Vinegar as a Cleaner

OH MY WORD!!! Vinegar with baking soda - DUDE!!! CLEAN!!!!

Lemon juice? WOW!!! Girl don't let the "modern society" make you think their sprays are any better than what God gave us - vinegar and lemon juice, baking soda, ALL OF it cleans and sanitizes WONDERFULLY!!! YOU GO GIRL!!!

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I use vinegar for everything. I just use different dilutions based on the job. I use a strong one for the toilets as well as for my counters. I also add essential oils such as tea tree oil, lavender oil and grapefruit seed extract. They all have amazing anti-bacterial, microbial, fungal etc. abilities. Take lavender for instance. Tests have shown it to be as strong as most of the synthetic anti-bacterial products on the market. And that's just a few drops.

You do have to buy the real essential oils and they can be expensive but a little really goes a long way. I just mix up my vinegar solution, put some drops of whatever essential oil I'm using for that particular job, and go to work. I love that it leaves a pleasing scent behind that's "real" vs. so many of those synthetic scents that are supposed to smell like the real thing but don't actually. Instead all they do is give me huge headaches so I rarely have anything with synthetic scents in the house.

My family is rarely sick. Usually if they bring something home, it's something that has already been making the rounds at the school so it was inevitable that it came home eventually. We have never gotten food poisoning. I have cleaned almost exclusively with vinegar & essential oils for 5 years now, since I developed the sensitivity to synthetic scents. Every once in a while, I'll splurge on Mrs. Myers product line. That is one of the few lines of cleaners that don't give me a migraine with minutes of smelling it and it leaves the whole house smelling awesome (we live in a tiny place so easy to do :D). But it's pricey so I still stick to my vinegar & water.

Oh, and I also love that I can give it to the kids to help clean and not worry if they or the pets ingest it. And yes, my wonderful children have ingested it. They thought it was cool that it was vinegar so they drank some of it. All they got were tummy aches and I didn't have to call poison control. I have the kids that if you tell them why they shouldn't do something they'll do it anyway to see if you're right. >.<

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I use straight white vinegar on kitchen counters and bathroom surfaces, including the toilets and floors.
Vinegar is a mild acid, which is why it is also a mild anti-bacterial.
I don't clean the counters any differently after cutting up chicken than I do after cutting up carrots. I spray them down with vinegar, wipe with damp rag, and call it done.

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I use it for just about everything. I don't know how well it kills germs. If it doesn't, I'm sure the germs are better for us than the dangerous chemicals in regular cleaners.

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I clean just about everything with vinegar. I don't water it down for things like the toilet. I just use straight vinegar - strong smell but works well. My cutting boards get run through the dishwasher as well - but so long as you use safe prep methods, you shouldn't have to worry much about salmonella. I know vinegar works well on mold and it is very acidic so it kills most things, so yes it will sanitize, just not sure about salmonella. Don't put your raw chicken on the counter so you don't have to worry about it!

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Look up tea tree oil as a cleaning agent as well. That is an antibacterial essential oil and is used for many things. Don't get me started on all the uses but I use it in a spray bottle at work to clean counters and other things in my esthetician room.

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vinegar kills 99% of bacteria and almost as great a percentage of mold and viruses. and it's completely non-toxic. i use vinegar and baking soda to clean pretty much the whole house, and also in the laundry.
khairete
S.

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Vinegar dries out the cell walls of mold and bacteria. The cells then shrivel up and die, much like a leech does when it is sprinkled with salt.

Hope this answers your question.

C. J.

I forgot to mention, vinegar needs to be left on a surface until it dries to work properly.

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http://www.household-management-101.com/uses-for-vinegar....
This might help. It doesn't say outright about cleaning up after chicken (salmonella!! EEK)... but does shed some light on the science behind using vinegar.

I also found this tidbit elsewhere: "Dr. Gerba said that vinegar is useful as a cleaner and has some antimicrobial properties, but it is not considered a sanitizer or disinfectant. For disinfecting, dilute bleach is still best."

ETA
As an aside: If you have granite countertops, be aware that highly acidic products can etch it. (Cutting tomatoes and letting the juices sit is a no-no.) So if you clean your granite with vinegar (which is highly acidic, which is what gives it it's cleaning powers), be sure to go back and wipe it with clean water to remove the vinegar--don't just leave it. It might damage your countertops.

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I use vinegar/baking soda/borax for everything...laundry, bathroom, kitchen. You would not believe how well it cleans and sanitizes items. You can use it for counter tops and around the toilet, the acid in the ingredients sanitizes surfaces.

My youngest son has two "dirty" jobs, one as a mechanic, and the other at an restaurant. Let me tell you I wash his clothes in only vinegar/baking soda-amazing smelling clothing. I also have a big 157# Great Pyrenees fluff ball who gets dirt on everything. I clean "his" room, removable blankets, and carpet with nothing but vinegar-you would not believe the difference in how clean the floors are. For example I bought an expensive floor cleaner solution ($20.00 a bottle) that was made especially for extra dirty floors, used it last week, did not work, went back to vinegar and hot water-you would not believe the dirt that was left behind. Vinegar is cheap and works well. I buy it in bulk at Sams Club.

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http://www.care2.com/greenliving/vinegar-kills-bacteria-m...#

I use vinegar and borax for my dishwasher and also laundry detergent.

Vinegar and water doesn't disinfect. I use Basic G, a disinfectant that is safe and cost effective. I also use it diluted when I wash my towels and sheets. It works great!

Be careful with the vinegar around carpeting, it will take the color out.

I only use vinegar to clean my windows and dishwasher. I wouln't rely on it to disinfect anything. I use clorox wipes for this part. This way I know that it is clean and safe for my family.

I use vinegar and water to clean my wood floors, every few months they need a real good cleaning. A bucket of warm water and a cup of vinegar shines them up nice and clean.

i only trust clorox and water sorry its the best killer on viruses and other germs

It does a great job on glass..but I can't stand the lingering vinegar-y smell! YUK.

I worked in bars and restruants and we used it to clean the tables chairs after customers left along with the counters and around the grills. If you can handle the smell of vinegar then its a really good cleaner. It cuts grease that is one thing I know it does along with shines.

I use vinegar for quick wipes and a disinfecting cleaner about once a week too. I use a disinfecting wipe on the outside of my toilet and comet in the toilet w/a brush.