old bath towels feel luxury-hotel plush. It did not rescue an ancient grass stain or get greasy kitchen cloths perfectly clean without help from a good detergent. And it didn’t perfume the laundry the way store-bought softener does.
For heavily stained items, I still needed stain treatment. For really grimy rags, I still needed a strong wash cycle and solid detergent. Vinegar worked best as a rinse aid, not as a do-everything product. That distinction matters, because a lot of household tips sound magical until you actually try them with real laundry from real people.
11. The cost savings were real for a family laundry routine
One thing I appreciated right away was the cost. If I used 1/2 cup per load and ran 11 loads, I used about 5 1/2 cups total, which is 44 fluid ounces. That’s less than one standard 64-ounce jug of white vinegar.
