Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
I keep a spray bottle of 2/3 white vinegar to 1/3 distilled water in my kitchen and bathroom. Before I put away the cutting or chopping board, I spray the surface. After rinsing off chicken in the sink, I swoosh some soap around on the surface with my hands(also soaping up my hands), rinse it and then spray vinegar on it. I use this spray on every surface in the kitchen and bathroom. I put some in the toilet water a few minutes before I clean the toilet, as it neutralizes the water, killing germs. Wiping down door knobs and light fixtures will help the spread of germs as well.
I also use only natural cleaners which have vinegar in them. Very handy to spray and wipe down cutting knives before putting them away. Wiping down surfaces in the children's and baby's room not only deodorizes but will help cut down the spread of germs. Spray and wipe children's lunch boxes or anything they bring home from school.
If you do not like the smell, add a few drops of peppermint oil. Want to add to the germ killing solution, add some rosemary, clove or lavender oil. These will also leave a nice scent lingering in the room. Gardeners who do use pesticides, will plant lavender in around plants and trees. Bugs and germs do not like lavender.
Lavender, like garlic wards off many unwanted pests and germs.
This can create a more healthy environment for your entire family and our environment.
By Trisha from West Vancouver, BC
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RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
I have a case of cider vinegar. Can I use that instead for cleaning?
Post by PrairieMom
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
My husband and I have a glass table for our patio, and living in Az it get's really dusty and dirty, and just is not good on glass, so I was fed up with the dull from the dust it leaves, so I filled up a little bottle of 3/4 vinegar-1/4 water or 1/2-1/2, and sprayed it till it was saturated, and I scrubbed it and scrubbed it, and did the bottom of it, and sprayed it off and now I can actually see through the glass! I'll have to remember that for next time!
Post by onlyjaim
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
Hospitals using vineger?
I took my wife into a local Emergency Room about 2 years ago.
i looked around and found many uncleaned areas that had to be that way for days. Dust ,stains built up dirty wax on the floor .
Even the table she where she laid the underneath mecanicals were filthy.
I would have settled even for a viniger cleaning of that area.
I was a school custodian for 18 years.
At first we cleaned with some soap , sometimes ammonia. and sometimes a little bleach.
Later they kept changing soaps, then went to germicides . They Forbid us to use Ammonia and Bleach only on human fluid spills.
As we all know germs and bacteria get use to and become tolarent of most any chemical including germicides.
Did I sneek in viniger ? yes my last couple of years I used it in summer cleaning . It cleaned well.
Oh by the way, my school district change the germicide comp[ound 3 times in my last 5 years.
Most likely because of price.
Hey we still had our share of stapt infections at my school after germiciide.
The district was always telling us to use less of the germicides. When we used less it cleaned worse.
Was it killing germs ? Colds were still common .
They would never tell us if a student had HIV
wE were issues cheap plastic disposable gloves and red plastic bags for all fluid clean ups.
i sometimes wonder if man would not have got so fancy with his artificial cleaners and stuck to things like vineger. Would we be much more healthier?
I guess we will never know.
Mr THrifty
Post by Mr. Thrifty
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
I find ordinary bleach good for kitchen/bathroom cleaning. I also use bleach in a spray bottle for regularly spraying inside my shower to cut down on scrubbing. I got this tip from a professional resort cleaner.
Post By Wanda (Guest Post)
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
5% Acetic acid is the chemical name of vinegar, and it can kill a few harmless germs. At the same time, it must be noted that hospitals are under law and heavy regulatory oversight, and must use EPA-approved surface disinfectants which have been tested effective against the toughest pathogens, especially M. tuberculi. None of these approved agents are vinegar, and I have put in a whole career in healthcare doing this same disinfecting, patient after patient, in dental offices which must be under hospital rules because of involvement with body fluids, including more blood than most doctors will ever see. Information is up on the net from lots of people with their own personal stories about which they have passionate feelings, and this drives them to spread material which they feel is good according to their experience, while it may not align with more proven concepts. I went into all the references you gave, and found no hospital sites or had any source information on hospital practices. One of the approved disinfectants is a 1:10 solution of 5% sodium hypochlorite, known to households (after perfuming and other additives) as bleach, which is cheaper than vinegar.
I'm all for the wonderful natural approaches when they work (many do), but I can't help but want to see real results done from real research. I would like to know more about garden uses of vinegar, and would be curious about specific bacteria or other pathogens and pests, so if you have more good references, just let me know. And next summer, maybe a picture of lavendar in bloom around the place?
Post by kimhis
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
Here is some information on website regarding the use of vinegar to clean and disinfect in homes and medical facilities.
I was incorrect about the ph balance of white vinegar. However, it does work in killing bacteria and many hospitals and doctors offices are now using it to clean and disinfect.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Cleaning-2305/White-vinegar-benefits.htmhttp://frugaldad.com/2008/12/12/household-uses-for-vinegar-the-ultimate-frugal-solution/
http://blizen.com/wp/
http://www.yeastinfectionadvice.com/white-vinegar-for-yeast-infection.html
Some more info on vinegars below:
White vinegar is ph 5.5
Apple cider vinegar is 7.5 and is used to alkaline digestive systems.
Post by Tuscany
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
Does it really disinfect? Is there any info or research that backs this up?
Post By Big Sis. (Guest Post)
RE: Use Vinegar for Cleaning Purposes
Yes, white vinegar's acid, pH about 2.4, and 'optimum' skin pH 5.5 relates to adapting to acidity from CO2 in air. (Also, global warming is encouraging more acid with more carbon dioxide.)
Neutral pH (water) is 7, infant skin is only a bit more acid, and women's underarms are closer to neutral than men's, probably because we eat differently.
Mixing vinegar in water raises pH some, though if you're spraying, even straight vinegar is probably OK. Just don't get vinegar on your skin or hair too often.
The idea that vinegar's neutral seems to come from looking at mineral content. White vinegar has none to speak of, so after digestion it's neutral; cider vinegar rates pH 7.5 or so. But that's after taking it in. Both are acid.
Post by peseta
RE: Use Vinegar For Cleaning Purposes
Vinegar is a pretty good cleaning solution... But, I think someone gave you the wrong information, (about it not being acid or alkaline) because it's a strong acid & that's why it cleans & can kill some germs.
Post by Cyinda
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