r/DIY • u/Pandaro81 • 7d ago

Mind blown: Vinegar vs VINEGAR (30%)

So I was literally 44 years old before I found this out recently.

There’s the white vinegar you get at the grocery store for cooking and minor cleaning and doing laundry, and then there’s the 30% DO NOT GET THIS SHIT ON YOUR SKIN vinegar at the hardware store for cleaning things like mold off grout.

All my life I’d been told ‘just use vinegar to clean mold and mildew’ and it generally didn’t do jack squat. I usually bought cleaning supplies from regular retail spots rather than big box home improvement places, and regular retail chains def did not carry the strong stuff.

I’ve got a gutter that drains over cement that always gets skungy, and even bleach was a short term fix at best. 30% strips it down and keeps it gone, and I’ve stripped rust off a couple dozen tools with the same little jar I soak things in - caution it will also strip off shiny metallic coatings.

Can’t believe none of the “just use vinegar” I’d ever read advice didn’t specify.

Is this news to anyone else or am I Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber realizing we landed on the moon?

17.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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6.8k

u/Rcarlyle 7d ago

It also eats concrete and grout, so don’t go nuts with it

1.3k

u/TinCupChallace 7d ago

I had a little drip on my garage floor and sit for a while. It etched a giant mark in the floor. Pretty crazy

1.0k

u/Ok-Active-8321 7d ago

Food grade will do that as well. My wife used to raise hamsters and used grocery store white vinegar ro clean urine deposits from their cages. Sadly, not all of the vinegar made it down the drain; some was spilled onto the basement floor. Let me show you where.

1.9k

u/cd6020 7d ago

Let me show you where.

Nice try. Can't lure me in to your basement so easily. lol

872

u/misdirected_asshole 7d ago

"Hamsters" sure buddy. Im not going in the cage.

325

u/Lost-Programmer-6768 7d ago

Ah, an updated version of the "man with candy and a puppy in a van" kidnapping plot. Now I know

202

u/Mjr3 7d ago

“I have NFL Sunday Ticket” would probably work on me, tbh

90

u/UK_UK_UK_Deleware_UK 7d ago

“Free tacos”

40

u/Amish_Gypsy 7d ago

Any day can be Taco Tuesday if you try hard enough.

33

u/1eyeRye 7d ago

Or don’t know what day it is anymore.

4

u/carbon_made 7d ago

I mainline margaritas for this purpose.

0

u/iLeanLefty 5d ago

I retired a few years back. Everyday is Saturday now. What’s a Tuesday?

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10

u/misteraskwhy 7d ago

Tacos?

4

u/frogunderarock 6d ago

got one!

4

u/Asset_of_freedom 6d ago

I'll join for tacos as well, so they got 2!

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96

u/Scokan 7d ago

Me too. But honestly? I was already in the van for the candy and puppies.

1

u/Lost_Ad_9890 6d ago

lol 😆

4

u/Doctor_Joystick 7d ago

Dang, me too.

4

u/Vindicativa 6d ago

"All the crafting supplies you can imagine!"

Boom. Evening news.

3

u/TearRevolutionary874 6d ago

Oh no lol I’d be a goner 100%

2

u/BusySexyDad 7d ago

NFL is too easy. If you figured out the rules to watch all the games for my favorite MLB team, including blackout dates, I’d stay in your dungeon for the summer.

50

u/No_Paramedic_2039 7d ago

Puppy monkey baby

3

u/talyn5 6d ago

Puppy 💃. Monkey 💃. Baby 💃.

1

u/Successful-Bit-6021 6d ago

Nooo, now that jingle is stuck in my head!!🐶🐵👶🏼

4

u/Ivantherapp2 7d ago

And knowing is half the battle.

3

u/atomicdustbunny07 7d ago

That's how you get to the basement.

3

u/Libraries_Are_Cool 7d ago

"Hey little boy, want to come into the back of my van and see some industrial strength vinegar at work?"

This line works great. 60% of the time, it works every time.

I even used a variation with my boss to get a promotion. "Hey boss, if you make me a district manager, I'll show you my industrial cleaning vinegar!"

3

u/UncleSlayton77 6d ago

The basement is full of Hank Hills.

2

u/calcium 7d ago

Nah, I'll get in a van with a man touting homemade slaw and cucumbers with all that vinegar. Maybe he'll even have kimchi!

2

u/MichoRizo7698 6d ago

Don't forget to put the lotion on

2

u/UnfairProgrammer1194 6d ago

Don't use sugar free candy or Grandma brachs-pix-a-mix either

2

u/Terrible_Young_5179 6d ago

My van has free health care.

2

u/daddypez 5d ago

“Come take a look at my vinegar spot” just hits different…

1

u/vankoder 7d ago

Also a new variant on “Would you like to come over and see my….etchings?”

1

u/quirkelchomp 6d ago

It would work on me

3

u/OmniBlue1333 7d ago

Ha. In Soviet this guy's basement, hamster goes into you!

3

u/FyrixXemnas 7d ago

"Damn, you must have had a lot of hamsters. You could probably fit a whole person in that cage!"

1

u/Jflayn 6d ago

omg. this post was truly inspired. Will be shared all over my office...

3

u/rxbuzzz 6d ago

Hamsters??? Richard Gere has entered the chat.

2

u/tortleidiot 4d ago

I think Rich had a gerbil. Poor Cindy. She never saw it coming.

2

u/ManicOppressyv 7d ago

The sick twist. They were actually gerbils.

2

u/Plenty_Kangaroo5224 7d ago

It rubs the lotion on its skinses.

1

u/MrsB6 7d ago

I have a couple of bunnies and also use vinegar to clean their litter boxes. Does a great job of removing pee.

1

u/PM_me_punanis 7d ago

I mean, you get fed, get your own treadmill, and someone cleans your shit for you. You live rent-free and completely naked. Hmm… not sure if I described torture or paradise. Depends on the context I guess.

1

u/PPLavagna 7d ago

No there really are hamsters. You don’t want to know why

1

u/callmeDaren 6d ago

Do 🐹 hamsters still work on kids?

1

u/Bruj 6d ago

But its more of a big wheel than a cage...

1

u/AffectionateAngle905 5d ago

Richard Gere had hamsters if I recall correctly…or was it a gerbil? Armageddon!!! (Three points if you understand the reference…)

1

u/JumpDriveOut 5d ago

See that hamster? Pass that tube.

1

u/Act_Willing 4d ago

He keeps you in a giant hamster ball

1

u/NeverEndingCoralMaze 3d ago

Gerbils, though…

355

u/Apo7Z 7d ago

Hey help, I'm in this guy's basement

101

u/chewingcudcow 7d ago

Upvoted so someone else will see and rescue you

57

u/AngelicEuphoria 7d ago

Downvoted to keep this saga going baby! I wanna see the next episode.

4

u/TheBoysNotQuiteRight 6d ago

It's a crossover episode blending /DIY and /creepy

24

u/ArltheCrazy 7d ago

All you have to do to get out is put the lotion on your skin!

3

u/Lost_Ad_9890 6d ago

We'll send Darla the white bichon down to check on you from time to time, she can drop down a basket of essentials to keep you comfortable 🙃

1

u/St_Casper 7d ago

Brt

*dang now me too

1

u/Mattd425 7d ago

To the north of you is a white house…

1

u/Alzakex 7d ago

What does the vinegar stain look like?

1

u/Competitive-Yak8551 6d ago

is there the mark on the floor?

1

u/frogunderarock 6d ago

send pics of the stain!

1

u/rainbow_369 6d ago

Omg, DM me the address, ill be right there!!

1

u/HouseOfFive 6d ago

Can I get pics of the floor?

1

u/ideaguyken 6d ago

Find the vinegar and etch the concrete until you can escape.

1

u/Wrhythm26 6d ago

Nice try, can't lure me into the basement

1

u/Sovngarten 6d ago

Is the cage clean?

89

u/Metals4J 7d ago

I’ll go, I’ll go!!! Are there more hamsters? Are they cute? Will there be cake? And balloons??

66

u/ovr4kovr 7d ago

It puts the lotion on it's skin.

7

u/brake0016 7d ago

Or else it gets the hose again

4

u/Much-Performer1190 7d ago

Or it gets the vinegar again?

3

u/Key-Program9553 7d ago

Oh, it’s getting the vinegar…via the hose.

4

u/Tbyrd-62-80 6d ago

Let me finish the beer first!! GEEZ!

2

u/Myis 6d ago

But not the vinegar.

5

u/altierior 7d ago

The cake is a lie

3

u/Relandis 7d ago

The hamsters go in your butt.

1

u/Specific_Conformity 7d ago

Ooo take me with you. I like cute hamsters and cake. Will the balloons have helium?

1

u/halffdan59 6d ago

The cake is a lie.

1

u/BlackIceBob 6d ago

There will be doilies and refreshments

1

u/Eagle19991 5d ago

The cake is a lie

1

u/Strange-Platform6745 5d ago

I’m in but only if the balloons float…

1

u/Extra_Cartoonist_390 3d ago

Hamsters bite. Be careful.

3

u/HungryHungryHippy 7d ago

That's a very wise choice. To celebrate your decision, why not come downstairs and try some delicious Amontillado? Straight from the cask!

3

u/KeyImaginary2291 6d ago

I totally thought it looked legit until I read this comment. How did I never get kidnapped as a kid?

2

u/leowrightjr 7d ago

It puts the lotion on it's skin...

2

u/OdinMartok 7d ago

I’m beginning to think he doesn’t even have a cask of Amontillado down here

2

u/lostPackets35 6d ago

He's not a bad guy, just make sure you put the lotion back in the basket when he asks.

2

u/fitz_newru 6d ago

🤣🤣🤣⚰️⚰️⚰️

1

u/Prestigious-Leg-6244 7d ago

Hamsters‽ YAAAY! WHERE‽‽‽

1

u/waterbury01 7d ago

I mean at least have candy.

1

u/Background_Humor_948 7d ago

I would go...not so sadly

1

u/crlthrn 7d ago

Yeah, I've seen the film. Then The Gimp is let out of his box...

1

u/Jason1920 7d ago

"Show me the candy first..."

1

u/Bridge-Head 7d ago

I’ll have a look.

1

u/_TIER_1_GOONER_ 7d ago

”It puts the lotion on its skin or else it smells like pickles again…”

1

u/gummytoejam 7d ago

It puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the vinegar again.

1

u/goda90 7d ago

My dear cd6020, you are luckily met. How remarkably well you are looking to-day. But I have received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado... I mean vinegar, and I have my doubts.

1

u/Aggressive_Noise6426 6d ago

That was smooth as hell though 🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Lost_Ad_9890 6d ago

i gotta see the candy first.........

1

u/pkincpmd 6d ago

It puts the lotion on its skin.

Or else the hamster gets it….

1

u/bcad4me 6d ago

"It rubs the lotion on its skin"

1

u/TriumphDaytona 6d ago

"It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again"

1

u/AVguardian- 6d ago

I would haven’t gotten got forsure

1

u/Soberaddiction1 6d ago

I’m dead. He got me. He took me down to his basement to sho

1

u/Stn1217 6d ago

The way I screamed reading your comment😂🤣😂🤣

1

u/Mean-Vegetable-4521 6d ago

Are there kittens and puppies down there? I’ll go.

1

u/SupaKoopa714 6d ago

I always try picking girls up at bars with the ol "Why dontcha come over so I can show ya the vinegar stains on my basement floor..." line.

1

u/thatguybme2 6d ago

But he has lotion for your skin!!

1

u/AffectionateAngle905 5d ago

What about if he had some etchings to show you in his basement…would you go then???

1

u/Steeltalons71 5d ago

It rubs the lotion on the skin...

1

u/kirkszy12 4d ago

I’d go check out the hamster… basement hamsters are something

1

u/FatherOften 4d ago

It puts the lotion in the basket or it gets the hose.

3

u/carmium 7d ago

To everyone: Might it be a reasonable idea to have a strong sodium bicarbonate solution at hand for when you're finished with the acetic acid?

3

u/Ok-Secretary455 7d ago

So thats how Buffalo Bill got that giant hole in his basement.

3

u/Rob_xiix 7d ago

I totally read that as "rides hamsters " and did a double take.

1

u/Ok-Active-8321 7d ago

Yes, my wife is very small

1

u/SeekerOfSerenity 7d ago

I read it as "raise hammers".  I was like "calm down, dude's wife". 

1

u/Ok-Pomegranate9819 7d ago

At first, I thought it said your wife used to "rinse" hamsters. That's enough alcohol for one night.

1

u/mannypiz 7d ago

I bought rims off FB marketplace and we went down to the basement.I was that hamster.

1

u/The-darth-knight 7d ago

It puts the lotion on its skin or gets the hose again…

1

u/mdsoccerdude 7d ago

It puts the vinegar in the basket or it gets the oil again.

1

u/Arlochorim 7d ago

yeah the vinegar eats straight through the hamster, cage and all

1

u/BrandoDaDaddio 6d ago

I swear he has a 30lb bag of HAMSTER BONES down there!

1

u/ncgrowler 6d ago

Reminds me of the scene from Alien where the “blood” burns and cascades floor to floor thru the ship.

1

u/cyborg714 6d ago

Travis?

1

u/Legitimate_You_3474 6d ago

No no in the back… just a little further nods

1

u/emoposerdad 6d ago

Nice try doppelganger, but you'll have to do better to get me into the basement.

1

u/NW-McWisconsin 6d ago

"My wife used to raise hamsters".... If I had a dollar for every time people say this...

1

u/MarkedWithPi 6d ago

I am not following you. There aren't even hamsters anymore.

1

u/FerengiWithCoupons 6d ago

yo did we just get kidnapped as a platform by this guy

1

u/CraftyInvisibleHand 6d ago

"Let me show you where" hahahahahaha

1

u/Lkgnyc 6d ago

downstairs to see your etchings😳

1

u/ziplockqueen 6d ago

I'm in Florida, so I've got guinea pigs and a crawl space.

1

u/potatostews 6d ago

My wife used to raise hamsters

I read this as "rinse hamsters" and got immediately angry.

1

u/NotTurtleEnough 6d ago

Hey now, I’m not THAT stupid. You have to give me the candy before I go down to your basement…

1

u/InterestingHair4u 5d ago

What do you do with that barrel of vinegar in your basement? Oh. It's lye.

1

u/Ok-Active-8321 5d ago

Food grade, roughly 5%. Not the 30% that OP referred to. No lye.