Vinegar: Condiment, Household Cleaner, Environmentally Conscious Product, and a Natural Detoxifier

Yes, vinegar is a condiment and functions as an environmentally conscious household cleaner that also detoxifies the body. Who knew when most of us were passing up the white distilled 5% solution vinegar to go for the ketchup and mayo that such a simple and plain looking product that we ignored for so long was a versatile and indispensable staple? Vinegar is quickly becoming the popular choice of household cleaner, not just for the environmentally-conscious but for almost anyone who's interested in maintaining a clean home. Because vinegar isn't registered as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the legality details restricts it from claiming their miraculous results. Nonetheless, rigorous tests reveal that vinegar kills 99% of bacteria, 82% of mold, and 80% of viruses. It's a naturally acidic product that's known to break down grease, softens water and neutralize alkaline and caustic substances such as mineral buildup, whiten fabric, and reduce static. As you can see, there are clearly other cleaning products that can more effectively clean your home, but at what cost?

We have only one planet. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to do everything they can to make the world a cleaner, healthier place, but we can all contribute to make a small difference. And the incentive to use vinegar is really tempting unless you have mold, in which case I would encourage everyone to use a stronger cleaning product. Mold is very stubborn, very dangerous, and very harmful to your health, and the potential danger to exposure is greater than using commercial products with toxic chemicals. Back to the subject on hand, vinegar is so inexpensive. And according to The Vinegar Institute's Research studies, its shelf life lasts indefinitely due to its acidic properties. Unlike other cleaning products that are only a bargain when you're lucky enough to come across a sale and the products are still on the shelf, generic vinegar is regularly affordable and works just as well as the name brand stuff. You can buy a gallon for $3.49 at Safeway/VONS and use it as an all-purpose cleaner with some exceptions, which I'll specify soon.

Most all-purpose cleaners come in a spray bottle that holds less than a gallon and sell for half the price. I stock up on spray bottles at the Dollar Tree Store or 99 Cents store and fill them up with vinegar. Other people prefer diluting the vinegar with water to save money. From what I understand, that works quite well, too. I simply don't follow that method for a couple of reasons. As I run out of vinegar, I like to refill my spray bottle. I don't want to find any excuse to keep me from cleaning including, "I don't have anything to clean with. I'll fill the bottle up later." If I develop a habit of filling it up regularly, I'll feel compelled to clean so my efforts are paid off. Plus, if I poured in equal amounts of water and vinegar, it'd be hard for me to estimate how much water and vinegar I should add until I start to run out. And as I've mentioned previously, I want to maintain a good habit of keeping everything replenished and usable. I'm also hesitant to use my water as a cleaning agent because I have hard water. Vinegar is actually an ideal cleaning product in areas that have hard water. It softens the water and removes mineral buildup, but I don't like the idea of diluting vinegar with it because I use concentrated vinegar to clean mineral buildup by dampening a towel or pouring vinegar onto the surface directly. The last thing I want is to combat hard water with hard water.

Vinegar is a versatile product that can be used on most surfaces. Ceramic tiles is an exception to the rule, as vinegar can damage the glaze and harm grout. There may be other restrictions, but at the moment, I'm not aware of any. In fact, I recently learned about the rule with ceramic tiles on Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. Before that, I used vinegar to clean my ceramic tiles in the kitchen with success. Then again, my tiles weren't very nice to begin with. There are many ways to use vinegar, and I'll list them off, but it'll have to be another time. This entry is simply meant to promote knowledge. I'll be sure to explain why vinegar is used to detoxify the body, too.