Condo Blues: An Easier Way to Clean with Vinegar

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

An Easier Way to Clean with Vinegar

Cleaning with vinegar converts know that a 5% acidity solution of white vinegar will clean and disinfect a countertop (although you don’t want to use it to clean a marble countertop – trust me on this one), deter a kitchen ant invasion, and kill mold and mildew in the bathroom.

Once I had the big Ah ha! Moment, I filled up an old spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water and got to cleaning. The Condo was clean but I wondered why it seemed that I needed to use twice as much of my vinegar and water solution to clean tough stuff like soap scum on my shower doors – my nemesis - than when I used other environmentally friendly cleaners.

The answer was right on the vinegar bottle. A regular bottle of white vinegar is already a 5% acidity solution.

Oh.

By adding water to the vinegar, I was reducing how effective it was as a cleaner and disinfectant. That’s why I needed to use twice as much vinegar to get the job done.

D'oh!

I solved the problem by screwing the spray nozzle of my old cleaning bottle directly onto the bottle of white vinegar. Now I’m cleaning more effectively with my 5% white vinegar solution (of course I but the empty bottle in my recycling bin.)


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And before you ask, no, The Condo doesn’t smell like pickles either.



5 comments :

Colette S said...

Well shoot. Thanks for telling me! I've been putting water in it the whole time too!

Thanks.

Kristin - The Goat said...

I love a great idea. Putting the spray head right on the bottle is just a teeeny bit of genius. Knowing that a 5% solution cleans and disinfects is pure genius.

I didn't know either of those things. I just use hot soapy water most of the time.

My WFMW post this week is about keeping drinks cold.
Have a great week!
Kristin (The Goat)

Chris P said...

We use vinegar to clean our wood floors.

To get the "pickle smell", add some dried dill and garlic to the vinegar between cleanngs. :)

jdc said...

a baking soda + water paste on soap scum, before vinegar spray will help take that scum right off

Rebecca said...

Thanks, as always, for a great post! Why not good for marble countertops?

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