Vodka always seemed to me like the chameleon of drinks: flavorless and odorless, taking on the taste of whatever mixer was splashed in. In the January/February issue of Health magazine, I learned that this versatile spirit can be used for a myriad of tasks. Pie-crust helper, facial astringent? Who knew?
Good Housekeeping‘s Daily Green site had even more practical uses for vodka:
1. Treat poison ivy: After coming into contact with poison ivy, immediately pour vodka on skin. Caveat: Some say that the vodka needs to be at least 100 proof to work.
2. Freshen up your laundry: Spritz your clothes with vodka. The spirit kills odor-causing bacteria. Don’t worry: you won’t smell like a distillery: vodka doesn’t leave a smell when it dries.
3. Make your knobs and fixtures shine: Spritz some vodka on a soft, clean cloth and polish chrome, glass and porcelain with it.
4. Keep flowers fresh: Add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the water in the vase. Repeat every day.
5. Repel insects: Put some vodka in a spray bottle and squirt those mosquitoes away, or squirt it on your skin.
6. Soothe Jellyfish Stings: Vodka disinfects and alleviates some of the pain from a jellyfish sting.
7. Get Healthy Hair: Add vodka to your shampoo for shiny, luscious hair.
8. Banish Mold: Fill a spray bottle with some bottom-shelf vodka. Spritz on the affected area, and let sit 15 minutes. Scrub clean with an old toothbrush.
9. Make a soothing tincture: Fill a clean glass jar with fresh lavender flowers, then top off with vodka. Seal the lid tightly and place in the sun for three days. Strain the resulting liquid through a coffee filter. Rub the tincture into achy areas.
10. Ease a Toothache: Swish a shot of vodka over the affected area. It should numb some of the pain in your gums (Of course, if you’re in incredible pain, you could always just take a few shots, but then you’d be in lala land).
You can find even more uses for vodka here.
And here are some unusual uses for beer.
Of course, if you can’t drink vodka or beer, you probably shouldn’t tempt fate by spritzing it all over your house and your clothing.
