Cleaning vinegar is commonly referred to as ‘white vinegar’.

Green cleaning is all the rage nowadays. Rightfully so, when using green cleaning products the quality of air in your home improves.

Do a little googling, and you’re bound to find cleaning with vinegar. It’s not a new concept in cleaning, as vinegar has been used for thousands of years as an antiseptic. Its acidity is what makes it a good cleaning agent, and that’s why it’s a good substitute for many cleaning agents.

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Cleaning Vinegar vs White Vinegar

Regular, white vinegar consists of about 5% acetic acid and 95% water. On the other hand, cleaning vinegar has an acidity of 6%. That 1% more acidity makes it 20% stronger than white vinegar.

The environmentally friendly cleaning vinegar is safe for grown people, pets and kids. This makes it the perfect choice for cleaning indoors, whereas white, also known as spirit vinegar, works better for cooking. Just to get it out of the way: apple cider vinegar can also be used for cleaning, but it’s brown colour is not recommended for laundry. Distilled vinegar is milder than white vinegar and will not be effective for cleaning.

Do not confuse cleaning vinegar with industrial vinegar. This product is mainly used to kill off weeds and contains up to 20% acetic acid. When it comes to cleaning, it’s usually used by professionals as it is really strong and requires protective gear.

Is Cleaning Vinegar Safe to Consume?

Short answer: No.



Long answer: While it only has 1% more acidity, cleaning vinegar, well, it’s made for cleaning. Always read the instructions on the bottle. Depending on the brand, some may have scents included, but most have a regular white vinegar smell.

Still, the more acidic vinegar you consume, it may affect your health. Vinegar prepared for the sole purpose of cleaning isn’t tested for any impurities that can cause harm to the human body.

Store your jug with cleaning vinegar in your cleaning supplies. Along with any impurities, consuming vinegar with higher acidity could lead to stomach problems.

Where to Buy Cleaning Vinegar?

Most local supermarkets sell cleaning vinegar. Like most products, there are brand names and generic bottles with cleaning vinegar.

There isn’t much of a difference if you’ll spend more money, as it’s just vinegar. There is nothing more special in a brand bottle than what’s located inside the generic brand one.

What can and can’t be cleaned with vinegar?

While vinegar is a great antiseptic and can help with cleaning mild stains, there are also things that you can’t clean.

You CAN clean with vinegar

  • Your Bathroom It’s safe to clean your toilet, sink, and tiles with vinegar. The antiseptic nature of vinegar will have a disinfectant effect in the bathroom.
  • Glass Surfaces Many glass detergents have vinegar in them. The reason is that vinegar is great for streak-free window cleaning.
  • Laundry Adding vinegar to your laundry is a very popular method to remove any set in odours.

You CAN’T Clean

  • Hardwood floors
    Because of its acidity vinegar is known to damage hardwood floors. We advise you don’t use cleaning vinegar for cleaning hardwood.
  • Granite and Marble
    Cleaning marble or granite with vinegar will make the material lose its shine.
  • Metal
    The acidity of the vinegar will eat through the protective layer of the metal including knives, irons and metal surfaces.

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Image source: Shutterstock/Pat_Hastings

  • Last update: April 17, 2020

Posted in All Articles, Cleaning Guides