Wine Is Good for More Than Just Drinking

Wine is good for more than just drinking. Ever wonder how to use up the wine left over from last night but it has passed its expiration date? It’s better to use it up than to throw it away because there are plenty of things you can do with it.

  • Clean produce. It might be surprising to hear this but cleaning produce with wine can be more effective than using just water. This is due to the alcohol content which can likely clean away E. coli and other potentially harmful bacteria.
  • Facial toner. Wine contains antioxidants and antioxidants are beneficial for skin care. Many skin products on the market contain antioxidants. Put some wine on a cotton ball and apply as a toner after cleansing. This will make your skin feel clean.
  • Dye fabric. If red wine spills on a shirt, the shirt can be dyed the same color as the wine spilled on it. Simmer the wine in a large pot over the stove and put the shirt in. Use a wooden spoon to stir and let it cool for about 10 minutes. The results will probably vary, with the shirt coming out a light pink or a dark red.
  • Kitchen cleanser. Kitchen cleaning products can be expensive so this is a good way to save a bit of money when cleaning the kitchen. Just put the wine in a spray bottle and spray the counters and wipe. Be careful to use only white wine (sauvignon blanc is probably best) and avoid spraying wine on granite counters. If you want to try cleaning in other areas of the home such as the bathrooms, try the patch test to see how it works.
  • Clean other wine stains. If red wine is spilled on carpet, white wine can be used to clean it up. Pour white wine over the stain and immediately blot it with a towel.
  • Trap fruit flies. Those pesky fruit flies can be annoying and luckily, wine can kill these pests. Pour about an inch of wine into a glass and wrap the glass tightly with plastic wrap. Poke a few small holes in the top, and wait.
  •  Clean grease stains. Because of the alcohol content in wine, it’s an effective grease cutter for garages and driveways. Garages usually have oil seepages so it’s nice to have a way to clean them. Mixing wine (use only white) with baking soda cleans grease stains even better.
  • Use as a marinade. Wine is an excellent marinade for steaks but soaking red meat in red wine for several hours can kill cancer-causing compounds up to 90%. Of course, this doesn’t mean eating more meat is advisable, but if steak is on the menu, preparing it this way is beneficial. Another benefit of wine marinade is that it makes meat juicy.
  • Make vinegar. This is another money-saving method. Leave a mostly full bottle of wine out and let it become vinegar-y on its own. If you want to make more wine vinegar, you can mix a quart of wine with a cup of vinegar and pour both into a large jug.


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