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Annie B. Bond

Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs

posted by Annie B. Bond May 5, 1999 9:01 pm
filed under: Healthy Home, Non-Toxic Cleaning
Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs
59 comments

Vinegar is a mainstay of the old folk recipes for cleaning, and with good reason. The vim of the vinegar is that it kills bacteria, mold and germs.

Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar—thekind you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). He noted that Heinz can’t claim on their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since the company has not registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency. However, it seems to be common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully antibacterial. Even the CBS news show “48 Hours” had a special years ago with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good Housekeeping Institute that showed this.

Just like antibiotics, common disinfectants found in sponges and household sprays may contribute to drug resistant bacteria, according to researchers of drug resistance at Tufts New England Medical Center. Furthermore, research at the Government Accounting Office shows that many commercial disinfectants are ineffective to begin with, just like antibiotics.

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board, and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse, but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

More on Non-Toxic Cleaning (116 articles available)
More from Annie B. Bond (3220 articles available)

59 comments

59 comments

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59 Comments       add a comment »
Marion T.

For Mark Dixon: I was reading your problem about the damp clothes,I hope you find a solution,sorry I can't help but I would appreciate you keeping me informed.Good luck!

rf Mezzy

For Mark -- I have added Oxyclean to my vinegar/detergent formula when dealing with really mildewy towels. Try that.

Mark Dixon

I recently left some clothes in a damp basement for a year and upon my return the clothes all smelled moldy. I read all about vinegar and tried the following as my first attempt:
- Fill the laundry machine with clothes, water, and 1 cup of white vinegar.
- Let it sit for 1 hour
- Run the wash as normal
- Once finished, run the wash again with laundry detergent this time, and I added more vinegar for good measure.
- Dry the clothes and smell 'em.

After this first attempt I'd say I got rid of 80-100% of the mold smell, depending mostly on the absorptive quality of the clothing. Older, more well worn clothes retained the smell less than newer, softer, fuzzier clothes. I also noticed some little mildew stains on the clothes-- those didn't seem to be removed by the process.

So, I'm back online looking for a way to remove the remaining 20% of the mold smell. I might just try the same process again with twice the vinegar and twice the soak time during the first wash.

Has anybody had a similar experience? How much of your mold smell was removed by vinegar? Are there other natural products that I can add to the mix that will help me eliminate the lingering mold smell? I also recently read about boiling clothes. Anybody know if that works for mold?

Also, I've heard of people having respiratory problems from breathing moldy air. Does anybody know if it applies to folks wearing moldy clothes as well?

Thanks to everybody for their knowledge about this!

Best,
M

Jessica K.

I use only vinegar, peroxide and baking soda to clean my entire house, but I recently got new sealed granite countertops in my kitchen and was told since vinegar is an acid, it would ruin the seal. Does anyone know of any other natural disinfectant that can be used on sealed granite?

Marion T.

I suffered from arthritis,sciatica and have found rubbing Apple Cider Vinegar straight from the bottle onto painful joints relieves the pain.

Steve Harper

Hey I know of a two products that will clean the whole house. For the germicide [longer lasting effects than cholorine bleach] jobs-a different product quart bottle that will last a few years also at $17. The all purpose and window/glass concentrate takes an unbelieveably small amount of the concentrate when you mix it with water and costs so very little that it is less costly than vinegar and water mixes. One bottle is a supply of cleaning mixture for more than 15 typical jobs and it only costs $12. This one pint bottle will last 2 years or more in a home of 6 or more people, and there are no reactions nor any smells/chemicals or residue leftover. You don't need a garden to make this or even go to the natural foods store. Hospitals have used it to bath newborn babies and the ecology movement since 1960 has endorsed used and loved this product for all purpose general cleaning. It is made from corn oils and is all natural. It is not sold in stores. The company was the first world wide to be certified as "climate neutral". President Clinton, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, Green Belt Movement, Wild Dolphin Project, Jacque Cousteau Society, Whale Conservation Institute all have had very nice comments about the manufacturer/distributor of these products. Steve

Dayna Clawson

hola and namaste to all. i'm a massage therapist who just happens to know a little about essential oils. everyone here has super ideas, but one thing regarding essential oils: they will break down VERY quickly and will not work properly/at all if placed in a plastic bottle. i wish i had my list of sites for glass bottles handy, but i didn't think i'd be adding a comment. i do aromatherapy as one of my treatments for my clients, and one of the number one rules of working w/ essential oils is using glass bottles. AND, they also need to be coloured. the most popular being cobalt or brown glass. ok, that's all i had to add to all of this... i truely appreciate all these wonderful tips using natural ingredients, being that i'm quite the "tree-hugger", and i'm lucky enough to work for a chiropractor who believes in a lot of those natural ways also. i truely believe that i can help make a difference in this world for my child, and one patient/client at a time (being that i have a captive audience on an average of 30-90 mins! great for us! bad for the fda and gov't!!!). keep those tips coming!

Marion T.

I use a little vinegar when I do a load of washing (acts as a fabric softener),also when washing dark clothes where the colour tends to run I usually wash separate first with a dash of vinegar (it actually stops colours from running).

Susan W.

I use very little besides vinegar and baking soda. I figured long ago that those cleaning products that are so terrible to smell, can't be good for you. BESIDES, IF A PRODUCT IS SO POISONOUS THAT YOU ARE ADVISED TO KEEP IT AWAY FROM KIDS AND PETS, WHY WOULD YOU TURN IT LOOSE IN THE ENVIRONMENT BY CLEANING TUBS AND TOILETS WITH IT THEN RINSING IT INTO THE WATER SUPPLY?

Tanya Samuels

Vinegar is the best softener for hair you can find. Just pour some in a bowl of plain water and rinse. Your hair has never been softer!

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Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

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