How to Use Vinegar to Maintain Your Car or Truck

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By Kristie Raburn
User-Submitted Article

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Vinegar can help keep you new car looking new!

White Distilled Vinegar is an excellent product and can be used for more than salad dressings and window cleaning. Did you know you can also use vinegar to polish chrome bumpers and remove unwanted stickers from those chrome bumpers? Here are several reasons to keep white distilled vinegar in your garage, next to your tool box.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

white distilled vinegar
soft cloth
spray bottle
bowl

Step 1

To polish a chrome bumper or engine crank case, pour full strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth, such as a polishing cloth and wipe the grime away. The vinegar will dissolve all grime and oil, leaving a shiny clean surface. Use the same technique to wipe down chrome exhaust pipes and running boards for a shine you can see your reflection in. No harmful polishing compounds needed.
Step 2

To remove old bumper stickers, pour full strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth and let the cloth sit on the sticker over night. The vinegar will help dissolve the sticky residue and you can remove the sticker. Or, fill a spray bottle with full strength white distilled vinegar and spray the vinegar on the sticker. It will become removable in a few hours.
Step 3

Soak rusty and grimy bolts and screws in a bowl of vinegar to remove all the grime. The vinegar will help dissolve the rust particles and allow the bolts to loosen up. Soak rusting tools in a bowl of vinegar will help remove the rust and loosen adjustable wrenches.
Step 4

Everyone knows vinegar is great for keeping windows clean. To keep them frost free on a chilly morning, spray your windows with a solution of 1 cup of vinegar and 3 cups of water. Use the same solution to clean the haze that builds up on the inside of the car windows, and to clean your wiper blades to help them perform better. Vinegar will keep your windows streak free, inside and outside.
Step 5

If someone has been carsick in your car, removing the odor can be as simple as leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar in the car overnight. Just fill the bowl with about 2 cups of vinegar and place the bowl on the floor.
Step 6

To clean vinyl upholstery and remove sticky finger prints, fill a 32 ounce spray bottle with 2 cups water and 2 cups white distilled vinegar. Use with a soft cloth and spray on the sticky spots. Your vinyl will be clean and sticky free.
Step 7

If you live where it snows, use white distilled vinegar to remove the road salt residue on your car mats. Spray the mats with a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water, and then blot them dry with a clean cloth. This mixture is also good for removing mildew, grease stains and dirt from carpeting and fabric seat covers.
Step 8

When washing your car, add a cup of vinegar to the wash water and the car will dry spot free. If you have hard water spots after washing your car, make a rinse solution with 3 parts soft water and one part vinegar.