Ethyl alcohol, the chief component of vodka, is the main ingredient in most commercial air fresheners. The alcohol freshens up clothes and air by killing odor-causing bacteria. Trouble is, most store-bought air fresheners are often laced with phthalates and synthetic musks -- chemicals that act like estrogen in your body and can wreak havoc on your hormones. Vodka leaves no odor as it dries, so mist it straight into your air as is, or add a few drops of your favorite essential oils until you're happy with the strength of the scent.

The most common cause of flowers wilting is bacteria in the vase water. The bacteria attach to the cut ends of flower stems and plug up the mechanisms that allow the plant to draw water. Add one part vodka to 5 parts water to inhibit the growth of bacteria without any harmful effects to the plant. (Flowers don't only smell great -- they can also improve your health!

Moisten a damp cloth with vodka and wipe your surfaces clean for a streak-free shine on windows, chrome, and other sparkly surfaces. Alcohol dissolves the fats and oils that cause most smudges.

Bake much? Make your own vanilla extract by soaking raw vanilla beans in vodka. Add three vanilla beans, chopped, to one cup of vodka poured into an airtight container. Let that steep for at least four weeks. Some vanilla purists, however, insist good vanilla extract takes at least 6 months of soaking. Just taste yours as it ages to figure out when it's "done" to you. Experiment with flavors by using different varieties of vanilla beans. Put into a decorative bottle with a crafty label, homemade extract also makes a great gift, and it's often less expensive than the pricey store-bought stuff.

Follow this recipe from horticulturist Nicole Juday to make your own rosewater perfume: Put a few inches of petals in a pot, and place a solid object like a brick on top of them. Pour water over the petals so that they're completely submerged. Next, place a small stainless-steel bowl inside the pot, on top of the brick. Cover everything with an inverted domed lid, and bring the water to a simmer. The rose petals release their oil into the water as it boils; it then condenses on the lid and falls into the bowl. Pour the water from the bowl into a small jar, and add a tablespoon of vodka to preserve it. The spray lasts for a few months.

Fill plastic bags with vodka and place them in the freezer. Pull one out the next time you need a cold pack to ice a bruise or sore muscle. Because vodka doesn't freeze, the packs will mold around your body way better than that old bag of frozen peas you usually use.

After you've cleaned your house and eliminated every offending odor, kick back with a cocktail! Light to moderate drinkers (one to four drinks per week) were better protected from stroke than teetotalers or heavy drinkers, reports the New England Journal of Medicine. And in a study published in the journal Circulation, researchers found that animals fed both red wine and vodka saw similar increases in blood flow to the heart, a marker of heart health.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/healthcare/photos/7-amazing-things-you-can-do-vodka#0

Poche, why don't you just put "If you want to know what I read, go to yahoo news" in your tag. It will save time.

I like how at teh end they said "Oh by the way you can drink it."
 

I like how at teh end they said "Oh by the way you can drink it."
 

Poche,  I am semi-retired, but I am curious to know what you do for a living and how you have so much spare time?

Let a vanilla bean sit in it for awhile and you'll come out with vanilla extract.

Sell it to a teenage girl for twice what it's worth and get some good whiskey!

Sell it to a teenage girl? That doesn't sound very nice!


My weakness is Jack Daniels.

Pax

Well, sell it to whoever drinks vodka.

I thought only teenage girls did.  And Russian generals.

What does that mean?