White vinegar, which is actually clear vinegar, is made from allowing a distilled alcohol, like white wine, gin, vodka, sake, or others to oxidize. Oxidation combines oxygen with chemicals in a substance in a way that reduces the atom content of the substance. When a distilled alcohol is oxidized its chemical components change, and it becomes much more sour, and frequently, quite unpleasant to taste.

Combining the chemical compound acetic acid to water can also make white vinegar. This second type is very sour, and is more commonly used to clean and disinfect, than for food. In fact, much of white vinegar, especially when sold in gallon units, is not used in cooking. People tend to prefer red vinegars or apple cider vinegar for cooking purposes.

The one exception exists in rice vinegar, which is almost exclusively used for cooking. Some types of rice vinegar are white vinegar or clear, and are an important ingredient in many Asian recipes. Two type of rice white vinegar exist: that made from fermented white rice, or that produced from sake.

As a cleaning substance, white vinegar can provide an excellent and eco-friendly alternative to chemical substances. Many people swear by using white vinegar to clean windows. For this purpose, white vinegar and water are placed in a spray bottle, spritzed onto windows and then wiped clean with paper towels or newspaper.

White vinegar is also useful in eliminating strong odors. It can be helpful especially in getting rid of cat urine smells, and is safe to use both indoors and out. Unlike some of the products on the market for eliminating urine smells, white vinegar does not contain ammonia, which can in some cases actually encourage cats to continue to urinate in areas you would wish them to avoid.

Some people use white vinegar as a stain remover, or during the rinse cycle in dishwashers. Others swear by its grease cutting powers when handwashing dishes. Durable medical parts like inhalers or tubing can also be sterilized with boiling water and white vinegar, and people may also use it to clean baby bottles. If you do plan to use vinegar on fabrics, you should do a test on a part of the fabric that won’t be seen to be certain it won’t bleach it.

Another helpful cleaning use for white vinegar is running it through electric coffee makers that require a cleaning. You can either employ a straight white vinegar or water-vinegar blend to minimize staining, and mineral deposit build-up in the coffee’s water reservoir. Just don’t forget to follow up with a few plain water rinses afterward, or your first pot of coffee will taste terrible!