Having vodka at home is handy, and you don’t have to be a rich Russian who drinks it instead of plain water. After all, the vodka doesn’t even have to be of the highest quality and distilled several times. Its advantage is that it is actually pure alcohol with water, without any flavourings or colourings, tasteless and odourless. That is, apart from the alcoholic odour that naturally wafts from vodka. But the alcohol evaporates quickly and its odour disappears after a while. Today, we’ll introduce you to a few ways you can use vodka at home.
Removes odour from textiles
Vodka is suitable for most types of fabrics, except perhaps some fine synthetic materials or professional sportswear. When washing ordinary laundry or perhaps towels, pour two large shots of vodka with your detergent. This will reliably get rid of most unpleasant odour sources.
Extends the life of flowers in a vase
Vodka has a strong antibacterial effect. This is due to the alcohol, which is actually poisonous. If you pour a drop of vodka into a vase of flowers, say one teaspoon, the vodka will kill off the bacteria responsible for the premature wilting of the flowers and browning of the leaves. It doesn’t mean your flowers will last for months, but they will wilt much later than if they were just in water.
Helps scent your home
While the vodka itself is tasteless and odorless, if you mix any fragrance oil with a large shot of vodka and pour the mixture into a regular spray bottle, you can make your own air freshener that lasts longer than most industrial ones. In fact, the alcohol will encourage a steady release of aromatics from the essential oil.
It is an important ingredient in homemade extracts
So vodka finds a use in the kitchen. Although a number of recipes for homemade extracts and extracts recommend rum, plum brandy, or other spirits, vodka is best suited precisely because it has no taste on its own. It allows the macerated herbs or perhaps vanilla or mint, which are the most common extracts, to fully stand out.
In addition, vodka can be used in other ways, for example:
- relieves unpleasant itching after a burn with nettles or ivy
- mixing vodka with unground cinnamon makes a great mouthwash after a few days of infusion
- A quarter litre of vodka, 60 millilitres of wine vinegar and a teaspoon of baking soda makes an effective window cleaner