Apple cider vinegar, the amazing magical elixir. What can’t it do?
Natural mamas like us use apple cider vinegar for just about everything, from the expected (salad dressing) to the… surprising (cleaning the Mooncup). It’s like the Swiss Army knife of a real food kitchen.
Apple Cider Vinegar Video: Benefits & How to Use It
But just how versatile is apple cider vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is something the mamas in my community talk about all the time. In fact, I give it a name check in part 2 of our Sh*t Crunchy Mamas Say series.
But just how many uses are there for apple cider vinegar? To find out, I asked our community on Facebook how they use ACV. The result? 492 comments.
Yep.
Ready to dive in? Want to see if your suggestion made the cut? Start scrollin’, mama.
Note that some of this user-generated content involve natural remedies. Of course, the information on this page is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar Skincare
Apple Cider Vinegar for Skincare
1. Eczema remedy
I dab ACV on my little one’s eczema. – Amber N.
2. Skin toner
I use equal parts water and ACV for a skin toner. – Vanessa O.
3. Natural astringent for acne
Mix 1 part water 1 part cider vinegar dip cotton ball apply to face until dry then rinse. -Sheena S.
4. Facial mask
I’m about to mix it with some green clay. -Aria P.
5. Mole remover
Dip a piece of cotton (I use a small piece if a cotton pad) in ACV, ring out a bit then place it on your wart, skin tag or mole, then place a bandaid over it. I like to leave it on over night. -Tanae P.
6. Wart remover
Soak a cotton ball in ACV, place over wart and cover with medical tape. Repeat daily till the nasty thing vanishes. -Laura A.
7. Facial wash
Simply mix 1 part ACV and 2 parts water and rub on your face. Add some raw honey to the mixture if your skin is dry. Then rinse with warm water. -Lindsey T.
8. Make up remover
Mix 1 part ACV and 2 parts water. Dab a cotton ball with the mixture and swipe on makeup to remove. -Dimple Y.
9. Soften skin
We even soak in it for our skin is so soft afterwards. -Brooke W.
10. Sunburn
Soak washcloth and place on sunburn. Takes the sting out and reduces the redness. -Megan B.
11. Healing all sorts of skin issues
-Tiffany L.
12. Skin tags
Dip a piece of cotton (I use a small piece if a cotton pad) in ACV, ring out a bit then place it on your skin tag then place a bandaid over it. I like to leave it on over night. -Tanae P.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar cleaning
Apple Cider Vinegar for Cleaning
13. Fabric Softener
I use 1 cup of ACV. -Coral D.
14. Cleaner
Cleaning: Spray on surfaces, or pour on scrubby…add baking soda, scrub away. Pour down garbage disposal w/baking soda and a lemon. Let sit for a few minutes, then turn on the water and the disposal. – Sarah B.
15. Rinsing agent in washing machine
Add one cup of ACV to the rinse cycle. -Ceci R.
16. Cleaning the mooncup
Wash your menstrual cup in a 50/50 ACV and water mixture with some gentle soap. -Elísa A.
17. Keep ants away
Ants avoid that stuff like its poison, just pour. -Teresa M.
18. Fruitfly trap / fly trap / gnat
In a bowl with plastic wrap on top tightly. Poke holes with tooth pick to catch flies. -Jennifer D.
19. Cleans humidifier
Remove the filter and rinse with water. Then add ACV to the tank of the humidifier and let sit for 30 minutes, swishing around occasionally. Rinse and dry. -Lacey F.
20. Drain cleaner
Acv and baking soda to clear a clogged drain. -Deanna M.
21. Whiten laundry
I also put 1/4 cup in with my white laundry and baking soda to brighten it up. -Raquel A.
22. Jewelry cleaner
Mix 1/2 cup ACV and 2 tbsp. baking soda and let silver jewelry sit in the mixture for a few hours. Rinse with clean water and dry and shine with a soft cloth. -Danielle F.
23. Weed killer
Just pour ACV on the weeds! -Bethany H.
24. Cleaning menstrual sponges
Wash your menstrual sponge in a 50/50 ACV and water mixture with some gentle soap. -Elyse F.
25. For cloth diapers
Add 1/2 cup to the first rinse of a load of cloth diapers. -Emily B.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar pets
Apple Cider Vinegar for Pets
26. Keep away cats
The cats aren’t fans, so we use it to keep them away from places they shouldn’t be! – Kate P.
27. Flea spray
Spray a 50/50 mixtures of ACV and water on your pet before they go outside.
28. Ward off parasites
I put a capful in my dogs water bowl. – Karen L.
29. Conjunctivitis of dogs
Mix 1 part ACV and 2 parts water. Dab a cloth in the mixture and apply BELOW the eyes. reapply every few hours. -Anny C.
30. Ear mites in cats and dogs
50/50 acv and water rinse 2 times a day for 2 weeks. works like magic, and no trip to the vet! -Sarah N.
31. Homemade dog shampoo
Mix 1 part ACV, 1 part water, and 1 part baby shampoo (not Castile soap). -Sandra M.
32. Chicken immune system booster
Put 1 tbsp per gallon to boosts my chickens immune system. -Nichole L.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar wellness
Apple Cider Vinegar for Wellness
33. Helps slow the breakdown of carbohydrates
Also add 1tbls to each serving of pasta. -Coral D.
34. Arthritis
I drink 2 tsp in 8 oz of water to help relieve my arthritis symptoms. -Kelly C.
35. For weight loss
I love drinking a tablespoon in a glass of water! It quenches your thirst so much better than just water. -Cara I.
36. Help blood glucose levels
I drink it in water all day. -Titus A.
Drink it in water on a daily basis. -Brooke C.
38. Regulate PCOS symptoms
I drink about a tbsp in 8 oz of water before meals. -Janet A.
39. PMS Symptoms/cramps
Helps with PMS symptoms, mostly cramps. -Caitlyn T.
Add a teaspoon of ACV to a cup of water 3 times a day.
40. Lowers cholesterol
Add a teaspoon of ACV to a cup of water 3 times a day. -Bree P.
41. PH balance
Can help regulate your body’s pH which can ward off disease. Consume 1 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Shanxon L.
42. Immune system building / booster tea
Warm water, ACV, cinnamon & honey. Tastes like hot apple cider. -Aimee V.
43. Tea/tonic/drinks
Drink 2 tbs. of ACV, 1 tbs. of raw local honey, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, and half a lemon to 1 cup of water. -J.
44. Energy drink
A teaspoon to a tablespoon of ACV in 8 ounces of water. With a tablespoon or so of raw honey, a splash of lemon juice, and a dash of ground ginger. Mix it all up and drink before every meal. -A.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar beauty
Apple Cider Vinegar for Beauty
45. For dry scalp / dandruff treatment
Add ACV to your shampoo before washing.
46. Hair rinse / hair wash / hair soak
I usually do about a cap full of it into a water bottle along with filling the bottle up to half with warm water and leaving it in my hair for a few minutes then rinse out. -Rhianna M.
47. Cellulite cleanser
ACV helps break down fat in cells. Add a teaspoon of ACV to a cup of water every day. -Kinga F.
48. Gargle
Use a 50/50 ACV and water mixture to gargle with. -Kinga F.
49. Hair conditioner / detangler / hair spray
I dilute it with water and use it as conditioner. -Jennifer K.
50. Teeth whitener
Brush your teeth with ACV before you brush with regular toothpaste. -Rachel G.
51. Grow in balding spots of hair / helps fix alopacea
Add a teaspoon of ACV to a cup of water every day. -Kayleigh H.
52. Soften hair
Use a 50/50 mix of ACV and water as a hair rinse. -Lacey M.
53. Bath soak / detox bath
I use it in the bath as a detoxifying soak along with epsom salts and coconut oil, really helps with skin issues. -Natalie G.
54. Set hair dye.
Dilute with water and rinse after dying, rinsing and conditioning. -Carin N.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar natural remedies
Apple Cider Vinegar for Natural Remedies
55. Heartburn / fighting pregnancy induced heartburn
I mix a tablespoon of acv with a glass of freshly pressed apple juice and drink. -Danielle J.
56. For sore throats, coughs, lost voices
Hot water, 2 tbsps cider vinegar, 2 tbsps honey. -Casey J.
57. Indigestion / upset stomach
I throw a tablespoon of ACV into my water every day to give it some flavor. -Michele B.
58. Fungus-like ring worm / kill toenail fungus
Soak feet every day in it. -Kylene W.
59. Kill candida
Ingest a tablespoon mixed with water daily to rid body of candida overgrowth. -Laura J.
60. Dermatitis
Use it on contact dermatitis. -Denise P.
61. Aches and pains (especially joint pain)
Consume 1 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Amy G.
62. Plantar wart removal
Soak for 10 mins each night before bed until gone. -Breanna W.
63. Morning sickness
I put a teaspoon or so in a glass of water with a little stevia. It neutralizes the acid in the stomach! -Allisyn K.
64. Acid reflux/GERD
I add one tablespoon to a glass of water and drink for immediate relief of acid reflux pain. -Jodi J.
65. Cold / sick / fever remedy
Mixed in with honey, lemon, cinnamon, (sometimes garlic) for a cold remedy. -Sheila V.
66. Diaper rashes
Put it in the bath for diaper rashes. -Sheila P.
67. Clear sinuses
Boil it with water and inhale to clear sinuses. -Jillian N.
68. Foot soak / for athlete’s foot/ foot scrub
1 part ACV to 4 parts water. -Danvier W.
69. UTI’s.
In a bath for UTI’s. Add a cup or two of ACV to your bath. -Rachel G.
70. Strep B tests
Consume 1 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Rachel G.
71. Thrush
Water and ACV mixture swabbed onto my nipples after breastfeeding during a thrush in babies situation. -Jera S.
72. Stop a gallbladder attack
A tablespoon before every meal keeps me from having gallbladder attacks. -Cassandra D.
1 T acv + 1 cup apple juice = stops gallbladder attacks. -Ria B.
1/4 C for gallbladder attacks. -Julie O.
I would drink a mix of half ACV and half water or better, apple juice. -Kelly J.
73. Deodorant
I splash a little on my underarms before I use my homemade deodorant. Otherwise, the baking soda in it makes me itch. The acv balances out the pH. – Suzy P.
74. Nausea / vomiting / diarrhea
Equal parts ACV and raw honey..enough water to drink it down. -Amanda J.
75. Muscle cramps
A shot helps with muscle cramps. -Tomeka S.
76. Bursitis
My doctor has me drink two tablespoons in warm water to treat my bursitis. -Sarah H.
77. Natural antihistamine
Consume 1 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Bonnie W.
78. Cures molloscum
Either taken internally or place on warts with cotton ball and bandaid for an hour. -Alex G.
79. Fever blister remedy
I put it straight on a few times a day. -Brendi S.
80. Yeast infection
Mix in douche bottle 1/4 bragg’s raw ACV with 3/4 lukewarm water. 2x per day for 3 days. -Brittany F.
Pour one cup into a bath. -Audrey M.
81. Cradle cap
Apply to a baby’s head to kill the bacteria that causes cradle cap. -Tara E.
82. Soak new clothes in it to set color
-Tasha W.
83. Shrink my fibroid
Consume 1-2 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Sinead B.
84. Earache
Few drops in the ear for an earache. -Melissa A.
85. Cellulitis
Consume 1-2 teaspoon mixed in a cup of water daily. -Jodi J.
86. For respiratory problems
It is wonderful for respiratory problems (cold, asthma, bronchitis, allergy, etc) used in a humidifier 4:1 with distilled water. -Glennia J.
101 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar food and cooking
Food & cooking
87. In bone broth
Add 2 tablespoons to your homemade bone broth. – Doreen C.
88. For washing fruits and veggies/wash produce
I also have it in a spray bottle diluted with water for cleaning, especially veggies. -Glennia J.
89. Make buttermilk
Add 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Allow to sit at room temperature until the milk thickens. – Titus A.
90. Salad dressing
With EVOO, lime and pinch of salt as a my every day salad dressing. -Maria C.
91. Pickle bologna
-Dave N.
92. Soaking grains
Add 1-2 tbsp to your soaking grains. -Amanda J.
93. Cooking
-Veronica P.
94. Vinaigrette
-Lindsay F.
95. Homemade mayonaise
-Rachael J.
96. Buttermilk pancakes
Add to milk to make “buttermilk” pancakes. -Christina F.
Add 1 T ACV to dairy free milk (soy, almond, etc) and let sit to curdle. Makes vegan/dairy free “buttermilk” for baking! -Jennifer F.
97. Baking
Add ACV and baking soda to get baked goods to rise better. -Janelle P.
98. Roast
I add it to my roast so it’s juicy. -Elizabeth M.
99. Chutney
Add some ACV while cooking Chutney to soften the fruit.
100. Hard boiled eggs
Add some ACV to the water when boiling eggs to help avoid broken shells.
101. Marinade
Use ACV in your marinade recipe to help tenderize the meat and add a richer flavor.
Did we cover every use for apple cider vinegar? I think not!
Do you have a use for apple cider vinegar that’s not featured on our list here? Share with us in the comments below!