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Baking Soda and Vinegar Together?

posted by Annie B. Bond May 9, 2008 6:00 pm
Baking Soda and Vinegar Together?
17 comments

Dear Annie,
I have been cleaning with vinegar for years. Now people are adding baking soda? Don’t they just neutralize each other?
—Shamana

Dear Shamana,
Yes, children are taught about acids and bases using baking soda and vinegar because they are opposites. They make a fun “volcano” with a heap of baking soda (mountain) and vinegar, which is added in a drizzle down the top, resulting in “lava.” When combined, baking soda and vinegar neutralize each other in a safe bubbly, hissing kind of way.

Baking soda is alkaline, a base, with a pH of around 8.1. Vinegar is acidic, and most commercial distilled white vinegars contain 5 percent acetic acid and has a pH of about 2.4. Neutral is 7.0.

There is one instance when I recommend combining baking soda and vinegar, and that is in the drain. Sometimes the bubbling and hissing in the drain when you combine these two is enough to dislodge hair and gummy buildup. (I recommend a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar.)

Otherwise, readers take note that when you combine baking soda with vinegar you end up with a neutral liquid that isn’t much use for cleaning.

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17 comments

17 comments

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17 Comments       add a comment »
Brenda B.

I use this all the time to clean my drains. The best thing to do is to let the solution sit overnight and then rinse the drain with boiling hot water. The hot water helps to finish dissolving any remaining build up. You may also need to use a plunger. Earth friendly and a lot cheaper than commercial cleaners.

Sueanne Juskowich

I really like this idea because it's a lot cheaper than already-made cleaners. I definitely plan to try it.

CRBrad
  • CRBrad says
  • Jun 23, 2008 6:33 AM

I used vinegar and baking sode to clean the black mold from the refrigerator seals and it wiped right off. It didn't lose its cleaning power for me with I poured together.

Brenda
  • Brenda says
  • Jun 22, 2008 6:59 AM

My dog sometimes urinates on my ceramic tile and keeps going back to the same place. What cleans this best.

Annamaria Szendroi

Sorry, I should have said they were mixed in a glass of water.

Annamaria Szendroi

As a little girl, my mother used to give me a drink of baking soda and vinegar for upset stomach. It is just like Alka-seltzer.

Pauline Mancini

I have a cleaning company and the only time I use vinegar and baking soda together is in the garage for gasoline removal....it works great! You pile a box on and pour on the vinegar. It may take a couple of days depending on the spillage. But it works. also eqoquest cleaning solution is the best ever. I use it for everything...do not use on high gloss paint...turns it day glow yellow! LOL

Jeannine Lewis

Hi i understood that apple cider vinegar has an alkalising effect when ingested, do you know if is this correct??
kind regards, jeannine

Ruth S.
  • Ruth S. says
  • May 21, 2008 8:38 AM

Is it possible to use the 2 ingredients in a washing machine to clean from scale and if not what do you recommend

Thanks

Ruth

Claudia V.

Well this is a surprise for me because in an old book of home cleaning recipes I found that we can mix a cup of hot water, a spoon of baking soda, a spoon of vinegar and a spoon of liquid soap to make dish wash solution, now I have the doubt, for me it works perfectly...

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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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