Vinegar: (Almost) the Only Cleaner You'll Ever Need
Cleaning with vinegar is powerful, natural--and cheap!
by Noël-Marie Taylor
by Noël-Marie Taylor
Welcome, Googlers! If you like this article, you may also like the articles 27 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda, Make Your Own Natural Dishwashing Powder, Natural Cleaning Alternatives and Washing Soda Experiments. Thanks for visiting!
ost cleaning products fall into one of two categories: toxic or expensive. While both types will clean almost anything (or at least, anything within their limited range of capabilities), there's a third option. It's inexpensive and not at all poisonous to humans. It's multi-purpose as well--one container will take care of laundry, kitchen cleaning, even bugs and weeds. This "miracle cleaner" is vinegar.
Vinegar is a weak form of acetic acid that forms through the fermentation of sugars or starches. It is completely edible, and cannot harm your stomach. And luckily for us, many things can be cleaned using it.
The uses of vinegar are nearly endless. In addition to cleaning, it is an excellent item for cooking and for home science experiments (remember the vinegar-and-baking soda volcanoes from grade school?). The health benefits are many as well.
In this article, we are focusing on the uses of vinegar as a cleaner. For information on some of its other uses, see the links at the end of the article. Note: plain white vinegar is the best for the following uses; cider and other vinegars may have unwanted side effects. Vinegar is used in 100% concentration unless otherwise specified.
Your Vinegar Spray Bottles
In addition to your regular bottle of vinegar, a really useful item is a spray bottle. Ideally, you want two--one with pure vinegar, the other with a half vinegar, half water combination. Having vinegar in a dispenser of this type makes its use much simpler in many cases.
All Around the House
1. To remove stickers that have been used to "decorate" furniture and other surfaces, moisten with vinegar. Let sit for at least ten minutes, then remove.
2. For persistent room odors, place a bowl of vinegar in the room overnight.
3. For spills on carpet, use a sponge or cloth to soak up as much liquid as possible. Then spray with a mixture of half vinegar, half water. Let stand for about two minutes, then blot with towel or sponge. Repeat as needed.
4. For more persistent stains, use a mixture of 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, and 1 cup warm water. Proceed as suggested above. When finished cleaning, dry using a hairdryer set on low.
5. To clean windows, spray with half vinegar, half water. Wipe clean with either newspapers or cloth.
6. To clean silver, pewter, copper, or brass, dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in one cup vinegar. Add flour to create a paste (1/4 cup or more). Apply the paste to the metal item, and let stand for at least fifteen minutes. Rinse with warm water and polish with a soft cloth.
7. No-wax floors can be cleaned with a solution of 1 cup vinegar per gallon of water for a shinier surface.
8. To clean wood paneling, use a mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 2 cups warm water. Apply to paneling with a soft cloth. Dry with a clean cloth.
In the Bathroom
9. To remove corrosion or chemical build-up from showerheads, soak in vinegar overnight.
10. Remove stains from the toilet bowl by spraying with vinegar and spraying.
11. To remove soap build-up from faucets, clean with a mixture of 1 part salt to four parts vinegar.
12. Spray shower walls and shower curtain with vinegar to help prevent mildew.
In the Kitchen
13. To keep ants away, spray vinegar along doorways, windowsills, countertops - anywhere that ants are likely to appear. If you find an ant trail (path that ants use repeatedly), clean it with vinegar.
14. To remove odors from the sink or garbage disposal, pour in a cup or more vinegar. Do not rinse out again for at least an hour.
15. For a clogged drain, first pour in 1/2 cup baking soda. Then add an equal amount of vinegar. When the mixture finishes bubbling, rinse with warm water. (Note: some garbage disposals do not react well to this cleaning method; check with the manufacturer first.)
16. Wipe your hands with vinegar after chopping. It will remove strong scents like onion and garlic, as well as stains from fruit juices.
17. To clean wooden cutting boards, wipe with vinegar.
18. Remove strong odors. Rinse jars with a half and half mixture of vinegar and water to remove garlic or other strong odors. Boil water with several spoons of vinegar to remove the smell of burnt food from your kitchen.
19. Vinegar is an excellent cleaner for all kitchen surfaces - counters, refrigerators, stovetops.
20. To clean your microwave oven, put a microwave-safe bowl of 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 cup water in the oven, and cook long enough to boil. In addition to removing any lingering odors, this will loosen any baked-on food from the microwave's walls.
21. To remove coffee or tea stains from china, clean with a mixture of vinegar and salt.
![[vinegar graphic]](/misc/images/vinegar.gif)
In the Laundry
22. To keep colors from running in the wash, soak in vinegar before washing.
23. To decrease lint on clothing, add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
24. Many persistent stains can be removed with vinegar: coffee, chocolate, ketchup, jam, cola, wine. Gently rub stain with vinegar, then wash.
25. To make your "brights brighter", add 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
26. For fresher cloth diapers, add one cup distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will break down uric acid and remove both lingering stains and scents.
27. To remove scorch marks from an iron, rub with a mixture of vinegar and salt.
28. To remove soap residue from the washing machine, run an empty (no laundry) cycle with one cup vinegar added.
29. To remove the smell of smoke from clothing, add a cup of vinegar to a tub of hot water. Let clothing hang in the same room for several hours.
Pet Care
30. To keep cats off windowsills or other surfaces, spray with vinegar. This will also keep them from scratching upholstery (spray an unnoticeable area of the fabric first to make sure the vinegar doesn't cause a stain).
31. To keep dogs from scratching their ears, clean with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.
32. If your dog should have a run-in with a skunk, vinegar will take care of the smell better than even tomato juice. Using vinegar diluted 50% with water, rub the dog's fur. Rinse with warm water. Repeat as needed.
Noël-Marie Taylor is a freelance writer located in Columbia, Maryland. Her work has appeared in many magazines, including PC Magazine and The Mother Is Me. A stay-at-home mom to two children, she is also the designer of several cross-stitch kits for children.
Related items:
- Speedy Green Cleaning--fast and non-toxic methods to clean your home.
- Fifty Uses for Vinegar
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- Many Uses for Vinegar
- CENYC: Detox Your Home
- Environmentally Friendly Cleaners
- The Five Basics of Nontoxic Cleaning
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Comments
Natural Preservative for Flax Hair Gel ?
I'm allergic to perfumes and fragrances even found in 100% natural hair gel. I've come across a great recipe by simply boiling flax seed in water, but it must stay in the fridge to keep it from spoiling.
I'm looking for a natural preservative that would allow me take my gel with me when I travel. I have read that essential oils will do the trick, but have no idea of what kind to try. Can any one help me? Please email me at kennysacht@cableone.net
Burnt food
My skillets, pots, and pans are notorious for getting food stuck on them, and many times I've burnt food in them (I'm newly domesticated...). One of the ways I clean up is by putting vinegar, warm water, and a small squirt of dish soap in, letting it sit for a few minutes, and then boiling it for a few minutes while stirring.
Also, to clean my sponges, I soak them in water with vinegar and lemon juice, then microwave them for about 1 1/2-2 min (KEEP WET! or they will ignite.).
To Preserve Your Hair Gel
Try grapefruit seed extract. It's a powerful preservative. You can also try adding some vitamin E. Vitamin E is also a natural preservative. Hope this helps
Burnt food
Hello.. i have found out that the cast iron scillet works wonders.... for a ninstick pan..... i was going to by those expensive pans but learned about those.... thank god... you use them everywhere on top of stove and in the oven,
cleaning wood
If you clean wood floors with cooking oil and vinegar or polish wood with cooking oil and lemon juice. Is it flammable because of wiring or anything? Or is it safe?
Vinegar is an acid
Vinegar does not cut grease, and therefore does not remove germs/ soil the way soaps and detergents do. Most dirt is slightly acidic, while most soaps (even all natural) are alkaline, which is why they work. This is illustrated pretty easily if you have ever made salad dressing. Vinegar cannot dissolve or mix with oils. Most germs are removed (without sanitizing with harsh chemicals) through the breaking apart of dirt/ soils which allows them to be washed away by a cleaning cloth or sponge. This can only happen through an alkaline soap, not an acid. This process removes 99% of bacteria. If you wash everything with Vinegar, you remove NO bacteria. It is not a disinfectant, or surfactant.
All these natural cleaning sites and articles seem to have been written with zero understanding of basic chemistry. The most gentle and all natural cleansers are simply less alkaline-- but still alkaline-- so they are not so harsh-- but require a bit more elbow grease.
Vinegar is great for breaking down hard water deposits-- such as those on metals, in toilet boils (most toilet bowl cleaners are acids, which is why they should never be mixed with bleach). But it wont disinfect your toilet, or remove any lingering soils-- this can only be done by a soap. It works to unclog drains only when mixed with baking soda because of the fizzing action, not any grease cutting properties.
It is effective at removing the smell of bleach when added to wash in the rinse cycle (when no bleach is in machine). It helps remove other smells (but also has its own strong smell) but not as good as enzyme cleaners.
It is great for cleaning soap scum and calcium deposits which are salts that break down in acid. Often windows have water deposits and therefore vinegar is often used for cleaning windows. But ammonia is what cuts grease/ soil, as it is an alkaline, so it is much more effective on windows and for other dirt/ grease cutting jobs. It doesnt streak like soap, so that is why it works best on windows. If you dont want to use ammonia, use a surfactant window cleaner (mild soap like 7th gen or other all natural glass/ surface cleaner) and follow with vinegar to remove soap residue.
Vinegar is good for removing ring around the collar and other sweat stains, because those stains persist due to the fact that our sweat contains minerals and salts-- from our body and from deodorants and hair products. Vinegar is great for dissolving minerals and salts, so it works on these stains (or to prevent them as a pre-wash treatment).
But it doesnt cut grease or "wash" or dissolve dirt or sanitize. If you want a cheap non-harsh "green" sanitizer, try hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol. Disinfectants or sanitizers like these are mostly unnecessary if soap can be used to dissolve and allow 99% of dirt/ bacteria to be washed away in rinsing/ wiping.
Also, any acid full strength is toxic-- vinegar included. Getting full strength vinegar in your eyes or on your skin can be very bad. Ingesting quantities of it is also not good. Most of the vinegar we eat in food is diluted, or consumed with other foods. So it is not as dangerous as bleach, but having it around full strength requires the same safety measures-- keeping it labeled and out of reach of kids.
vinegar
I raised three children with asthma and they have used nebulizers for years and the instructions that come with the machines is to use vinegar and water to sanitize the machines. These nebulizers are used with medications that are used to open the airways of people with asthma attacks so they need to be sanitized daily. They are medical equipment so vinegar must be good for sanitizing or the directions for this medical equipment would not tell you to use it.
More...
Could you please explain more why vinegar removes stains? What is in vinegar that removes stains? Are there certain pigments in vinegar that can be found in laundry detergents as well?
The reason vinegar is
The reason vinegar is suggested to clean a nebulizer is because they use water to mist medications. Vinegar is excellent to break down water deposits, but apparently per other replies, it does not disinfect.
Yes it's an acid, but your science is all wrong.
There are several errors in your assertion about the ineffectiveness of vinegar that need to be corrected.
1. Soaps don't cut grease because they are alkaline, but because they are long molecules that have a polar and and an non-polar end. One end dissolves in grease/oil and the other in water, thus pulling the grease dissolved into it into the water. (You can saponify an oil with a strong base, but that's a different discussion and you don't want to use strong bases in your house routinely.)
2. Yes, soaps mobilize bacteria so they can be rinsed away, but vinegar kills bacteria because it is acidic: 2 different approaches to the problem.
3. Acidity depends on the concentration of the acid and the strength of the acid itself. Not all acids are toxic at full strength: many amino acids are very weak acids and can be put full-strength on the tongue. Acetic acid full strength has a pH of less than 0.01 and will cut through skin and is flammable, but vinegar is only 5% acetic acid and won't do that. So, vinegar at "full strength" is only 5% acetic acid and has a pH of 2.4 (slightly less acidic than lemon juice, which isn't toxic), you don't want to get it in your eye, but isn't toxic to drink or get int he skin by any means.
Is diluted vinegar really strong enough to kill germs?
Normally vinegar is mixed with water when used as a cleaner so the 5% solution of acetic acid becomes more like a .5% solution. I don't think this makes a very good disinfectant. Also since vinegar does not break down oily substances, oily substances tend not to be rinsed off the surface when vinegar is used as a cleaner. In other words food for bacteria are left on the surface. All in all then, the vinegar isn't really a good germ killer (unless perhaps you spray it on full strength and just leave it there for a long time), and it fails to remove the nutirents that microbes can grow in. As noted, detergents (which tend to be neutral or only slightly alkaline) do remove grease and other soil particles, but the one writer is correct that acid really don't have much effect at all on greasy soils. Vinegar is not a detergent. It is good for breaking down alkaline soils such as mineral deposits or soap films.
Distilled vinegar will remove soil and it does disinfect
Numerous studies show that a straight 5 percent solution of distilled white vinegar—the kind you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses).
Organic distilled white vinegar is colorless with a neutral acidic flavor. The vinegar is created using 100% organic corn and rye as source material. All processing steps and the finished product itself conform to organic standards.
But companies can’t claim on their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since it is registered as a food product with the Environmental Protection Agency. However, it seems to be common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial. The Good Housekeeping Institute also confirmed this.
Vinegar does kill bacteria
Just wanted to say that my boys just completed a science project
regarding which household cleaners work against bacteria. They made cultures from our kitchen sink and then placed blotter paper sensitivity squares soaked with different cleaners oner per culture. Bleach of course won with no bacteria growth, but Vinegar came in 2nd. which had only 2 very tiny colonies of growth, the other cultures were a total different story (we did 10 total cultures,(8 different cleaners & 2 controls). The cleaners tested & their bacteria colony counts were in order of effectiveness--Bleach(0), Distilled White Vinegar (2), Lysol All Purpose 4-in-1 (19), Windex Mult-Surface Antibacterial (26), Spic and Span Everyday (39), Tea Tree Oil (69), Seventh Generation (72), Eucalyptus Oil (75), Control #1 with no cleaner (128), Control #2 with no cleaner (130).
Just thought the results were interesting. Also, most Vinegar that you buy is already diluted. Ir seems good ole soap & vinegar are the safer of the options.
Germicide?
Its grease-cutting/dirt-removing properties aside, vinegar is supposed to kill "bad" germs.
My bathroom/kitchen sinks used to smell a bit in the morning, because of moisture remaining from the night before. Since I've been spraying them with vinegar before I go to bed, there's been no smell at all.
Dogs
I live in Thailand and ride a bicycle. Dogs here are a problem as there are many that chase you while riding. I carry a spray bottle of vinegar and when chased by dogs I give them a spray of vinegar, it stops them in there tracks and it's the usually the last time they chase you.
Vinegar is Awesome!
I have been a profesional cleaner for many years & can offer one piece of advice...
if you dont have vinegar,a tooth brush & cotton wool in your kit, you deserve what you get! P.S. My speciality is cleaning up after parties & doing exit cleans for real estate agencies.
To these ignorant (but
To these ignorant (but well-meaning) people spewing lies, misinformation and exaggerating the virtues of vinegar as a cleaner, I have a few questions. Would you still go to your dentist if you know that he makes his assistant disinfect his equipments with vinegar? Would you eat at a restaurant if you know that that restaurant washes their cutleries and plates with vinegar? Would you send your sick loved ones to a hospitals that cleans their wards and sterilize their equipments with vinegar?
If not, then why not? You all make vinegar out as some holy grail of a cleaner.
I am just so angry because my mum totally bought into this vinegar as this 'effective', 'non-toxic', 'green' all-round household cleaner without any critical thought. She thinks that she is being environmentally friendly but it is costing our home its cleanliness. In fact, our kitchen, especially the hob area, is downright filthy. The wall behind the hob and area around extractor fan is seriously sticky and covered with gobs of sticky brown greasy droplets from years of buildup. At first I thought that nobody cleans it, until last night when I saw my mum gently wiping the area with cloth and vinegar then it became obvious that she's been cleaning it with vinegar for all these time and look where that's got us! Yes, I could just clean it but the minute I was going to blast it with a proper detergent and metal scourer, she stops me, claiming that 'I should take a rest on my off day, not clean', while gloating proudly that she 'doesn't use any chemicals' to clean the house. Well the state of the kitchen isn't exactly a testimony to vinegar's effectiveness!
It is disgusting and I haven't eaten anything cooked in our house in a few months.
Yes, I am going to put my foot down and tell my mum that I am not going to sacrifice the cleanliness of our home to her abstract, romanticist notion that not using detergents is going to save the planet, but before that I want people like you to stop posting misleading and unhygienic recommendations.
Also, Meredith Lee, can I just hug you? Like, really hard?
Vinegar DOES disinfect
I worked as a Respiratory Therapist for many years. You said you wouldn't go to a dentist that disinfected his instruments with white vinegar or acetic acid. Funny, you wouldn't have known it, had you been a patient in our hospital, but we cleaned with white vinegar the entire room where we disinfected ALL of our equipment, after we used it on people who had every infection known to mankind, saliva, mucous, etc. It was tested by the epidemiology people in the hospital and was found to kill the most resistant of bacteria. So, if it's good enough for the hospitals, it's good enough for my kitchen and bathroom. I find it odd that you'd rather use harmful chemicals which account for countless Emergency Room visits every year, rather than a natural substance that is PROVEN to kill everything from lice and H1N1 to deadly microorganisms such MRSA or Pseudomonas. I guess you didn't go to college and take Microbiology.
Dude, what's your beef with
Dude, what's your beef with vinegar? Maybe you should move out of your mum's house. Then you can clean your own house with poison!
Learn to use properly
There are certain ways to clean using vinegar, peroxide, lemon juice, 2 essential oils tea tree and eucalyptus, baking soda and or borax, and castile soap. There are mixtures you can make of all these to clean your home safe and effectively to remove grease and disinfect your areas to your needs. I use a castile soap made with tea tree oil which is a known disinfectant. I wash down first whatever surface I am cleaning with that then usually will go back over with a vinegar/lemon juice mixture let sit for a bit the wipe down to finish the job. This is just an example depends on what I am cleaning what I use and which combination. I use a set of brushes to do and clean almost everything as brushes are known to sweep away more virus and bacteria with whatever product I am using. For the most part vinegar is a good place to start and with a few other items there is no problem keeping and cleaning every surface in your home. It’s healthier for you and your family considering there is really no government regulation on what these corporations make cleaning products out of and how they affect the human body. It takes some time and knowledge to learn to clean naturally but it does work and is better for everything.
Vinegar does clean!!
:
You sound very young, mid 20's maybe and you have never ever worked in restaurant or the hotel industry. Yes, the restaurants use vingelar all the time to clean with, its great on stainless steel, for polishing and cleaning, we use it on the floors and windows and all the stainless steel counter tops.
We used in the hospital kitchens well and the professionals house keepers use all the time.
Now fot the cleaness of your mothers kitchen,that could be a different story, hard, baked on dippings, etc, will not come off with just vinegar, it needs some scrubing power,and better cooking skills. My kitchen is pure white, walls, counter tops and cabinets, the floor is several shads of brown and I cook all the time in fact I have degree in Restaurant management. It's not the fault of the cleaning products many times, its how offen you clean and how you cook.
If your that concern in the cleaness of your mothers kitchen I would suggest you and her both get in there and clean, and then clean how to cook without making a mess. The stove, counter tops and floor has no reason to be a mess you one knew how to cook with out making a mess.
You would be suprised were and how the industry using vingear on daily bases and you as a comsumer have NO idea..
Vinegar as an alternative to harsher cleaning agents
I agree somewhat to your comments. Vinegar would not be appropriate to use as a disinfecting agent in places that see a vast amount of traffic from the public, nor in hospitals. In terms of the many possible disease and viruses, vinegar would not hold up.
But it is the perfect solution to an enviromentally friendly disinfecting agent in your home. It is also much easier on thoses who suffer reactions from perfumes.
I would suggest you investigate what happens when your try to rid your home (or lets say bathroom) of ALL possible bacteria. You will learn that this process will in fact cause you more harm then good. You will more likely be the one who "gets sick" often, as you will undoubtedly use restroom facilities in public places.
My cleaning kit includes the toothbrush, dishsoap, vinegar, and I do have a clean home both in what you can and cannot see lol.
If you are germaphobic, all I can say is keep doing what you are doing.... But please do not blow the uses of vinegar that have been mentioned here, out of porportion. Meaning, I dont think anyone mentioned that vinegar should be used in hospials and dental offices.
It's time to have a chat with Mum
I'm sorry to have to say this kiddo...but I think it's time to chat with Mum. Vinegar isn't claimed to clean grease off of a stove top/fan etc. It is said to disinfect. Elbow grease and a mild soap might be a better choice for cleaning grease. I think that there might be other hygiene issues going on there, and you should stand up...grab a scrubbie sponge & make a claim to cleanliness. Use the naturals + some elbow grease & you'll be surprised. Then you should cook your mum dinner.
vinegar
Then move out of her house and leave her a bottle green soap and baking soda.
Nowhere does this article claim vinegar is anti-microbial
Nor does it claim vinegar cuts grease.
Vinegar available for home use is always diluted. "100% strength" refers to out-of-the-bottle.
I'm sorry about your mum. I suggest that her eyes mightn't be the best any more, as people with bad eyesight sometimes just don't see grime. Consider encouraging her to get her eyes checked.
My own best solution for those situations is a good, elbow-grease-filled cleaning with either soap or a citrus-based cleanser and--yes--a vinegar rinse to break down any soap residue if I've used soap.
I'm sure the two of you can come up with a good compromise on cleaning products. There are a lot more options than there used to be.
whiteout .
How do i get whiteout of clothes especially black material
vinegar and pet urine???
I read on a pet site that using 50% water 50% vinegar solution "removes" the smell of pet urine so they will no longer want to mark there any longer. Is there any validity to this? I have already tried it do to the fact that I have recenlty bought a brand new home and my dogs which i love so much have been marking up a storm and im at my ropes end with them and my hard wood floors!!
I have not heard this
The best thing for removing pet stains/smells is an enzyme-based product like Petzyme. As for keeping them from marking a spot, personally I've found any strong citrus smell repels animals, both cats and dogs. I've just laid down actual peels.
Pet Urine Smells
Thank you for your enzyme suggestion. Now, does anyone know what scent repels rabbits? The little buggers love citrus.
yes it works. you must soak
yes it works. you must soak up as much as possible first. be persistant and dont get discouraged. Air drying is KEY. pets in a new home always mark, cus its there new home. you might want to mop any hard floors too in case there are any old pet smells that humans cant detect, and they will always mark over another dogs mark. lightly spraying all carpet and air drying like u would febreze might help with that on the rugs. by the way febreze is poison for dogs, and remember they lick their paws and are eating the poison if u febreze on the carpet!
Vinegar and Dog Urine
I've had dogs all of my life but I discovered white vinegar for floors and carpet only 5 years ago or so. It's AMAZING how white vinegar mixed with water gets urine stains out of carpeting. Even old stains disappear (sounds like a commercial right? But it's so true). I had about 1/8 of a cup white vinegar to about 1 cup of water. You don't have to be that particular about the ratio but too much vinegar means the smell will linger for a longer period of time. I sop up the urnine with an old towel (or tons of paper towels); I pour the white vinegar mixture right onto where the puddle was; I sop it up again. It really works; and no soap residue to sit there and collect more dirt and odor. I don't know about the marking of territory. I just know the smell and stain is gone. You can tell that I can't say enough because this really is a big problem for pet owners. It's so cheap too.
vinegar smell- help!!
Hi, my fiancee and I rent out rooms in our home and our last roommates (who also had a beagle and chihuahua) trashed the carpet in the room with urine, throw up, food, spilled drinks, spilled ash trays, etc.
I cleaned the carpet (drying between cleanings)- once with dish soap and scrubber with bristles, vacuumed some purex laundry detergent through for the fresh smell, used Resolve spray for more stains, Woolite with scotch guard all over, baking soda and vacuuming twice.
Finally my fiancee read that you could clean and get the smell out with distilled white vinegar. We cleaned the stained walls and carpets with it. I've had two fans going for about a week now with the window open and it still smells like vinegar in that room.
I can't have a new roommate moving into that room if it smells like salt and vinegar potato chips in there. Is there anyway to get the vinegar smell out now? I tried baking soda again in hopes it would absorb the odor. It did not work and since we could have a new roommate any day now I might just have to by some Febreze or air freshener. But before I do that is there anything else I can do?
try oxy clean in a rug
try oxy clean in a rug doctor, should do the trick
why don't you call a carpet
why don't you call a carpet cleaner to do the JOB !!!
vinegar smells really bad to
The smell does not linger
The smell does not linger very long and will dry odorless.
Pet odors
I remember reading an article in a magazine (First, I believe) that suggested removing pet odors with a white vinegar/water mix. After cleaning our carpets, I noticed that the house smells like Urine, thanks to our puppy. What is the ratio to mix and do I just spray it over the areas where he has his "accidents"?
Will vinegar clean grease and dirt spots on suade slippers?
I accidently spilled a spot of grease on my suade slipper and don't know how to get it out. Also, through normal wear dirt spots occur. Will vinegar clear these suade slippers?
I would bet not
You may have to take them to a shoe repair place. But I don't really know for sure.
Vinegar smell still there 2 months later
Since I last posted here on 4/14/10 it still smells like vinegar in that room. Today is 6/25/10.
That is a long time. Vinegar reeks something awful. Distilled white vinegar mixed with water does not work!!!!!!!!!
The stains only came out a little and now it stinks worse than the dog pee did. That's saying alot.
Don't use the stuff for carpet, walls, or windows. Certainly don't do a whole room with it. When you first spray it on the room is full of fumes that make you have to leave the room. It might be safer, but it is more over powering than other cleaners.
It makes you cough and then the smell never ever ever leaves. Find something 'green' that doesn't make your room smell like salt and vinegar chips. Those chips taste good once in awhile, but I don't want to smell it everyday. What a stupid idea to use vinegar. Take my advice.
vinegar smells in rental room
When ever I use vinegar to clean I squeeze a lemon in the bottle to provide a clean smell. Get something called FEBREZE TRUE AIR, get one for every wall in the room. Plug them in and let them run day and night with the door shut and open the windows for about 2 hours a day. That smell should go away.
This Febreze True air is an odor eliminator. It sucks the air in the room in, and then filters it and spits it out clean and fresh. No fragrances, but they may have the fragrant ones. THe filters last about 2-3 months, real cheap too. Take a spray bottle fill about 2 ounces of water then squeeze a whole lemon and spray it in there morning and night, covering all four corners of the room, vacuuming a couple times a week.
Vinegar smell in room
Thanks, I'll try that. I've tried febreze, but I haven't tried the plug ins. Thanks for the tip.
Vinegar Smell in Room
I think you should try an air purifier, one with a hepa filter.
I have not tried this to get the vinegar smell out of a room before, but I do know that they work for me whenever I need to get a cleaner smell inside of my house.
Best of luck to you!
vinegar
Another unmentioned negative about Vinegar in the Washing machine,that I personally discovered this afternoon. One of my neighbors asked me to look at her washing machine as it wasn't spinning when in spin mode. This same neighbor is,(or should i say was.) a big advocate for using vinegar in the washing machine.
She also has my wife using it in our washing machine. I removed the agitator on the 4 year old washer, and was suprised to see that the inner metal tub of the washer had totally rotted away were it should have been attached to the center spindle. Well, that explained why the washer would not spin. I have never seen this in a washer that,was only four years old. The acidity, and corrosiveness of the vinegar ate right through the inner drum of the washer. It will prove to be an expensive lesson for her ,and it compelled me to mention it on your site.
moderation
I would think it'd take a LOT of vinegar to do that--like, over-use. I used vinegar in my 30-year-old machine for 10 years and its metal was practically brand new when the motor finally broke beyond repair.
Then again, maybe they don't make washers like they used to.
Grease smell in upholstry
I bought a couch on Craig's list and when i got it into my home I realized it smelled like grease! I have used an obnoxious amount of fabric febreeze extra strength and still can not get the smell out. Any suggestions?
Grease smell in upholstry
For the grease smell in upholstry do not spray it with vinegar!!! It may not smell on the surface after it dries, but if it gets wet again it will smell like vinegar and what ever has spilled. Try using an enzyme cleaner. The same kind that you will use to remove pet stains. It has a pleasant smell and will also clean anything else that's hidden i.e. food stains. if there is actually grease stains try lemon, but be careful because it will take the color out of the material so try it in an inconspicuous place and let dry before using it. Dish soap like Dawn works full strength. Good luck!
Vinegar... natural is good
I've read with interest the various arguments and claims both for and against the use of vinegar as a cleaning product. It is certainly true that vinegar doesn't dissolve grease and it won't kill all bacteria. But that's a good thing. If we keep trying to kill all the bacteria in our environment we contribute to the 'superbug' effect (survival of the fittest) and at the same time raise a generation of people with weak immune systems who haven't had the opportunity to develop an adequate spectrum of antibodies. Getting sick is good for you!
Vinegar is not the be all and end all of natural cleaners but is very versatile, cheap and effective at many things. Add to you arsenal of cleaning products a large pack of baking soda. It scours, cuts grease and helps to zap out odours. I keep a flour shaker of this awesome stuff in my bathroom and kitchen. The key to keeping the oven clean is to clean it everytime it's used - just like your dishes, pots and pans. Don't leave grease to build up and bake on or you'll need a strong chemical cleaner to remove it! Hygiene 101.
vinegar in washer rinse cycle
I have read that using vinegar in the washer rinse cycle will damage elastic in clothing. Is this true?
animal pee and vinegar?
hellp curry stains on work tops and sink(white)
Vinegar smell made me want to vomit
HOWEVER, I stayed at a hotel in Europe and the smell of vinegar lingering in the sheets, pillowcases and towels was so sickening I literally gagged whenever I entered the room, I am not exagerrating. I couldn't sleep and complained to the front counter and asked to try changing rooms (who didn't care much and told me they are all full), so I was stuck with it. I literally had to hold my hand over my mouth when I entered the room. When I showered I felt like the towels will make me smell like vinegar all day. My hubby smelled it a bit but it didn't bother him, but my sense of smell is more acute then his. Today I got a shipment of cheap-but-cute tops I ordered on eBay and they reek of the same smell. It's disgusting. Don't risk offending guests in your home, hotel or business with the same sickening smell, even if your sense of smell doesn't pick up on it... Somebody else's might!
Is it just me or does the
Is it just me or does the person who is so unhappy with his/her mum and the cleaning powers of vinegar sound like a looney tunes who has been living in the basement a little too long? Sheesh. I've never seen anyone get so upset over a cleaning product. And if I were your mum I'd tell you to get off your lazy arse and clean it yourself!
The Mum...
Oh how I agree with you! I couldn't have said it better myself!
getting out urine smell
There is a product called Urine-Off that breaks down the urine molecule. I couldn't believe how well it works. If you've cleaned with various cleaners and you still smell urine, use a black light and you'll be appalled at what your bathroom looks like. It works on carpeting as well.
To mum vinegar
I'm not claiming that Vinegar
I'm not claiming that Vinegar is the 'Holy Grail' of cleaners, or even a disinfectant but when an Aunty of mine was working at the cement works, she would finish work to find that her car was covered with a build up from cement dust.. The only thing that would get rid of the cement dust was white vinegar.. So it musn't be too bad a cleaner if it can cut through cement dust build up! That said, if sanitisation is a worry for you, Methylated Spirits works quite well as a cleaner, and also works great for streak-free window and mirror cleaner if diluted with water and put in a spray bottle.
Pressed to use a non-toxic cleaner but........
lol
vinegar as a cleanser for toxins in the body.
I have heard that vinegar with water will help a person pass a drug test. Supposedly they did this in the army???? Is this fact or fiction??? If so what are the percentages.
White Vinegar/Water as a odour/stain remover for carpets
A few people on this post have commented on how bad the vinegar smells on the carpet. If they followed #3 in the above post and used a 50/50 mixture of water/vinegar then I think that is too much and IMHO there is a mistake in the ratio guidance for #3.
If the below noted recipe is any indication of how little white vinegar you actually need then most likely too much was used on the carpet.
Window & Glass Cleaner
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 quart warm water Spray Bottle
This means that this recipe is only 1% of the total volume used (1/100th). The carpet solution and washing solution is then most likely supposed to be only 5-10% of the overall mixture. 50/50 for carpet (as noted in #3 in the above post)seems like too much and would be for the washing machine as well. This seems to be corroborated further when #4 above says for "more persistent stains" to use a mixture of:
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp liquid dish soap
1 cup warm water
This % of vinegar to water in the overall mixture of this recipe is only 2% so, as mentioned, I think there might be a mistake in #3 in referencing 50/50 as the mixture.
Spray bottles
I scrolled through and couldn't find an answer to my issue. I use a vinegar/water solution on my wood floors. They don't streak and they look great. However, after 3 or 4 applications the spray bottle quits spraying. I've tried 3 different bottles all with the same result.
Any ideas?
I love it
I find it hilarious that people are stating it doesn't disinfect! It's alcohol! Apparently, that makes it a mid level disinfectant. The problem is, when people disinfect absolutely everything to death, they kill off the protective micro organisms, thus weakening their defenses against disease organisms.
Wait, what? Vinegar is not an
Wait, what? Vinegar is not an alcohol in any sense of the word. This is totally false.
I suffer from Copd
This is for the one who said the fumes from the vinegar left them coughing. I suffer from COPD so I can't handle the smell from most chemicals, because they make me cough and choke, but I am using vinegar to get red of some odors in my house and haven't coughed one time. True its not the most pleasant smell but it is going away as it dries.
Pure acetic acid is pretty
Pure acetic acid is pretty harsh stuff. A 5% solution will kill bacteria. I use a vinegar solution to clean my stove, countertops and appliances. It does remove the grease and no smell remains once the vinegar is dry. It is a volatile compound and dissipates when dry. I like using it on the surfaces in which we prepare food and use daily even though I use other cleaners, like Pine Sol for cutting grease on the stove hood or cleaning painted wood works, for example. Another fact, like dissolves like, so being that vinegar is an acid it dissolves other acids. If you truly want to disinfect something (which is not always the best idea) you have to use steam/heat (121 C for 20 minutes) or ethanol at 70%. Bleach will work but it must saturate the site for 10-15 minutes. The only time I worry about disinfecting something is at work when I'm working with dangerous pathogens. It is completely unnecessary to disinfect your home. It can actually be dangerous, leaving you with strongly resistant bacteria and no beneficial bacteria to combat it (bacteria fight off other bacteria, that's where antibiotics come from). We've evolved to live in essentially filth, so unless you have a specific medical condition, I wouldn't worry much about it. You might actually be surprised that you end up healthier.
Overflow hole in bathroom sink
My bathroom sink was very slow to drain, plus, I kept smelling a strong mildew smell in the bathroom. I removed all the pipes & the sink drain, scrubbed them all out and cleaned out the overflow hole from the top entrance (as far as I could possibly stuff the cleaning rag down through there), and from the bottom of the overflow hole, as far up as I could (very difficult, since it curves around), then reinstalled everything. The problem I'm having is, that overflow hole STILL WREAKS!!!
I've read above, about using vinegar and baking soda for plugged up, I think, garbage disposals, but, not sure what I should do to get that wreaking smell out!!! I haven't yet attempted using vinegar or vinegar mixed with anything yet, as I want to wait for suggestions.
Would someone please...please...PLEEEEEEZE, help me out here?
Thank you in advance!!!
Oops!!! One more question...
When using vinegar in a spray bottle, how long can it stay in the spray bottle, or should it be emptied after each use?
Thanks!!!
Vinegar & Water
Can a mixture of vinegar & water be kept for a certain time frame, and if so how long; or is it best to mix as needed?
vinegar&water
I mix as needed, don't want anything sitting around my kitchen for days.
to clean rubber before applyinh a patch
I am patching a rubber pond liner. Before applying the glued patch I sand the surface of the rubber to rough it up efore ap;plying the patch. Tbis is howw inner automobile tubes usded to be patched. In addition to this can I clean the rubber with vinegar? Will vinegar damage the rubber?
You can wipe it with vinegar,
You can wipe it with vinegar, but that won't do anything besides make it smell like a salad.
To bond a rubber surface, you need to remove any trace of grease on it. Vinegar is not a degreaser. Use rubbing alcohol.
Mold
I may have missed the topics above, but I was told
that mixing white vinegar with hydrogen peroxide will
clean mold from shoes and leather purses. Can anyone help me on this? Thanks
Cleaning Drains with Vinegar and Baking Soda - Volcanoes!
My husband, kids and I had a blast unclogging our sink by cleaning with vinegar and baking soda! (We even made a video of it). We made "sink volcanoes", a safe way for the kids to help clean. We've also used vinegar to clean our strollers. Love it!
vinegar smells
Ok, ok, ok...so i went out after reading all these great posts and bought my bottle of vinegar and a few spray bottles, and I have been dutifully cleaning my house with it.
My house STINKS!!!! And it doesn't go away, or at least fast enough for me. Any suggestions of what to add to this vinegar/water concoction to make it smell better?
My cats and i thank you.
stop dog peeing around house
Pet urine smell
Here's a solution I use for pet urine smells. Take an average spray bottle, 24 or 32 ounces, fill about 3/4 of the way with hydrogen peroxide, add an ounce of white vinegar, an ounce of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of dish washing liquid. Fill the rest of the way with water if you have any space left in the bottle. Soak up or clean up (as on non-carpeted floors) any urine you see. Spray the mixture on liberally, let stand for 10 or 15 minutes. If it's still wet (as on non-carpeted floors) finish drying it with your material of choice; like an old towel or paper towels.On carpet, you will have to soak the area of the urine really good and leave it until it dries. I've used other variations of this formula. Same amount of hydrogen peroxide, NO vinegar, NO alcohol, but still a few drops of dish washing liquid. This variation works better on thick carpet. Add some alcohol to this formula for thinner carpets. Here's what these different materials do: hydrogen peroxide is a strong disinfectant/oxidizer that will kill bacteria which is what makes pet urine smell. The vinegar being an acid of sorts will neutralize the ammonia in the urine. The alcohol will mix it all together and get it to evaporate faster AND is another disinfectant. The dishwashing liquid is a surfactant, in english, helps all this soak in by breaking down the surface tension of the liquid. By varying the amounts you can adjust how it works in different situations. If you can't stand the smell of vinegar, use less or none. Doesn't dry fast enough? Increase the amount of alcohol. A little at a time though, don't go overboard. Remember....everything in moderation!
Love vinegar!
Ingesting Vinegar
I love vinegar in most things I eat. I use it with fried or grilled fish and other seafoods, mangoes, green apples, etc. I even drink what is left in bowl that I dip these foods in. It does not hurt you. I am quite healthy. I am 66 years old, and so far so good, I have no health issues.
MEDICINAL USES
We use vinegar to clean & sterilize catheters and equipment for my son. My mother's family has used it as a daily dosage to help with arthritis. Recently after swallowing (too late) something that had gone bad, I drank pickle juice (loaded with vinegar and tasted better) to help my churning stomach and kill the bacteria. Felt better afterwards and no effects of food poisoning. We use it to clean colored tile floors also.
Amused by the room smell incident...
First off I do feel for the poor girl but her second post really cracked me up. She says when they first sprayed the room it was so bad they had to leave. Haha. I'd say this was clue number one that too much vinegar was used. Sounds to me like a classic case of 'operator error' more than a 'blame the vinegar' example. As for my use of vinegar, I first began using it to cut that mildew smell one can get if they leave clothing to sit in the washer for too long (silly me completely forgot I started some laundry, Ew). A SMALL amount of vinegar in the rinse cycle (I just splashed some in the bleach dispenser) is all it took and the smell was gone. I should mention that I have a very keen sense of smell. It is practically a party pleaser as my friends find it amusing that I can smell things nobody else can such as I can correctly name the deoderant Bob over there is using or the lotion Cindy used 10 hours ago. If you have a mysterious smell I can not only tell you what it is but locate it as well. That said, I now use vinegar in the wash regularly especially for towels as it will keep them softer and eliminate any nasty odor when the towel becomes wet (some of you may not be aware that your towels smell when wet but those of us with a keen sense of smell can promise you that your older towels do and we know it if we visit your house and use one). A small splash in the bleach dispenser is the answer, trust my nose on this one. I haven't used vinegar for much else ( the vinegar, baking soda & salt to clean sink smells is excellent and I did use this with MUCH success) but this interesting debate along with the actual scientific research done has convinced me to start. Just be warned that you need to use the correct amount and if it smells to strong then common sense says you've used too much. Then again I suppose common sense really isn't all that common...
Great for Fleas!
If nothing else can be agreed upon on this page let me say that the true thing I have found that it words wonders for is fleas on dogs. Mix a 50/50 combo of white vinegar and H2O and spray liberally on your dog's coat until saturated and then let to air dry. I have literally seen the fleas just fall off which is more than I can say from any retail flea spray.
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