Vinegar as a Disinfectant

When you read the list of chemicals on labels of disinfectant products, it's no wonder that more people are "going green" and instead reaching for vinegar as a cleaning agent. Not only is cleaning with vinegar completely safe, it's cost effective and environmentally friendly. Vinegar as a disinfectant can be used for a multitude of purposes.

Vinegar in history

Vinegar has been used as a disinfectant for centuries.

• The Romans took it with them on their travels to disinfect drinking water and also used it as an energy tonic.
• In the Middle Ages, vinegar was used to ward off diseases and treat the bubonic plague.
• During the Civil War and World War I, field hospitals used vinegar to treat wounds.

Cleaning with vinegar

Vinegar can be used all over the house. Thanks to its acidity, white vinegar is most commonly used in the kitchen and bathroom as an effective substance for killing germs, bacteria and mold.

Kitchen use

Keep undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle, and using a clean cloth for wiping, use it as a general disinfectant.

• Any time raw meat or vegetables have been handled on cutting boards or countertops, use vinegar to avoid the spread of germs.
• If your taps are clogged with lime build up, make a paste of one teaspoon of vinegar and two tablespoons of salt and rub the mixture on the chrome.
• Clean and disinfect the microwave by mixing a cup of vinegar and a cup of water in a bowl and heating it up for one or two minutes. Food stains will have been loosened by the steam so that you can wipe them down.
• Make vinegar ice cubes and put them in the garbage disposal. Not only will the garbage disposal be clean and unclogged, the drain will have a fresh smell.
• To get rid of mineral deposit in you coffee maker, fill up the water reservoir with a few cups of vinegar and let it run through its cycle. Run two more cycles with clear water to rinse.
• Oven door splattered with grease? Open the door and spray vinegar on it. Let it soak for half an hour before wiping the glass down.

Bathroom use

Use vinegar in the bathroom to disinfect the toilet bowl and seat. But the use of vinegar doesn't have to end there.

• Give the inside of your toilet a facelift by soaking the bowl with several cups of vinegar. Let it sit overnight, then run a brush over the enamel and flush.
• To clean the shower head, mix a cup of vinegar with a cup of baking soda in a sandwich bag. Tie the plastic bag around the shower head and let it soak for an hour. Remove the bag and turn on the shower head.
• Clean and disinfect the bath and sink by wiping them with vinegar, then scour the enamel with baking soda. Rinse with clear water.
• Give faucets new shine by mixing equal amounts of vinegar with table salt. Rub the mixture on the metal and rinse with clear water.

Vinegar around the house

Vinegar is not just for disinfecting; it has other uses, too.

• Soak labels or decals on jars in vinegar overnight and the label will just slide off.
• Keep creepy crawlies out of your house by spraying windowsills and doorways with vinegar.
• To keep fruit flies at bay, put a bowl of vinegar next to the fruit.

You never need to buy a chemical disinfectant again. Once you start using vinegar, you'll see it works just as well.