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Cleaning with Vinegar! Everything You Know Is A LIE!
We’ve all heard it before: Vinegar is the ultimate green cleaner! It’s cheap, eco-friendly, gentle and can tackle anything—from disinfecting cutting boards to mopping floors. But what if we told you that most of what you think you know about cleaning with vinegar isn’t true?! In fact, some of these myths are so wrong they could cost you thousands of dollars in damage or land you in the hospital!
Don’t worry though, because ecomaids is here to set the record straight and help you make informed, eco-friendly choices that truly protect your home and family. In this article, we’ll debunk some of the most common myths about cleaning with vinegar and reveal the real ways to use it effectively and safely!
Myth #1: Vinegar is a Disinfectant
Many people believe that vinegar is a natural disinfectant capable of killing all sorts of germs and bacteria. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
The Truth:
Household vinegar is typically a 5% acetic acid solution. Even when used undiluted and left to soak for 30 minutes, it only kills about 80% of certain bacteria and viruses. That might sound like a lot, but that 20% left behind is more than enough to get you super sick. To be called a Sanitizer, a cleaner has to kill 99.9% of bacteria and to be a Disinfectant, it needs to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. To disinfect with acetic acid, you have to purchase 10% acetic acid and mix it with 1.5% citric acid, neither of which you can buy at the grocery store and both of which combined can eat through your granite counters and corrode metals!
Worse still, most people dilute vinegar when they clean with it and are usually spraying and wiping it up so fast that it doesn’t have a chance to kill anything! Using diluted vinegar to disinfect cutting boards, kitchen counters, or bathroom surfaces leaves you vulnerable to harmful pathogens like E. coli, norovirus, and more!
The Solution:
For genuine disinfection, opt for eco-friendly products that are proven to kill 99.9% of germs. Ingredients like thymol, derived from the herb thyme, and hypochlorous acid, created by running an electrical current through saltwater, are excellent natural disinfectants. These options are both effective and environmentally friendly, offering you peace of mind without compromising your green cleaning goals.
Myth #2: Vinegar is Great for Mopping Wood Floors
It’s a common belief that vinegar is gentle enough for delicate surfaces like hardwood floors. Some even swear by vinegar solutions for that extra shine. Sadly the dirty truth is far from vinegar’s pristine reputation!
The Truth:
Vinegar is an acid with a pH of around 2.5. While that might not sound alarming, it’s actually acidic enough to slowly soften and dissolve the polyurethane finish that protects your hardwood floors. Over time, regularly mopping with vinegar softens and wears down the polyurethane so much that dirt and grit can be pressed by your shoes directly into the finish, discoloring and dulling it permanently. Because the damage is permanent, the only solution to long term vinegar use is sandling and refinishing your wood floors—a process that uses a significant amount of toxic chemicals and can set you back thousands of dollars.
The Solution:
Stick to a neutral pH, eco-friendly floor cleaner designed specifically for hardwood floors. These cleaners rely on gentle surfactants to lift dirt and grime without harming the finish. There are plenty of green options available that are both effective and safe for your floors. A quick online search will provide you with plenty of eco-friendly, wood-safe cleaners to choose from, helping you clean your floor faster and safer!
Myth #3: Vinegar is a Gentle Cleaner That’s Safe for Everything
Vinegar’s reputation as a mild, all-purpose cleaner causes it to show up everywhere on social media. Unfortunately, most green influencers don’t realize that vinegar’s acidic nature can cause far more harm than good in plenty of expensive cases!
The Truth:
With a pH of 2.5, household vinegar is only slightly less acidic than stomach acid! This means it can react with various minerals and metals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum. Using vinegar on natural stone countertops like marble or granite can lead to etching and dull spots. It can also accelerate corrosion and rusting on metal surfaces, especially those made from plated metals or lower-grade stainless steel.
Worst still, vinegar can dissolve protective finishes and coatings. This includes the polyurethane on wood cabinets, the sealant on stone countertops, and even the anti-glare coatings on your electronic screens.
The Solution:
Choose eco-friendly, pH-neutral cleaners for surfaces that can be damaged by acids. “All-purpose” green cleaners are formulated to be gentle yet effective, ensuring that you’re not unwittingly causing long-term damage to your home while trying to keep it clean.
So, What is the RIGHT way to clean with Vinegar?!
Don’t get us wrong—vinegar is still a wonderful and powerful green cleaner! It deserves a lot of its fan following as a cost-effective and natural alternative to the caustic chemicals found in many household cleaners. When used properly, Vinegar can be a powerful weapon in your eco-friendly arsenal, so here are the top 5 ways to use it right!
- Descaling Your Coffee Maker
Mineral deposits from hard water can build up in your coffee maker over time, affecting both the taste of your coffee and the machine’s efficiency. Running a cycle with a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar can dissolve these deposits, prolonging the life of your appliance.
- Softening Laundry
If you live in an area with hard water, your clothes might feel stiff or rough after washing. Adding a ½ cup of vinegar to your laundry’s rinse cycle can help dissolve mineral buildup in fabrics, leaving them softer and more comfortable.
- Removing Rust and Hard Water Rings in Toilets
Stubborn stains and rings in your toilet bowl can often be attributed to mineral deposits. Pouring a cup of vinegar into the bowl and letting it sit for at least 30 minutes can help dissolve these deposits. For tougher stains, let the vinegar soak overnight before scrubbing. Just be careful never to mix a bleach based bowl cleaner with the vinegar, unless you like breathing toxic Chlorine gas!
- Tackling Hard Water Deposits on Shower Glass and Walls
Hard water can leave unsightly spots on your shower tiles and glass doors. To combat this, mix one cup of vinegar with two teaspoons of xanthan gum to create a clingy gel. Apply this mixture to your shower walls and glass doors. The gel consistency allows the vinegar to stay in contact with the surface longer, effectively dissolving mineral buildup. After letting it sit for 15-30 minutes, just scrub it off with the back of a kitchen sponge.
The Bottom Line
Vinegar can be a fantastic, eco-friendly cleaning agent when used correctly. It’s excellent for specific dissolving style tasks like descaling, softening fabrics, and removing mineral deposits. However, it’s simply not the universal cleaner and disinfectant it’s often made out to be, and that’s OK! We’re not mad at Olympic Gymnasts for not also being world renowned doctors, so why hold a grudge against vinegar for not being able to clean everything?! Sometimes it’s OK to only be good at a few things and focus on doing them really well, which is where vinegar truly shines! So let’s take a moment to thank vinegar for dissolving minerals and reminding us of the importance of being the best you that you can be, instead of trying to be something you’re not!
Ecomaids Values
Promoting Sustainable Living
Supporting Our Local Communities
Saving The Planet, One Spotless Home At A Time