More and more of us are becoming interested in using more eco-friendly options for cleaning our homes. Obviously, the more natural, the better, but we also need products that we actually know will do the job, and clean, disinfect, and deodorize – and white vinegar always seems to make waves online. Once you know how to use white vinegar for cleaning, however, you’ll soon realize why it’s such a big deal!
The great thing about white vinegar is that it is cheap, easy to come by, and very efficient at cleaning. But how does it compare to chemical solutions? Can you easily say goodbye to the same old antibacterial sprays and start using white vinegar for cleaning for good?
Let’s take a look at why this natural resource has taken the world by storm, and how to use distilled vinegar for cleaning across the home – without any of the eco-guilt!
Is white vinegar eco-friendly?
Despite its strong smell and questionable color (due to the fact that it is as clear as water but smells nothing like it), white vinegar is absolutely eco-friendly. It is a completely natural substance and is therefore never likely to harm the wider environment.
White vinegar is made during fermentation processes – i.e., from when a complex carbohydrate (such as those found in corn, rice, sugar, etc.) transforms into alcohol. This is then fermented again to become an acetic acid. Therefore, all that you will ever find in a bottle of white vinegar is water, acetic acid, and the occasional amounts of minerals and vitamins.
This means that it is also biodegradable and completely vegan friendly. It also happens to be hypoallergenic, which is great news if you are cleaning across the home and even applying a dab or two to clothing!
Beyond this, white vinegar is not toxic, despite being acidic. Many cleaning products can release toxic fumes into the air and become very dangerous to breathe in. Even if they do an impeccable job cleaning our homes, they can actually be more damaging to our health than good – and the same goes for the environment, too.
With white vinegar, you can have your home looking sparkling clean without having to worry about the secondary effects that it can have on you and everyone else in your household, even your animals.
But what about the smell? Granted, no one wants their homes to smell like vinegar. However, white vinegar does not actually leave a stench after cleaning – it really is a miracle solution.
Of course, when you first open a bottle, you might think that that simply isn’t possible – but in fact, as soon as you make your white vinegar solution (which you can also help to make smell better using lemons or essential oils), and start using it, you’ll forget about that strong, vinegary stink.
How to use white vinegar for cleaning
Now, the fun part – white vinegar can be used to clean pretty much anything in your home! It is fantastic at cleaning a variety of surfaces and lifting up all kinds of nastiness, including grease spots, ground-on dirt, burnt food, and most kinds of general grime and debris.
It’s great for ovens
Most people commonly use white vinegar to clean their kitchens, especially their ovens, stoves, and sinks. Simply mixing some white vinegar with baking soda will create the perfect paste for getting all of the built-up grease, grime, and burnt food out of your oven cavity, for example.
You will need to mix up roughly a quarter cup of water with about one cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of vinegar. Stir well until it forms a paste, then wipe it all over the inside your oven. It is then best to leave it for a little while, before mopping it out completely with soapy water. By leaving the solution for longer, you will notice that the grease and burnt food comes off a lot easier. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself!
Weirdly enough, there does seem to be a little bit of disagreement amongst kitchen owners as to how worthwhile cleaning with baking soda and vinegar paste can be. The process does need careful measurement and application – meaning it may well be trial and error. However, I’ve certainly never noticed any problems – personally!
It’s even better for cleaning microwaves
An even simpler way of using vinegar for cleaning is by using it to mop out your microwave. These awkward cavities can get clogged up with all kinds of dirt and grime – and we often forget to clean up spills until it’s too late – time to get into better habits!
Fill a microwave-safe bowl with around 500ml of water, then add two tablespoons of white vinegar, mixing up briefly. Then, place the bowl in the microwave and turn it on for up to five minutes.
Once the microwave has finished its power cycle, leave alone for a few minutes so that it is cool enough to touch when you are ready to wipe it out. It is best to wear oven gloves when removing the bowl, of course, as it will likely still be hot.
Then, simply wipe out the oven with a clean, dry cloth, or with kitchen roll you may have to hand. Your microwave will be left smelling great and looking as good as new. There’s a similar trick you can try with lemons, too – but we’re all about the vinegar!
Ever cleaned your floors with vinegar?
Yes – as truly weird as it may seem, you can absolutely use white vinegar to clean your flooring. You can clean up wood, laminate or tile floors with a basic white vinegar mix – and here’s what you’ll need to keep in mind.
Simply mix half a cup of white vinegar with a bucket of warm water – four to five litres should be enough. Then, using a mop, swab your floors with the mix, then let it dry naturally.
The results might just astound you – you’ll be left with sparkling clean surfaces without lingering smells or clinging dirt and debris. It’s much more friendly to use white vinegar than to waste energy with a steam mop, or to spray harmful chemicals everywhere.
However, we do understand that part of the fun of cleaning is having that great, fresh smell around the house when you are done. Therefore, when it comes to cleaning the floors, your carpet, or even your couch and chairs, you can always add a few drops of essential oil to make the place smell nicer.
Do not put in more than a few drops, however, as it is an extremely concentrated substance – you’ll overpower the smell, for one, and for another, too much essential oil is never good for pets or kids.
But… it’s not an all-over miracle cleaner
Now, as great as white vinegar is for cleaning, it doesn’t necessarily work all over the home. There are indeed certain surfaces that would be best left out of the white vinegar equation altogether!
As you know, vinegar is acidic, which means that it is unsuitable for cleaning any kind of natural stone. Surfaces such as those made from marble, quartz, or even granite would not do well washed down with vinegar blends.
As strong as these types of stone may be, the acid from the vinegar can cause corrosion, potentially damaging the look of your worktops and counters for good.
White vinegar does not tend to mix too well with paint, either. So, if you have painted furniture in your home that you would like to clean, it’s best to stick to an alternative cleaning solution, as white vinegar will strip paint clean off.
The same goes for the paint on your car! Believe it or not, white vinegar can absolutely destroy your car’s paintwork, so avoid using it anywhere near your vehicle! Keep your vinegar sprays in the kitchen if you’re really unsure.
White vinegar as a disinfectant – the bottom line
The truth is, white vinegar can potentially disinfect surfaces and floors – but it might not work as hard as you need it to. White vinegar has proven to kill and reduce the numbers of certain bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, and listeria. These bacteria, in particular, are commonly known for being the cause of illnesses you’ll get from food poisoning or poor hygiene – and they can be very nasty indeed!
However, we are living in a day and age where we expect more from our disinfectants. After all, with viruses such as COVID-19 having run rampant in recent years, it makes sense that you’re going to want an efficient, all-around cleaning solution.
However, white vinegar is not necessarily much use when it comes to disinfecting certain other viruses and germs, including COVID-19. It’s great for killing off some common microbes, but when it comes to enveloped viruses and bugs, it simply won’t work.
So, if you are looking to disinfect your home, then white vinegar will not necessarily be the best option. That being said, there are more eco-friendly disinfectants out there that are definitely worth looking into.
White vinegar does still have its place, though – and can play a huge role in your home cleaning. Disinfecting is merely one aspect of keeping your home clean – and when it comes to getting rid of nasty stains, marks, spillages, and more, white vinegar is likely to come in much more useful.
How to create a white vinegar cleaning solution
If you plan to make your own white vinegar cleaning solution, you will be happy to know that the process is actually fairly simple. There is no need for a lab coat and test tubes – all you need for most of your cleaning is water and white vinegar.
Ideally, you should look to use 250ml of distilled white vinegar, then mix it with 250ml of boiled water that has already cooled down.
When it is ready, pour the mix into a spray bottle, ready to use. You can use it as you would any other type of cleaning spray. Just spray and wipe away! Again, for a nicer-smelling solution, you can always add a few drops of essential oil.
Your white vinegar solution, at least blended like this, should last for roughly two months – so make sure that you use it sparingly.
Making your own white vinegar cleaning wipes
Making your own white vinegar cleaning wipes will prove cost-effective (if you’re used to buying packs of antibacterial wipes each week), it’s also going to do the world around us some good, too.
The problem with everyday antibacterial wipes is that they largely arrive in non-biodegradable plastic packages. The wipes themselves are usually not biodegradable, either – and they can easily make their way into our waterways, usually with people flushing them.
Wipe flushing is a major cause of waterway blockage – and even when they haven’t flushed away, they are just thrown in the trash, waiting in a bag in a landfill, slowly left there to persist for decades.
There’s also the fact that antibacterial wipes can contain a variety of chemicals and eco-unfriendly ingredients. While you can invest in eco-friendly wipes, doing so may end up being quite expensive.
Despite these issues, there is no denying that cleaning wipes are incredibly useful and come in handy all of the time. So, you will be happy to know that there is an easy, reusable way for you to make your own – without costing the Earth, and without doing it as much damage! The answer, of course, lies with white vinegar.
To start, mix around 125ml of boiled water that has cooled down, 125ml of white vinegar, a few drops of essential oils (I recommend using about 11-15 drops of the essential oils of your choice – and most cleaning wipes smell of lemon or flowers, so it might be worth trying to emulate this fragrance) – and one teaspoon of washing-up liquid.
Then, get a clean, dry, sealable container, and prepare cloths that you don’t mind reusing as white vinegar wipes. You could use small microfiber towels, old cloths cut into pieces, even dusters or fabric offcuts – the choice is yours. Place your cloths of choice in your container.
Then, pour the mixture over the cloths, seal the container, and swirl the solution around gently, getting your wipes completely covered. The cloths should soon be damp enough to use – but not soaking, so if there is too much solution, then add in a few more cloths or dusters to soak up. On the other hand, if they happen to be too dry, then add in some more of your mixture.
What’s great about these homemade wipes is that you can keep reusing them as much as you need to! If you happen to run through cleaning wipes relatively quickly, then make a few containers’ worth at a time. You can put your new cloths through a washing cycle, too. To really save on money and your carbon footprint, make sure to buy your white vinegar in bulk – especially if you know you’re going to need lots of wipes.
What ingredients should I never mix with white vinegar?
As easy as it is to make a white vinegar solution, there are a few ingredients that you should simply never keep near the vinegar – or even mix with it. This is because combining the two can create harmful gases, acids, or simply just a useless mess!
So, if you really want to get into white vinegar cleaning across the home, you’re going to want to avoid mixing it with bleach. Bleach alone may be a useful cleaning product, but it is also a dangerous solution when used inappropriately.
It can release gases in the air that can be very harmful to our health – it’s never a good idea to mix bleach with cleaning products due to the risk of ammonia, for example. However, if you mix it with white vinegar, then it will also create toxic chlorine gas. Trust me on this one – just don’t try it!
Hydrogen peroxide is, again, another useful but dangerous chemical. Mixed with white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide will create a peracetic acid – and again, this is something you are going to want to avoid.
Therefore, when it comes to your white vinegar, stick to mixing it with water, dish detergent, and some essential oils! Even then, it’s worth going sparing with the oils, too – keep it simple, keep it safe!
Is it worth cleaning with white vinegar?
Yes – as you can see, white vinegar boasts a long list of qualities, especially when it comes to cleaning our homes. It may sound like a hassle having to create different cleaning solutions from scratch, but trust me – doing so is low-cost and brings about great results.
Cleaning with white vinegar also means that you’re staying away from investing in harsh chemicals. These can not only impact your health, but can also pose environmental risks. What’s more, by making your own mix at home, you’re reducing the amount of plastic you buy with each purchase of antibacterial or cleaning spray. White vinegar generally arrives in glass bottles – which are easy to recycle.
This problem decreases even further when you choose to buy white vinegar in bulk – as there’s less need for you to have further bottles delivered, and effectively, you’re taking a car or delivery truck off the highway.
Give white vinegar cleaning a go – who knows – you might just see sparkling results in a matter of hours.
Originally posted 2022-05-11 16:31:39.