There are many reasons to use vinegar in laundry. It’s a great alternative to commercial fabric softeners. Moreover, you can safely use it in any washer- top loader, front loader, or high-efficiency washer.
Does vinegar stain clothes? First of all, vinegar is acidic, and it doesn’t stain clothes usually. However, you shouldn’t pour it directly on items. Direct use of vinegar may cause severe damage to clothes. To avoid stains, make a solution with ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water. Then, pour it onto your clothes.
How to use vinegar in laundry correctly

Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent. It can make your items whiter, brighter without harming their texture. Moreover, it perfectly removes wrinkles, foul odor, and sweat from items. That’s why most users prefer to wash and whiten their dresses with vinegar, as it works perfectly on all fabric types.
However, you should know how to use vinegar for laundry? Otherwise, it may stain items. First of all, distilled white vinegar works like a miracle on your fabrics. Most importantly, it can serve various purposes.
If you want to clean clothes, run ½ cup of distilled white vinegar directly into washer. Don’t use commercial fabric detergent, which may have harmful effects on items. Therefore, using only white vinegar is the wisest decision for you.
To soften items with vinegar, pour 1 cup of distilled white vinegar into washer during the last rinse cycle. Resultantly,
- Your items will be soft naturally.
- Clothes will be free from pet hair and lint.
- Fabrics will last longer.
- Items won’t have harmful effects on the skin.
- Dresses will be easy to iron.
To remove stains,
- Mix ½ cup vinegar with 1 gallon of water.
- Now, apply this solution directly to stain marks.
- Then, wait for a few minutes to let vinegar works.
- Lastly, launder items as usual with washer or using hands.
These actions will make your items clean without leaving stain marks. It’ll be better if you use distilled white vinegar. If you can’t have this vinegar at home, choose apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. However, never choose-
- Rice vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Red rice vinegar
- White wine vinegar
Does vinegar remove stains?
Vinegar can successfully remove stain marks from clothes. So, use it when you want to remove coffee stain, sweat stain, or grass stain.
Removing Coffee and tea stains
For coffee and tea stains,
- Mix 1/3 cup vinegar with 2/3 cup water.
- Soak your stained clothes in this solution.
- Now, place this garment in open air to dry.
- Lastly, wash normally.
Removing sweat stains
You might be fed up with sweat stains on your gym suits or yoga suits. However, vinegar can solve this problem easily. So,
- At first, pour distilled white vinegar on stain zones.
- Sprinkle a small amount of table salt and rub stain with it.
- Now, leave this cloth in open air to dry.
- Lastly, launder items normally.
Removing grass stains
Your children can stain their dresses while playing with their siblings or friends. As children love to play in the field, grass stain on their attire is an ordinary matter. To correct such stains, leave item in vinegar solution for 30 minutes.
Hopefully, vinegar alone can solve this problem. However, if you aren’t satisfied with the result,
- Make a solution of vinegar and baking soda.
- Then, use an old toothbrush to clear off the stain marks.
- Lastly, wash items like before.
Frequently asked questions
Can I soak clothes in vinegar overnight?

You can only soak clothes in distilled white vinegar overnight. Such actions may present you with brighter and whiter clothes. To do this, mix two cups of white vinegar with hot water in a small tub. Now let dirty clothes soak all night. Most importantly, you can use this technique to clean your bacteria-ridden items.
Can you soak black clothes in vinegar?
You can soak black clothes in white vinegar only. To wash black clothes with vinegar,
- First, make a solution of one cup of vinegar and cold water.
- Soak your black clothes in that solution for 30 minutes.
- Rinse and, lastly, dry this item.
Final verdict
Vinegar has a reputation for being a fabric softener, odor, and stain removal. But, if you do not know how to use it carefully, it can stain your items easily. White vinegar is the safest of all vinegar types.