These Are the Top Uses for Vinegar in Laundry

From combating underarm odor to brightening white clothing, here are the top reasons to use vinegar in your laundry. Studio Grand Web/Dreamstime/TNS

By Hunter Boyce From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

No, it’s not a myth: Vinegar can truly improve your washing, making your clothes cleaner than ever before. But, you don’t need it for everything.

“Most detergents are formulated at a specific pH to work best, and directly adding vinegar can interrupt the active ingredients and actually create more problems, like discoloration and poor cleaning,” Tide senior scientist Sammy Wang told Marthastewart.com. But “vinegar has a low pH (typically three to five), so it can help dissolve away residues that bind body soils to fabrics.”

From combating underarm odor to brightening white clothing, here are the top uses for vinegar in your laundry.

Mildew and Underarm Odor

According to The Spruce, the acetic acid found in distilled white vinegar is strong enough to dissolve residues left by soaps and detergents while remaining weak enough to not damage fabrics. Adding half a cup of vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your laundry will lead to brighter, clearer colors. The vinegar also acts as a whitener for stained white socks, dirty dishcloths and delicates.

To remove underarm odor from clothes, keep a spray bottle full of undiluted white vinegar on hand. Spray the vinegar directly on the underarm fabric and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then toss the piece of clothing into the washing machine with the rest of your laundry.