Vinegar is really great stuff with many cool uses. Here are the the 2 best ones I know of.
Source: My own experiments. It works!
I am a big fan of natural, non-toxic cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar. My question is, can you use vinegar to kill germs? For example, would vinegar be sufficient to kill germs from raw meat on your counter? Also, I am assuming that vinegar is totally non-toxic - please let me know if this is not correct! Thanks.
Here is just one site I found that says vinegar kills germs. I had heard about a study that proved this a few years ago...so use it without guilt!!!
Vinegar is a wonderful cleaner; but, there are two options I would suggest. 1st: spray the vinegar on the area that you want and let it sit 5 minutes and wipe that off and then spray hydrogen peroxide and do the same thing. separately sprayed on they kill germs well. mixed together they are not as effective. 2: my recommendation and what I use, I add a tsp of tea tree essential oil to a sprayer bottle of about 1 cup of water. shake each time before you use it. Tea tree oil kills just about everything. Ecoli and salmonella. And it smells clean as well and you only have the one step.
Is vinegar sprayed directly on a laminate surface, such as the kitchen counter, and then left to stand for 5 or more minutes harmful to the counter top? It seems like it would be too harsh to use undiluted.
If you use a chopping board for all raw meat, (kept solely for that purpose - do not mix chopping boards for cooked and raw foods), you can wash it in very hot water with detergent and then just wipe over with vinegar if you want - but this should not be necessary as long as all food residue and fat is scrubbed off in very hot water. Allow to dry thoroughly following cleaning.
Regards
Jo
for mkymlp
I don't believe vinegar should hurt your counter top even if left on for 5 minutes. You do not need to use it full strength however. I would think 1 part water to 1 part vinegar would be a good disinfectant. If you know the manufacterer of the counter top you may want to google them to see if they have a website. Often they have cleaning tips or even a support number or email address where you can contact them.
Susan from ThriftyFun
Thanks for the info. I'm glad to know I can use the vinegar to kill germs. My countertops aren't anything special so I don't worry about harming them...maybe something like marble would be a problem. I've never had a problem with it damaging anything.
I work for a commercial cleaning agency and I found that using vinegar to rid indoor brick of a dusty appearance caused by soap residue seems to work best. However I would like to know is there a ratio of vinegar to water that can be used in over a 1000 sq ft area? This is simply to help with cost.
There are tons of uses for vinegar. From cleaning to killing weeds. Post your ideas.
Use vinegar soaks to clean dentures, rusted tools and faucets
By imaqt1962
Vinegar adds an amazing sheen to dark hair.....(similar to lemon juice for blondes) ....apparantley!
I use white vinegar in the rinse-aid dispenser of my dishwasher. My dishes are squeaky clean and my glasses shine.
A huge saving.
My showerhead clogs after a while. I just remove it and soak in vinegar all night . The next day its perfect and ready to go.
I use iron out in my laundry to get my whites whiter. I saw on this site about using white vinegar, does this really work and how much do I use?
What are some alternative uses for vinegar around the house?
By Holly from Lancaster, WI
A frugal and effective natural cleaner is vinegar. It can be used to disinfect surfaces, soften and brighten laundry, deodorize and much more. This is a page about cleaning with vinegar.
I have stopped buying expensive and fume cleaning products and have gone to vinegar for everything. It is the oldest, safest and most effective cleaning product there is.
After a nasty fall in my bath tub, I became extra careful to not have it happen again. My first idea was to always just throw a facecloth in the tub to stand on.
Here are several clever ideas for using vinegar around the house. Post your own favorite vinegar uses.
If you don't have any cleaner in the house, you can always use vinegar. It makes your floors shine and cuts the grime off your floor. It makes your house smell cleaner than regular cleaner.
I keep a bowl of white vinegar on my stove to keep cooking odors down. When a closet or room starts to smell musty or stale, I put a bowl of white vinegar on a shelf for a few days.
