Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs

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—the kind 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.

Read more: Home, Non-Toxic Cleaning

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Bob L.

5:29AM PST on Dec 10, 2012

Well, guess I've been using an overkill mixture of 50% vinegar! So far I haven't stripped the
paint off anything :-) Ok, so I won't be asked to do a "Hints From Heloise" post. What did
I know? !@#$ it Jim, I'm a Car Guy, not a Homemaker! (I'll cut it back to 20%)

December 10
send a green star

Elaine A.

11:44PM PDT on Oct 6, 2012

There is no better glass cleaner...No streaks, film just crystal clean!

October 6
send a green star

Annee S.

11:32PM PDT on Oct 6, 2012

Nevermind

11:30PM PDT on Oct 6, 2012

Deanne W. There is such a thing as Government Accountability Office... Might want to do some research and have an idea of what you are talking about before spouting off.

http://www.gao.gov/

Deanne W.

10:39AM PDT on Apr 2, 2012

I'm all for using vinegar as a household cleaner. It's effective, it's cheap, and it's environmentally friendly. However, there is no "Government Accounting Office" that deals in product testing. There is no "Government Accounting Office" at all, and if there were, they would probably be tasked with, well, accounting. Not product testing. There is a "Government Accountability Office", but they are also not in the business of product testing.

April 2
send a green star

Funguz A.

5:05AM PDT on Mar 27, 2012

Strep Throat is the NUMBER 1 killer in the Western Hemisphere.
One day, "It'll hurt if I swallow. It'll hurt if I swallow."
Next day, "He was such a sweet kid. Had his whole life ahead of him.(cries hoarsely)"

March 27
send a green star

Donna H.

3:23AM PST on Feb 20, 2012

Never knew it killed mould; thanks for posting.

February 20
send a green star

KS G.

4:25AM PST on Feb 19, 2012

Thanks for the article.

February 19
send a green star

Berny p.

2:09AM PST on Jan 9, 2012

GREAT ARTICLE THANKS!

January 9
send a green star

Pamela W.

10:17AM PDT on Sep 23, 2011

Shane my little brother died from a strep infection that went into his kidneys...strep can cause a number of illnesses from rheumatic fever to heart disease and kidney disease...Please find a free clinic in your area and go to the doctor!!