There is no better solution for natural cleaning at home than vinegar. The benefits of this product are numerous: it’s multipurpose, cheap, environmentally healthy, effective and most likely you already have a bottle of it in your kitchen cabinet. The next question here would be what is the best vinegar for cleaning?
These days there are different types of vinegar on the market. They differ according to ingredients and level of strength. The best vinegar for cleaning is white distilled vinegar. It doesn’t contain a coloring agent so it will not leave stains. White vinegar is made from corn and it’s a clear liquid that has a 3-30% acidity range level.
In the paragraphs below we’ll have a more detailed answer to the question: what is the best vinegar for cleaning? We’ll answer FAQs and give you a clear picture of vinegar cleaning usage.
Contents
- What makes vinegar a good cleaner?
- What is the difference between cleaning vinegar and regular vinegar?
- How is vinegar used for cleaning?
- What can I mix with vinegar to clean?
- What can you clean with vinegar?
- What not to clean with vinegar?
- What is the strongest vinegar for cleaning?
- What is the best white vinegar for cleaning?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final thoughts
What makes vinegar a good cleaner?
The acidic nature is what makes vinegar a good cleaner. Vinegar acid allows the vinegar to remove dirt, grease, and grimes. Also, dissolves mineral deposits and kills bacteria. Simply, 5-6 percent of the acid is enough to make your home clean and shiny.
What is the difference between cleaning vinegar and regular vinegar?
There are many different types of vinegar, so when you decide to use it, first you need to answer the question: What is the difference between cleaning vinegar and regular vinegar?
What really makes the difference between kinds of vinegar is the level of acidity.
For example, industrial vinegar has 20% of acid and it’s dangerous for indoor use.
Regular vinegar (the one you usually use for food seasoning) has 5% of acid while cleaning vinegar has 6% of acid.
It may doesn’t sound as much of a difference, but bear in mind that cleaning vinegar is 20% stronger than the regular one.
How is vinegar used for cleaning?
Vinegar is a great cleaning agent, but you need to use it properly if you want to achieve the optimum results.
To answer how is vinegar used for cleaning, you need to figure out what you want to clean with it.
Whatever you clean with it, you usually need to mix it with water with a 1:1 ratio and then decide whether you will spray or pour it over the surface.
What can I mix with vinegar to clean?
In most cases, vinegar is mixed with water. However, you can use any other cleaning agent, like soap, or some other cleaning agent. It’s easy and simple to combine with any cleanser.
What can you clean with vinegar?
Vinegar is the perfect multi-purpose cleaning agent. If you don’t know what can you clean with vinegar, here are some ideas for you:
- Greasy stovetop – It’s great against grease and burned food remains. Spray it, leave it for some time and then gently scrub it.
- Sink – it easily removes all watermarks. Just spray it, leave it for a few minutes and wash it with water
- Floors – Pour it into the bucket of hot water and mop the floors, it easily cleans and kills all bacteria on your floor
What not to clean with vinegar?
Even though vinegar is a multipurpose cleaner, some surfaces don’t have a good reaction in contact with acetic acid.
If you’re a vinegar fan you may consider what not to clean with vinegar to avoid causing damage.
- Technical devices – Acetic acid can ruin the coating on the screen, so I recommend you to use a cleaning formula specifically formulated for devices or simply wipe them down with microfiber.
- Waxed Furniture and Flooring – Be extra careful when cleaning wooden surfaces with vinegar since easily you can damage the finish.
- Marble and Granite – Natural stones have a bad reaction to vinegar in the form of losing shine after several uses.
- Dishwasher and Washing machine – Acid in vinegar can make rubber in those devices weak or even break it down.
**Be aware: Never mix vinegar with anything that contains bleach. Mixing chemicals is a serious thing and vinegar releases toxic chlorine vapors when mixed with bleach.
What is the strongest vinegar for cleaning?
The strongest vinegar for cleaning has 8% of acid (Ex. Living earth), which is 33.3% stronger than most cleaning vinegars available on the market.
Almost all cleaning kinds of vinegar are purposely produced as a mixture of 94% of water and 6% of vinegar acid. White vinegar has 5% acid, which doesn’t look like much, but that is still a 20% difference.
What is the best white vinegar for cleaning?
There isn’t a unique answer about what is the best white vinegar for cleaning and it all depends on someone’s personal preferences, so I’ll present to you some of the most popular white cleaning vinegar brands available on the market.
Heinz All Natural Multi-Purpose Vinegar
- Safe, multi-purpose cleaner
- 6% acid guarantees effectiveness
- Environmentally safe cleaner
- Available in almost every supermarket
- Cost-effective alternative to other cleaning chemicals
White House Vinegar Cleaning
- All-natural product
- Comes in 64 oz bottle
- Refreshing lemon scent
- Safe for children and pets
- Food grade for safety if accidentally consumed
Stardrops White Vinegar
- Effective, multi-purpose cleaner
- Comes in 25 oz spray bottle
- Available in almost every supermarket
- Cheap alternative to expensive chemicals
- Completely safe for use
Windex Multi-Surface Vinegar Cleaner
- Comes in a 23 oz spray bottle
- Perfect for glass and windows
- Fresh, ammonia-free scent
- Safe for use and for the environment
- Bottle made of 100% Ocean plastic
Frequently Asked Questions
The most frequent questions related to the best vinegar topic are those which are showing interest in cleaning specific surfaces.
Based on our long-standing research and testing we came to the conclusion which vinegars gives the best results in certain situations.
What is the best vinegar for mold?
Regular white distilled vinegar with 5% acidity is the best vinegar for mold. Besides, killing mold effectively would be cleaning vinegar with its 6% acidity level.
What is the best vinegar for cleaning a coffee maker?
The best vinegar for cleaning a coffee maker would be white vinegar. For the best results fill the reservoir with the same amount of water and vinegar and put a paper filter into the machine’s empty basket. Place the pot and brew the solution halfway. Afterward, turn off the machine and leave it for 30 minutes.
What is the best vinegar for cleaning rust?
Same answer here. The best vinegar for cleaning rust would be white vinegar. In contact with white vinegar, rust reacts and dissolves. The best way to gain perfect results is to soak the rusty metal in vinegar for a couple of hours. Afterward, you can simply wipe rust with a cloth.
What is the best vinegar for cleaning windows?
The combination of 50% distilled white vinegar and 50% tap water is the best vinegar mix for cleaning windows.
What is the best vinegar for cleaning limescale?
All vinegar cleaners are effective against limescale, but if I have to recommend some of them, I would recommend some that come in a spray bottle. The main reason is that the spraying will help you to reach the most remote parts of your kitchen or sink.
What is the best vinegar for cleaning floors?
Vinegar cleaner equally effectively cleans and disinfects all floor surfaces. I would recommend the one that comes in big bottles, with a refreshing smell. Just add one cup of it to a bucket of water and mop the floor with it. It will make your home floors spotless.
Final thoughts
I unrevealed to you my little vinegar cleaning secrets. This is one of my favorite cleaning products since I can use it to clean multiple surfaces in my home and at the same time, it’s safe and cheap.
In case you have something to add or to ask, feel free to write to us. Happy cleaning!
