Published on June 24th, 2013 | by Tara O'Brien

Why Vinegar Will Take Over the World

Today we have another post from Tara! Check out her previous post about proper worm bin maintenance here. Tara has long been a writer, and she currently spends most of her time bouncing around between different tropical islands helping set up composting systems and blogging. Learn more about her Compost consulting and her current farm projects at Finca Nueva Lodge.

Aside from the fact that vinegar works well as a household cleaner, beauty product, and delicious addition to salads it can also beautify your lawn. I found this bit of information out after a day spent between the cracks in the bricks leading up to the front door of my childhood house. Once I became obsessed with not using chemicals on the earth my mother required that I take over lawn and weeding duties, since she found her Round-Up method to be more effective. I gladly waged my war summer after summer, even trying to change my outlook on weeds by making them practical by drying the roots and using the leaves as greens. But, I finally found myself with tissues in one hand, itchy eyes and the desire to kill dandelions burning deep down in my heart. I took to the Internet in a rage. I typed “natural weed killers” into Google and there it was: vinegar.

Could it even be possible? The same thing that I take a shot of every morning to speed up my metabolism, use as an astringent on my dry skin, and as main ingredient in conditioner and shampoo could also help me with my outdoor chores? Apparently so, I took to the walkway and the next day my fingers and allergies were thanking me. I easily pulled the dead weeds out from between the bricks and chucked them into the woods. It’s important to note that I only used it on the walkway and the driveway. Otherwise this will kill the grass around the dandelion. However, I do believe that if you spray the dandelion and then remove it the surrounding grass will recover.

Now that my ranting is done, about the miracles of vinegar on weeds I have to continue just a bit further into my beauty regimen. I found that with my dry sensitive skin I have to be very choosy about what I decide to use to combat the seasonal breakouts. One day I stumbled upon the simple recipe, one part water to one part vinegar smooth on face and allow to air dry to seal in the moisture. Ever since my skin has thanked me, acne marks have diminished and I don’t fight the winter dryness anymore. Aside from that its my shot of apple cider vinegar to start my day and get the engine revving. No need for coffee when you start your day with a sour agni stimulator!

Dandelion image from Shutterstock/ Menna; Bragg’s image from here.