9 Surprising New Uses For The Best DIY Shower Cleaner

The Surprising Versatility Of My Dawn And Vinegar Cleaner

My readers are always coming up with great ideas, including new ways to use homemade cleaning solutions like my vinegar and dish soap cleaner. OGT reader DrewRose wrote me an email a while back that included some unconventional uses for the Dawn and vinegar cleaner I’ve found so effective as a tub and shower cleaner.

Those ideas got me thinking about other ways to put this cleaning duo to good use, so I put on my thinking cap and put together a whole list of great ideas! But before we get to the new stuff, I thought I’d offer a quick refresher about what this versatile cleaner is and how it works.

How To Make Dawn And Vinegar Cleaner

Homemade cleaning recipes don’t get much simpler than a 1:1 ratio! Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 part Dawn dish soap (or homemade dish soap)
• 1 part white vinegar

Just warm the vinegar in your microwave, pour it into a spray bottle, then add the dish soap. Replace the spray top, gently swirl the bottle to mix the vinegar and dish soap, and it’ll be ready to use!

(Speaking of spray bottles—this Dawn and vinegar cleaner is one of the recipes featured in the set of cleaning recipe spray bottles labels you can find in my shop. Not only are they designed to look great on my favorite amber glass spray bottles, but the labels include the recipe so you can easily make more when you run out!)

How Does This Cleaner Work?

The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. They’re both excellent at breaking down tough grease and grime, but vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, and dish soap is too thick to use on its own.

But when you combine the two, you get an effective, sprayable miracle cleaner that clings to surfaces. Just spray it on, let it sit for a while, then scrub lightly and rinse, and you’ll be amazed at the results every time!

How Do You Use It?

I typically put this cleaner in a spray bottle, but you can also keep it in a dish scrubber to make it even quicker and easier to use.

I should also note that this Dawn and vinegar cleaner is thick and sudsy, so it’s best to use on surfaces that are easy to rinse, like your tub or shower. If you plan to use it on surfaces that aren’t easy to rinse, or for any of the tips I’ve listed below, I suggest adjusting the ratio so that it’s closer to 1 part Dawn to 6 parts vinegar, rather than using equal amounts.

9 Surprising Things You Can Clean With Dawn And Vinegar

1. Patio Furniture

Spray the cleaner onto patio furniture like chairs, tables, the exterior of your grill, and even your patio or deck itself. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse everything well with your hose. Perfect for any time, and especially at the end of the season when you need to clean and store your outdoor furniture.

2. Planters

Before you plant your flower pots and planters, use this to clean them up and make them look brand new. Just spray the cleaner all over them, let it sit for a while, then rinse well with your hose. (It’s best to do this when the planters are empty, because if any of the cleaner were to splash onto your flowers or plants, the vinegar would likely kill them — after all, it’s the main ingredient in my homemade weed killer!)

3. Garage Door

Are you wishing for a garage door makeover? If the door is just looking grungy, give it a spray down with the Dawn and vinegar cleaner, then rinse well with your garden hose or a power washer. It will look so much better!

Related: 10 Surprisingly Useful Ways To Repurpose Your Old Garden Hose

4. Sinks

Use the cleaner to dissolve gunk, mineral deposits, and soap scum in the bottom of your sink. Just spray it on, let it sit, then use a wet sponge to wipe it clean. No scrubbing required! The vinegar is a bathroom cleaning powerhouse ingredient that is even one of the two things I use to unclog a sink!

5. Toilets

Have hard water stains or rusty deposits in your toilet bowl? This cleaner will make short work of them! Turn off the water to your toilet, flush the remaining water out, then spray the cleaner liberally inside the bowl. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then scrub with your toilet brush. Turn the water back on and flush the toilet a few times to rinse.

Related: These 9 Problem-Solving Toilet Hacks Are Weird, But They Work

6. Bathroom Mildew

No matter where mildew is lurking in your bathroom, you can use this dish soap and vinegar cleaner to cut through it. Spray it onto your shower curtain liner, tile surfaces, or the bottom of your bathtub! Rinse well, and wave goodbye to unsightly mildew. Vinegar is also a big part of a natural way to get rid of mold.

7. Fridge

Use the thinned out Dawn and vinegar cleaner to give the interior and exterior of your fridge a much needed facelift when it’s time to clean and organize the refrigerator! It’s great at breaking up those tough, sticky messes that collect on your fridges shelves and bins. (But I would not recommend using this cleaner on the exterior of a stainless steel fridge, as it could leave splotchy marks on the finish.)

8. Anything With Hard Water Stains

If you live in an area with hard water, then you’re already intimately familiar with hard water stains on your faucets and tubs. The vinegar in this cleaner makes it excellent for dissolving those mineral deposits. You can even use it to cut through hard water stains on your windows! Just let the cleaner sit on hard water stains for a while, then rinse clean. Bonus tip: use vinegar in the dishwasher to remove hard water spots from dishes as well.

9. Trash Cans

Spray this cleaner liberally into the bottom of your kitchen or outdoor garbage can. Let it sit, then rinse well with your hose. It’s the easiest way to take care of grimy residue and unpleasant odors, and a great first step in avoiding a stinky garbage can altogether!

One more thing: if you’re ever in doubt about what surfaces you should use this cleaner on, do a spot test first. Apply a bit of the cleaner to an inconspicuous area, wait a minute or two, then rinse it off. Check for discoloration, and if you don’t see any, you should be good to go!

Have you tried cleaning anything with Dawn and vinegar yet?