Distilled white vinegar in laundry- caustic or safe?

giving this a *bump* for you.

 

I do use vinegar regularly in washing. These tips are from my book.

Washing silk:
If it’s not made from a crepe-textured or knit fabric, or one that is loosely woven, you may try gently hand washing your silk item, with the caveat that you need to check for dye bleed first. Soak the garment in cool to tepid water with very mild soap or a gentle shampoo, rinse well in cold water, then add a small amount (several tablespoonsful in a 5-gallon bucket) of white vinegar to clean water, and rinse again. The vinegar will help revive the silk’s luster and pull out any remaining soap. Rinse again to remove the odor of the vinegar, then roll up your item in a clean towel to remove excess liquid. Lay the item flat to start drying and iron the silk piece (using a light press cloth) while it is still slightly damp to help remove wrinkles.

Removing a pigmented makeup stain:
This said, fire engine red lipstick (so vintage chic!) can be difficult to remove. For such a pigmented stain, try applying a few drops of ammonia or vinegar with detergent in water, tamping it into the fabric with a spoon (the spoon coaxes the solution in gently), then blotting and flushing the stain. You can also try sponging the stain with isopropyl alcohol. A few drops of acetone (tamped, blotted, and flushed) can work to remove that red, but you must be sure you are not applying acetone to acetate as it will dissolve the fabric!

Killing mold and mildew:
Particularly if you have allergies or have significant amounts of mold and mildew to remove, take the clothing outside and brush off as much as you can. Living mold spores can continue to grow, so it’s best to let them do so outside of your home! If you have living mold and mildew in washable clothing, you have several options for its removal:

• One-half cup of borax which has been completely dissolved in hot water can be poured into your wash water to kill mold effectively.
• Vinegar is another choice, killing most of the mold species that are likely to be found on clothes. You can soak clothing with half water/half vinegar, then rinse out the vinegar and wash the garment, or use vinegar in your wash water. Vinegar can leave its own odor behind (although it certainly beats the moldy smell it helps remove), so thoroughly wash and rinse.
• Use 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide 3%, and 1 teaspoon of oxygen-based bleach to sponge the mold and mildew before thoroughly rinsing and washing.
• You can use diluted chlorine bleach to kill the mold and remove its staining, but only on sturdy white cotton fabric.

Some in the vintage world spritz diluted vinegar on underarm odor, but I believe if you have a choice, vodka is better for that since it truly dries nearly instantly and its odor is nil.

Some use diluted vinegar to remove any trace of soap in their regular laundry's rinse cycle. Not such a good idea in the wash cycle because it can mess with the detergent's performance by changing the pH considerably. It's also considered a natural fabric softener and brightener, but I can't speak to that from experience.