residual deodorant left on clothing and prevent underarm yellowing.

• 07 of 11

  Erase Hem Lines

  

  Vinegar helps hide marks from clothing alterations. To get rid of the tiny holes left along a seam or hemline when a garment is altered, dampen a white cloth with distilled white vinegar, place it under the fabric on an ironing board, and press. Select the correct ironing temperature for the fabric and use a pressing cloth on top of the fabric to prevent shiny marks.

• 08 of 11

  Keep Dark Clothes Dark

  

  Vinegar helps prevent dullness on dark-colored clothes by removing soap and detergent residue. Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle.  

• 09 of 11

  Get Rid of Strong Odors

  

  Vinegar helps remove strong odors like cigarette smoke, farm odors, and fast-food cooking odors. Fill the washer tub or a large sink with warm water and add 1 to 2 cups of distilled white vinegar depending on the size of the laundry load. Add the stinky clothes and allow them to soak overnight. Drain the washer and then wash the laundry as usual with a heavy-duty enzyme-based detergent.

  To help remove odors from dry-clean-only clothes and furnishings like pillows and drapes, fill the bathtub with very hot water and add 2 cups of vinegar. Hang the clothes or fabric above the steaming water, and shut the door so the steam can penetrate the fibers.

• 10 of 11

  Clean Your Washing Machine

  

  Remove soap scum and mineral deposits that build up in your washing machine hoses by using vinegar. Four times per year, remove soap scum and clean the hoses by running a complete wash cycle with the washer empty using hot water and 2 cups of distilled white vinegar.

  If you have automatic detergent or fabric softener dispensers, place the distilled white vinegar in the dispensers to dissolve any residue buildup that may limit performance.

  Warning

  Some washer manufacturers warn that using vinegar too often can damage rubber gaskets and seals. Check your user manual.

• 11 of 11

  Clean a Sputtering Iron

  

  Use vinegar to dissolve mineral deposits that can clog an iron's steam vents and spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts distilled white vinegar and distilled water. Set the iron in an upright position on a heatproof surface, and let it steam for about five minutes.

  When the iron is cool, rinse the tank with distilled water. Refill the iron and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Finally, iron an old cloth for several minutes to expel any residue before moving on to ironing wearable garments.

When Not to Use Vinegar in Laundry

• Vinegar should not be mixed with chlorine bleach. The combination forms chlorine gas which is toxic.
• Do not mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to remove stains. Combined, they form peracetic acid, a corrosive and irritating substance.1
• Do not substitute cleaning vinegar for distilled white vinegar in the laundry. Cleaning vinegar has a higher acid content and can cause bleaching in dark colors.
• While vinegar is excellent at stripping odor-causing buildup from athletic wear, if used too often the acidity can break down elastic fibers.
• Never pour undiluted vinegar directly on dark-colored clothing to prevent accidental bleaching of unstable dyes.

Where to Put Vinegar in Your Washing Machine

When adding vinegar to the washing machine, make sure you add it to the right place. This can vary depending on the type of machine you have.

• Front-load washer: Add vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser when using a front-load washer.
• Top-load washer: Once the drum of the top-load washing machine has filled with water for the rinse cycle, add vinegar directly to it.
• When cleaning your washer: Add it to all the dispenser units (for a front-load machine) or directly to the washer drum (for a top-load machine).

FAQ

• Can vinegar and laundry detergent be used together?

  Vinegar is best used as a pre-soak to remove odor or added to the rinse cycle as a fabric softener. The acid in vinegar can interfere with the cleaning ingredients in laundry detergent and make them less effective in removing soil.

• Can vinegar damage your washing machine?

  When used in small amounts, vinegar cannot harm your washing machine. However, if you start adding large amounts (two cups or more) to every single load, rethink your strategy—the regular addition of large quantities of vinegar can begin to break down the rubber piping and seals in your washing machine.

• What is the best vinegar to use for laundry?

  Distilled white vinegar is the least expensive and best choice for laundry because it contains no tannins to discolor fabrics.

• Can vinegar be used on colored clothing?

  Yes, but it should be diluted with water to half-strength first. Pouring undiluted vinegar on dark-colored clothes can cause bleaching that cannot be removed.