Clean Green: Unlock the Power of Cleaning Vinegar for a Sparkling Home
Cleaning vinegar is a natural ingredient that can be used to clean many items and surfaces around the house. While there are many types of vinegar used for cooking and salad dressings (red, white, champagne, balsamic, rice, apple cider, to name a few), cleaning vinegar is an entirely different product that's made specifically for household cleaning and should never be consumed. If you would like to move away from commercial cleaning products filled with chemicals, then consider this as an alternative. Here's everything you need to know about cleaning vinegar and how to use it all over the house—plus a few items you should never clean with vinegar.
What Is Cleaning Vinegar?
All kinds of vinegar contain acid that brings brightness to foods or helps in food preservation. Distilled white vinegar is often used for cleaning because it is colorless and contains about 5 percent acetic acid.
Cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar are made in the same way—by fermenting alcohols distilled from corn or grains. Microorganisms (bacteria) process the alcohol into acetic acid and water, or vinegar. Cleaning vinegar contains around 6 percent acid, which actually makes it 20 percent stronger than distilled white vinegar.
You can find cleaning vinegar in the cleaning products aisle at grocery stores. If using undiluted cleaning vinegar, wear gloves to protect your hands from irritation. Do not confuse cleaning vinegar with industrial vinegar. Industrial vinegar contains 20 percent acetic acid, releases strong fumes, and can permanently damage the surfaces of floors and kitchen counters.
While cleaning vinegar can be combined with some other cleaners, like dishwashing liquid, never mix cleaning vinegar and chemical cleaners. When combined, cleaning vinegar and chlorine bleach produce toxic fumes.
6 Things You Should Never Clean With Vinegar
Even though cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar are excellent cleaning supplies, their acidic properties could damage some surfaces.
- Electronics
- Natural Stone Countertops and Flooring
- Cast Iron
- Stainless Steel Kitchen Knives and Appliances
- Waxed and Unfinished Wood Surfaces
- Rubber Gaskets and Hoses
Can You Cook With Cleaning Vinegar?
You should absolutely never cook with or consume cleaning vinegar. Most cleaning vinegar has a warning label on the packaging. Unlike cooking vinegar, it may not be tested for impurities that can be dangerous to the human body. To avoid any confusion or accidents, store your cleaning vinegar with other cleaning supplies and not with the food products in your pantry. Make sure cleaning vinegar and cleaning vinegar solutions are always clearly labeled so
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