Cleaning
Sakshi Khaitan
Vinegar is a versatile cleaning tool that can work wonders around your home. Produced by fermenting alcohol with acetic acid bacteria, the acid content of this multipurpose cleaner can help you get rid of stains, clean and disinfect dirty surfaces, and repel pests. The best part, though? It’s eco-friendly, non-toxic, and cheaper than regular cleaning products. Moreover, its antimicrobial properties will let you remove harmful bacteria and pathogens, like E.coli, along with mold and mildew from your house. However, out of all the kinds of vinegar out there, it can be slightly confusing and challenging to choose the one that’s ideal for cleaning.
If you’re looking for a cleaner that would work on multiple surfaces and let you get rid of stubborn deposits without being too harsh on them, distilled white vinegar is the best choice. But what about other vinegar types, such as apple cider, balsamic, cleaning, industrial, white vine, and more, that can be used for cleaning purposes, too?
Why popular vinegar types are not ideal for cleaning
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To understand why white vinegar is the best type for cleaning, it’s essential to learn more about its counterparts. Perhaps its most well-known counterpart, apple cider vinegar, is produced by fermenting apple juice. Its acidity level ranges between 6% to 8%, depending on its potency. Although it can be used for cleaning windows, toilets, and other surfaces, this vinegar type might leave stains behind. Balsamic vinegar contains 6% to 7% acetic acid. It can be used for cleaning, but its characteristic brown color usually stains the surface.
Like distilled white vinegar, white wine vinegar is about 5% acidic but only suitable for gentle cleaning tasks. Rice vinegar is another vinegar that can be used for cleaning. However, since it’s milder than white vinegar, it’s not suitable for deep cleaning. In comparison, cleaning vinegar is 94% water and 6% acetic acid and is a perfect solution for deep cleaning your home. But — since it’s 20% stronger than white vinegar – it has a more potent smell and might be too harsh on some surfaces. Alternatively, industrial vinegar, as the name suggests, is more suited to industrial cleaning than home, since they’re the most potent.
White vinegar for the win
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Distilled white vinegar is the ideal choice since other popular vinegar types are either too mild, harsh, or leave stains behind. As it’s 95% water and only 5% acetic acid, it can assist you in eliminating grease and grime buildup from multiple surfaces and appliances. Moreover, it doesn’t stain your surfaces and is cheaper than other vinegar types. It can be easily combined with other powerful cleaning agents like baking soda to let you clean almost all rooms in your home.
You can also combine distilled white vinegar with dishwashing liquid to create an all-purpose cleaner that will allow you to clean your kitchen, wash your windows, and even remove soap scum from your bathtub and bathroom. Further, this environment-friendly vinegar is biodegradable and won’t poison the waterways as it goes down the drain. Though its strong odor might be a matter of concern to some, the smell evaporates comparatively quickly and isn’t toxic like conventional, store-bought cleaners.
