What does vinegar react badly with?
Mixing bleach and vinegar creates a harmful chemical reaction that releases chlorine gas.
Cleaning vinegar or white vinegar – not apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar – is most commonly chosen for cleaning. However, it's important to remember that while vinegar does work as a disinfectant to some degree, it is not as effective as bleach or commercial cleansers when it comes to killing germs.
The same acid content that can provide health benefits can also have damaging effects on your oral health. Vinegar can be as much as 7% acetic acid, which can cause serious dental damage. Acids carry away the minerals in your teeth, weakening enamel and potentially leading to cavities and other problems.
Vinegar and baking soda produce that oh-so-familiar chemical reaction that powers through buildup and loosens tough stains. While it might seem like it's chewing its way through grime, it's not powerful enough to damage the porcelain finish of the toilet bowl.
It's also important to mix vinegar with other ingredients carefully. “Never mix vinegar with other cleaning products like bleach or ammonia or those 'blue' window cleaning products [like Windex], because they can create dangerous chlorine gas,” Gayman says.
- Kitchen Sink. Use a 1:1 ratio of diluted vinegar and water and store it in a spray bottle. ...
- Floors. ...
- Greasy Stovetop. ...
- Sheet Pans. ...
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans. ...
- Enamel Pots and Pans. ...
- Microwave. ...
- Coffee Makers and Tea Kettles.
Washing machine
Just as it does in a dishwasher, vinegar can harm rubber parts inside a washing machine, which will eventually lead to leaks. Though laundering your clothes with vinegar is a cost-effective, natural way to soften and deodorize fabrics, avoid using it in your washer too frequently.
Yes, it looks rather grungy and scary, floating on the top of the vinegar like that, but this spongy mass of bacteria is completely harmless.
Unless you use a lot of vinegar for cleaning and gardening, there's a much better option to keep on hand. For average homeowners, distilled white vinegar is the best vinegar for cleaning around the house. The 5 percent acidity is powerful enough to cut through tough grime and dirt but presents few health concerns.
First, both ingredients are excellent at dissolving tough grime. However, vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, while dish soap is too thick to use as a spray. But when you mix them together, you get an effective, sprayable cleaner that sticks to any surface!
What happens if you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?
Before going further, we have to warn you: adding vinegar or baking soda to the wash along with your laundry detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning performance, as detergents are optimized for a specific pH level, which is altered by the presence of these two household additives in the wash.
Important caveat: If you do choose to use vinegar as a cleaning agent, never mix it with bleach, ammonia, or hydrogen peroxide because any of these mixtures will create toxic gases.
Never leave stainless steel to soak in solutions that contain chlorine, vinegar, or table salt, as long-term exposure to these can damage it.
Won't stain clothing
Vinegar doesn't usually stain clothes, but it is acidic, so you shouldn't pour it directly onto clothing without first diluting it. If you don't have a laundry detergent compartment in your washing machine, mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with a cup of water before pouring it onto your clothing.
Yes, vinegar can harm aluminum. Vinegar is acidic in nature. If you allow the vinegar to sit on your aluminum without rinsing for extended periods of time, it can cause further damage and corrosion to aluminum.
Vinegar could dry out the dishwasher's rubber parts and cause them to crack and leak. Not only will this be an annoying and potentially costly repair, but you could end up with a kiddie pool for a kitchen.
