5KidzRUs Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I want to toss all my cleaners and go with Vinegar ... What is it about vinegar that makes it a good cleaning supply? What can I clean with it? Do you still use bleach? What about laundry, I make my own laundry soap already with the Dugger's recipe. What about hand soap and shampoo/conditioner? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 As I understand it, vineger disinfects. For a general surface cleaner, I just dump maybe half a cup of vinegar in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, and use that. For more scrubbing power, you can sprinkle on some baking soda. You can also add essential oils for a nice smell and additional disinfecting, but I've never bothered with that. I still use regular shampoo, but if you haven't yet, you might want to look into the no poo method. A lot of people swear by it. For my hands, I just use the ivory bars that we keep in the bathroom. You can clean pretty much anything with vinegar and water. You can even clean windows with a vinegar/water mixture, though it's a bit more streaky than the blue stuff. I've used this since my dd was born, and she's been sick twice, that I remember. In two and a half years. So it definitely kills the germs. If you want lists of exact ratios and recipes, just google "cleaning with vinegar" and you'll get thousands of websites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I keep a spray bottle of undiluted white vinegar. I use it as a surface and glass cleaner. I still use bleach for some things, because vinegar does not bleach out stains. You can use white vinegar in the final rinse of the laundry. It is supposed to relax the fibers some and act as a fabric softener. Some people put vinegar in a Downy ball. You can put vinegar in your dishwasher as a rinse aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Thank you for the excellent advice! It will be nice to get rid of all the poisons I have around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I just keep a spray bottle filled with vinegar and use as needed. Easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 You can alternate hydrogen peroxide spray and vinegar spray to thoroughly disinfect. You must let one dry before applying the other, however, or they will counter-act each other.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have a big spray bottle that I fill about 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water, and I add a bit of tea tree oil. I sometimes use baking soda for some extra scrubbing action. I have one bottle for the kitchen and one for the bath. I do keep one container of Lysol wipes in the house for if I'm messing around with a whole chicken or turkey or something. The container will last me 6 months or so. I haven't used body soap in the shower in years, and I promise I don't smell. I use honey on my face. One of the cheap little bears lasts me 3 months or so. I do buy an expensive, natural shampoo, but I only wash my hair every 5ish days, so it lasts long enough that I don't really worry about it. I use Burt's Bees hand soap. There is probably something better/cheaper out there, but I haven't taken the time or energy to look for it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I love vinegar for cleaning hard-water built-up on chrome in the kitchen and bathrooms. I put it in a baggie and tape it on the shower head, for the faucets, I sprinkle baking soda, pour on the vinegar and let it bubble then wipe. Vinegar does an amazing job on glass shower doors with soap / scum build-up. For those I use a squeegee and be sure to open a window for ventilation. I've also cleaned glass and mirrors, but you need to wipe with newspaper to eliminate the streaks. Since we don't get the paper anymore, I just use Windex for the most part. My hardwood floors look fine with a vinegar cleaning, but I prefer the shine stuff from the floor store. (It's all natural too, but costs a lot more.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I've also cleaned glass and mirrors, but you need to wipe with newspaper to eliminate the streaks. Since we don't get the paper anymore, I just use Windex for the most part. I use undiluted vinegar and a birdseye diaper for a rag, or a flour sack towel. The streaks evaporate away in a few seconds - they do not stay behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 We use vinegar here too, I wanted something I could use to clean without having to worry about kiddos getting it in their mouths. As for bleach, I don't use it because my ds2 skin get eczema when we do but I don't know that vinegar can replace bleach when it comes to whites in the laundry. I don't seprate whites :eek: so I don't know. I have gone the no poo method, I used baking soda for "shampoo" and then an apple vinegar (not distilled) and it worked great! I was able to go for a week without washing my hair. I started making my own conditioner and love it so I don't always do the no poo anymore but it does work great! I do have to say though besides vinegar I am hooked on Clorox wipes. I have them in the kitchen and both bathrooms to use here and there. I don't know that I could give those up! Hmmm unless I could find a way to make vinegar wipes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 We have used vinegar in place of fabric sofener for a year-I wish I had known about this years ago, it would have saved us so much money!! I know some people add an essential oil to it for fragrance, but we don't. Once you dry the clothes, there is no vinegar scent at all. I'm going to start using it as a surface cleaner also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Aaagh, I forgot to mention one of my favorite used for vinegar. I put it in a 2 oz spray bottle with about five drops of each of my favorite essential oils. I use this as air freshener. Each time I use the bottle, I shake it first to distribute the oil into the vinegar, then spray. It works great for stinky bathrooms, stinky trash cans, stinky messes in the dogs' room, and cooking odors. If you have a cat, research what oils you use. If I had a cat, I would limit myself to lavender, lemon and ravensara, as these are what our holistic vet approves. But since I don't have a kitty at the time, I also use pine, spruce, and fir oils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 You can alternate hydrogen peroxide spray and vinegar spray to thoroughly disinfect. You must let one dry before applying the other, however, or they will counter-act each other.... It is not necessary (not do I believe it is desirable) to use them separately and let them dry. They should be sprayed from separate bottles, but used one immediately after the other (while still wet). This combo makes one of the most powerful disinfectants there is and it is completely non-toxic. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 It is not necessary (not do I believe it is desirable) to use them separately and let them dry. They should be sprayed from separate bottles, but used one immediately after the other (while still wet). This combo makes one of the most powerful disinfectants there is and it is completely non-toxic. Bill Should the bottle of peroxide be diluded with water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have gone the no poo method, I used baking soda for "shampoo" and then an apple vinegar (not distilled) and it worked great! I was able to go for a week without washing my hair. I started making my own conditioner and love it so I don't always do the no poo anymore but it does work great! Would you mind sharing how you make your own conditioner? Pretty please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 As I understand it, vineger disinfects. For a general surface cleaner, I just dump maybe half a cup of vinegar in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, and use that. For more scrubbing power, you can sprinkle on some baking soda. You can also add essential oils for a nice smell and additional disinfecting, but I've never bothered with that. I still use regular shampoo, but if you haven't yet, you might want to look into the no poo method. A lot of people swear by it. For my hands, I just use the ivory bars that we keep in the bathroom. You can clean pretty much anything with vinegar and water. You can even clean windows with a vinegar/water mixture, though it's a bit more streaky than the blue stuff. I've used this since my dd was born, and she's been sick twice, that I remember. In two and a half years. So it definitely kills the germs. If you want lists of exact ratios and recipes, just google "cleaning with vinegar" and you'll get thousands of websites. But is vinegar alone really a disinfectant? What germs does it kill? Staph, salmonella, e coli...? I do use vinegar for cleaning, not jumping on anyone about that :001_smile: I'm not coming up with much evidence with a brief google search and I'm curious about using vinegar vs harsher cleaners as a disinfectant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 But is vinegar alone really a disinfectant? What germs does it kill? Staph, salmonella, e coli...?I do use vinegar for cleaning, not jumping on anyone about that :001_smile: I'm not coming up with much evidence with a brief google search and I'm curious about using vinegar vs harsher cleaners as a disinfectant. My understanding (but I don't have a source to quote here) of vinegar is that it does a great job of killing germs (doesn't exactly create a 'nice' environment for them to thrive, KWIM?) but it costs a LOT of money to have it registered as a disinfectant so no one has ever bothered to do so. You could always just spray 100% vinegar on a surface and let it stand for 10 minutes before wiping/rinsing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Should the bottle of peroxide be diluded with water? No. It should be used full strength. Likewise for the vinegar. Peroxide should be kept in a opaque container (light breaks it down). There are stainless steel sprayers, but the original brown plastic bottle hydrogen peroxide comes in from the drug store often takes a standard spray top. The two spray bottles need to be kept separate (that is you don't mix the peroxide and vinegar into one sprayer) but you do spray one on top of the other. This works brilliantly for food prep areas where you don't want toxic chemicals, or anywhere really as it is about the most outstanding disinfectant there is. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 My understanding (but I don't have a source to quote here) of vinegar is that it does a great job of killing germs (doesn't exactly create a 'nice' environment for them to thrive, KWIM?) but it costs a LOT of money to have it registered as a disinfectant so no one has ever bothered to do so. You could always just spray 100% vinegar on a surface and let it stand for 10 minutes before wiping/rinsing. The combination of vinegar with peroxide has been proven to greatly increase the effectiveness over vinegar alone. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 As I understand it, vineger disinfects. For a general surface cleaner, I just dump maybe half a cup of vinegar in a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, and use that. For more scrubbing power, you can sprinkle on some baking soda. This is basically how I use it. I haven't dumped all my cleaners, but I do my floors and counter tops with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) But is vinegar alone really a disinfectant? What germs does it kill? Staph, salmonella, e coli...?I do use vinegar for cleaning, not jumping on anyone about that :001_smile: I'm not coming up with much evidence with a brief google search and I'm curious about using vinegar vs harsher cleaners as a disinfectant. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753 http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Cutboard.html Edited January 16, 2011 by laundrycrisis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753 http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Cutboard.html Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We use vinegar (mixed 1:3 with water) for cleaning everything in the bathrooms except the mirror. I use a Norwex cloth with water for that. I switched to vinegar when the boys started cleaning the bathroom because I felt much better about them using that than a strong chemical cleaner. Dh or I still deep clean about every other week since the boys are not the best janitors. Don't throw out your old cleaners right away though. I found that for the tub in my kids' bathroom, I still have to use Mineral Shock. Vinegar, even straight, doesn't begin to clean the supernatural scum they form in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9713753 http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Cutboard.html Can anyone translate the first article for nonscientists? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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