The best household cleaner is hiding in your pantry right now. Do you know what it is? News flash: It’s vinegar! Use vinegar to clean your house, and you will be surprised at how well it will do. But have you ever wondered, why does vinegar clean so well?
Scientifically speaking, vinegar has acetic acid properties, making it a natural disinfectant. This makes it a great cleaning agent for many surfaces, including appliances and bathrooms. It’s also a safe product to store in your home and isn’t hazardous to pets or young children.
If you are curious about why vinegar cleans, this post should satisfy your curiosity.
What is Vinegar?
Vinegar is an acidic solution produced from the fermentation of acetic acid bacteria and ethanol. This liquid is known to many as an ingredient for cooking, but it is also a household staple used for cleaning.
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, antibacterial, and a cleanser. Again, its acidity makes the solution an excellent cleaner. It can remove dirt, grease, grime, and sticky residue and even fight soap scum.
However, the acidic properties can also damage surfaces, especially materials made from marble or granite.
Is Vinegar Good for Cleaning?
Vinegar excels as a household cleaner because of its variety of applications. Got stains on your clothes or have dirty grout? Use vinegar to clean and remove them. It can also clean away rust and mineral deposits. You can do all this without damaging your skin.
Learn how to remove rust using vinegar and baking soda when you read our article – Does Baking Soda and Vinegar Remove Rust?
Once mixed with baking soda or diluted with warm water, it has many uses, like rinsing away stains. How so? Vinegar can break down molecular bonds from which stains are formed and kill bacteria that produce mildew and mold. It can also remove unpleasant odors in your house.
Can You Clean with Vinegar While Young Ones Are Around?
One of the best things about cleaning with vinegar at home is that it is non-toxic. If you have children, especially babies, or crawling kids on the floor, you can rest assured that vinegar is safe to use around them.
Unlike cleaning the house with store-bought cleaners, there’s no need to worry about your kid absorbing or ingesting vinegar. Toxic chemicals, however, can be harmful to their fragile body. On top of that, vinegar is eco-friendly, making it not only great for humans but also for the environment.
Can You Use Vinegar in the Bathroom?
Yes, you can use vinegar to clean the bathroom. You can make your tile floors, toilets, showerheads, and bathtubs look brand new with vinegar. This solution effectively cuts through tough limescale, rust, and stains.
Learn how to clean your shower with vinegar when you read our article – Does Vinegar Clean Showers?
However, when it comes to organic stains on the toilet bowl, you should clean them with more alkaline solutions. You can make this solution by mixing baking soda and vinegar to create an abrasive cleaning agent while absorbing the stinky smell.
Can You Use Vinegar to Clean the Kitchen?
You can use vinegar to clean the kitchen. Use this solution to clean appliances like coffee makers, microwaves, and ovens. This magical cleaning solution is praised for its ability to dissolve dirt, bacteria, mineral deposits, and the like.
From removing limescale to descaling kettles and its anti-bacterial, vinegar is a brilliant cleaning agent for the kitchen. Not to mention it is a great money-saving alternative.
Can You Use Vinegar to Clean Floors?
Vinegar can clean the floor. However, the only vinegar that is safe for cleaning floors is white distilled vinegar. It is less acidic and does not produce stains or corrode. Now, let’s identify which types of floors vinegar can safely clean.
Tile
Vinegar as a cleaning agent for tiles? It’s a no-brainer. Wash your kitchen, bathroom, or any tile floors with vinegar. Put a half cup of white vinegar into a gallon of warm water, and you’re good to go. This method will mop away dirt, grime, and germs.
Learn more about cleaning tiles with vinegar when you read our post – Does Vinegar Clean Tile Floors?
Carpet
Yes, you can clean your carpet with vinegar. To do this, combine one teaspoon of baking soda, two tablespoons of vinegar, and two cups of hot water.
Transfer this mixture to a spray bottle, then spray the spot you want to clean. If it’s your goal to remove carpet stains, this method will help you do that, too.
To learn more about cleaning your carpet with vinegar, read our post – Can Vinegar Clean Carpets?
Wood
Can you clean wood floors with vinegar? You are probably surprised, but yes, it can.
Most people think that the acidity of the vinegar will damage wood floors. However, only waxed hardwood or unfinished wood floors are vulnerable to acid. Sealed and prefabricated hardwood floors are safe from vinegar.
You can clean wood floors by mixing a half cup of vinegar and one gallon of warm water. Then, use this mixture to wipe down dirty floors with your damp mop.
Can You Use Vinegar to Clean Windows?
Absolutely! This cheap home staple can make your windows sparkling clean. You don’t need expensive window cleaning products because vinegar can combat dirty windows.
Vinegar is excellent for cleaning streaks. You can use it on various types of windows, big or small.
What’s the Best Type of Vinegar for Cleaning?
Vinegar has four types: apple cider, white distilled, balsamic, and red vinegar. You may have an assortment of vinegar stored in your kitchen cabinet, but you don’t need to use them all for cleaning. You can use only white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
White vinegar is natural as it does not contain any coloring agent. Thus, it won’t stain surfaces. Most of the time, staining is from darker-colored vinegar. Most importantly, white vinegar has around 5% acidity. It has the same acidity level as regular store-bought multipurpose cleaners.
How Can You Clean the House Better with Vinegar?
Overall, vinegar is effective and safe to use. However, there are specific approaches that you should consider when cleaning the house with it.
Wear gloves
Although vinegar is a natural cleaning tool, it’s recommended to wear gloves to clean your house. If you have sensitive skin, it may irritate it.
Strong Odor
Vinegar has quite a strong smell. If it’s hard for you to be around it when cleaning, open a window where you’re working to get ventilation into that room.
Don’t Mix Vinegar and Bleach
Don’t dare combine vinegar and bleach. Otherwise, it will result in chlorine gas, which is harmful and toxic. Use these cleaners separately.
Conclusion
As you have read, vinegar cleans because it contains acetic acid properties. This makes it a versatile cleaner for multiple surfaces like windows, tiles, and carpets and messes in your house, such as dirt, grease, grime, sticky residue, and soap scum.
When cleaning with vinegar, opt for using white distilled or apple cider vinegar to get the best results.
Vinegar is safe to use around your family, but use gloves and open windows for proper ventilation, and never mix it with bleach.
If you want to learn more about cleaning with vinegar, read our article – Is Vinegar a Cleaning Agent?
