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Vinegar Myths Debunked

Many people think vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner to keep around the house, however, it may be more harmful than helpful. The experts at Maid Pro reveal the truth about vinegar.

Vinegar may not be the best cleaning solution for your house.

Vinegar may not be the best cleaning solution for your house.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Myth #1 - “Vinegar is a great cleaner!”

Fact – Vinegar is an acid, not a cleaner. It has no detergents to lift dirt or dissolve oils. Vinegar may start as fermenting corn, but after all the distillation and other factory processes, it ends as a chemical.

Myth #2 - “Vinegar makes things ‘squeaky clean’!”

Fact – Historically, when people used to clean with real old fashion soap (made from boiled fat and lye), it left a slippery, alkaline residue that needed to be rinsed off. Adding acid to the rinse water helped remove the alkaline residue faster. Modern detergents don’t leave an alkaline residue, so there is no need for the acid/vinegar rinse.

Myth #3 - “Vinegar is a disinfectant!”

Fact – Vinegar is unpleasant for germs, but not deadly enough to be a disinfectant. Un-diluted vinegar, after a long soak, kills only 90% of bacteria and 80% of viruses and mold. When diluted and mixed with other soaps, vinegar’s germ killing properties get even weaker.

Myth #4 - “Vinegar and water is the safest wood-floor cleaner!”

Fact – On modern wood floors, vinegar is even worse than useless, it is damaging! Even when highly diluted, Vinegar’s acidity slowly ruins the floor finish, making it more susceptible to water damage and scratches! Since it lacks detergents, vinegar water also leaves behind dirt and grit making the floor scratch even faster.

Myth #5 - “Vinegar is a great bathroom cleaner!”

Fact – Only sometimes. Vinegar’s acidity dissolves the calcium and magnesium that make up hard water deposits and give soap scum it's’ crusty shape. However, Vinegar needs the help of real detergents and disinfectants to remove dirt and body oils and to kill bathroom germs. Be very cautious, as Vinegar’s acid dissolving power is dangerous for natural stone surfaces like marble, travertine, and limestone. 

Let the team at Maid Pro be the experts, so you don't have to be. 

This article is part of a paid Content Partnership with the advertiser, Maid Pro of Westchester. Daily Voice has no involvement in the writing of the article and the statements and opinions contained in it are solely those of the advertiser.

To learn more about Content Partnerships, click here.

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