Joshua Trudell
While consuming it can lead to the occasional bad decision, vodka has many more purposes than just lowering your inhibitions to invisible levels.
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Here are 10 uses for that extra bottle of vodka in your freezer.
1. Freshen laundry
You can keep your clothes smelling fresher with vodka – simply spritz your clothes with the stuff, then hang them up to dry in a well ventilated area (do perform a spot-test first to be safe).
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Vodka kills odor-causing bacteria, but doesn’t leave a scent when dry.
2. Shine your fixtures
You don’t need a lot of chemical-filled cleaners to get your fixtures cleaned. Just moisten a soft, clean cloth with some vodka, then dig into your supply of elbow grease.
3. Preserve flowers
If the vodka-infused night at the bar leads to flowers the next day, a little hair of the dog can help you keep them healthy longer.
Add a few drops of vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to the water in your flower base. Change out the mixture daily to keep them fresh.
4. Repel insects
With summertime bugs swarming around, there is always a need for more bug repellent. There are lots of all-natural repellents out there, and vodka is one of them.
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Just pour a little in a spray bottle and spray it – either on the insects themselves or on you as a repellent.
5. Soothe jellyfish stings
One of the annoyances that can strike at the beach is a jellyfish sting. There are numerous ways of relieving the pain of a sting, including our favorite potato-based beverage. Vodka can disinfect and alleviate some of the pain from a jellyfish sting.
If the pain continues and increases, do go see a doctor.
6. Improve your hair
Vodka doesn’t just make you think people are better looking – it can actually help you improve your looks, specifically your hair.
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Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo for fuller, richer hair.
7. Clean away mold
Mold in your house is nothing you want to see – the grimy dark stains can severely diminish air-quality.
To get rid of it, instead of buying expensive chemicals, get some bottom-shelf vodka and fill a spray bottle with it. Spritz, let sit for 15 minutes, then scrub with an old toothbrush.
8. Make a tincture
Fill a clean glass jar with lavender flowers and vodka. Seal it tightly and place it in the sun for three days. Strain the results through a coffee filter and voila! You have a homemade remedy to help relieve aches and pains.
This also makes a nice gift when packaged into smaller bottles.
9. Cure a toothache
It’s not the same as going to a dentist (which should be your first stop), but swishing a shot of vodka around the affected area can help reduce your pain. It can help disinfect the area and numb the pain in your gums.
10. Make an ice pack
When you wake up on the floor after a rough night of imbibing, you might have some surprising bruises.
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If you keep your vodka in the freezer, you can make a quick ice pack with a cup of that and a half cup of water. It makes for a flexible, easy-to-use shape since the vodka won’t freeze.
