Cleaning vinegar is a great natural cleaning solution for many household surfaces. It is made from distilled white vinegar diluted with water to have an acetic acid content of 6-7%. This makes it stronger than the 5% white vinegar you find in most grocery stores.
Cleaning vinegar is acidic, which helps dissolve dirt, grease, hard water deposits, and other grime from surfaces. It also has disinfectant properties to help sanitize surfaces. However, cleaning vinegar alone may not be enough to tackle some really tough cleaning jobs.
The good news is that you can mix other ingredients with cleaning vinegar to boost its cleaning power. Combining cleaning vinegar with other pantry staples like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, and salt can create effective DIY cleaners that are safe for you and the environment.
Here are some of the best things you can mix with cleaning vinegar for enhanced cleaning and disinfecting:
Baking Soda
Baking soda is alkaline, while vinegar is acidic. When mixed together, they create a chemical reaction that breaks down grime and freshens surfaces.
To use, simply sprinkle baking soda onto a surface, then spray cleaning vinegar over the top. Let the fizzing reaction work for a few minutes before wiping away. The combination of baking soda and vinegar dissolves soap scum, mineral deposits, dried on gunk, and bad odors. It can be used to clean:
– Bathtubs and bathroom tiles
– Sinks and faucets
– Kitchen counters
– Appliances like microwaves, refrigerators and ovens
– Floors
– Trash cans
– Drains
The baking soda and vinegar method is safe for most surfaces. It provides gentle scrubbing power without harsh chemicals.
Bathroom Cleaner Recipe
To make a DIY bathroom cleaner with baking soda and vinegar:
Ingredients:
– 1 cup baking soda
– 1 cup cleaning vinegar (dilute white vinegar with water to get 6% acidity)
– 5 drops essential oil (optional for fragrance)
Directions:
1. Mix the baking soda and vinegar together in a spray bottle.
2. Add several drops of essential oils like lemon, peppermint or tea tree if desired.
3. Shake well before each use.
4. Spray directly onto bathroom surfaces and let sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.
5. For tough soap scum, let the mixture sit on surfaces for longer before scrubbing.
All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
Make an all-purpose household cleaner with baking soda and vinegar by following these steps:
Ingredients:
– 2 tbsp baking soda
– 2 cups warm water
– 2 cups cleaning vinegar
– 10-15 drops essential oil (lemon or lavender scent)
Directions:
1. Add the baking soda to a spray bottle and fill with warm water. Swirl to dissolve.
2. Add the vinegar and essential oils and shake well to fully mix ingredients.
3. Use the spray on countertops, appliances, windows, mirrors, floors and other surfaces.
4. Wipe down with a damp sponge or cloth after several minutes.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is another ingredient you can mix with cleaning vinegar for enhanced cleaning power.
When combined, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar work together to break down stains, whitens surfaces, kill germs, and remove built-up grime. The oxygen in hydrogen peroxide helps lift stains, while the acidity of vinegar dissolves gunk.
To use this combo, spray surfaces with equal parts hydrogen peroxide and cleaning vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes before scrubbing and rinsing. It can be used to clean and disinfect:
– Bathroom and kitchen surfaces
– Floors
– Tile grout
– Kitchen appliances
– Refrigerators
– Ovens
– Garbage disposals
– Children’s toys
Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar is effective at removing stains like coffee, wine, berries, and other difficult grime that cleaning vinegar alone struggles with. The hydrogen peroxide helps brighten and lift stains from the surface.
Whitening Cleaner Recipe
Whiten tile grout and lift stains from bathroom surfaces with this hydrogen peroxide and vinegar cleaner recipe:
Ingredients:
– 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
– 1 cup cleaning vinegar
– 10 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Combine the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar in a spray bottle.
2. Add the lemon essential oil if you want a fresh scent.
3. Spray the mixture directly onto stained grout or shower tiles.
4. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.
5. Reapply to stubborn stains if needed.
The longer you let the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar sit, the better it will work at brightening and lifting stains.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice adds extra grease-cutting power when combined with cleaning vinegar. The citric acid in lemons helps dissolve soap scum, hard water stains, mineral deposits, and other sticky gunk.
Mixing lemon juice and vinegar makes a nice aroma too. It leaves behind a clean, fresh scent after cleaning.
Some ways to use lemon juice and vinegar together include:
– Kitchen cleaner – Mix with water to clean countertops, sinks, appliances, windows, and floors.
– Bathroom cleaner – Removes soap scum, hard water stains, and mildew from tile and fixtures.
– Glass cleaner – Helps make windows, mirrors, and glass shower doors sparkle.
– Microwave cleaner – Removes stuck-on food and deodorizes.
– Tea kettle descaler – Removes mineral buildup so water boils quickly.
– Produce wash – Cleans away wax, dirt, and chemicals from fruits and veggies.
The vitamin C and acidity in lemon juice boosts the grime-fighting effects of the vinegar. It provides extra cleaning and freshening power.
All-Purpose Citrus Cleaner
This DIY all-purpose cleaner uses lemon juice and cleaning vinegar:
Ingredients:
– 2 cups warm water
– 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
– 1⁄4 cup cleaning vinegar
– 20 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and shake.
2. Use on kitchen and bathroom surfaces. Avoid unfinished wood.
3. Spray directly onto surface and let sit briefly before wiping clean with a cloth.
The lemon brightens surfaces while dissolving grease and soap scum. The vinegar disinfects while removing grime. Together they make cleaning easy!
Salt
Adding salt to cleaning vinegar creates a scrubbing solution for extra cleaning power on tough grime. The salt acts as a gentle abrasive to help scour surfaces.
Some ways to use a salt and vinegar cleaner include:
– Tub and tile cleaner – Removes soap scum, hard water stains, mildew, and gunk. Sprinkle on salt and spray vinegar over top before scrubbing.
– Cast iron pan scrub – Salt gently scours the pan while vinegar removes baked on residue.
– Coffee and tea stains – The salt scrubs away the stain while vinegar breaks it down.
– Pots and pans – Let pots soak in hot saltwater and vinegar to loosen burnt food before scrubbing clean.
– Trash cans – Salt and vinegar disinfects and deodorizes smelly garbage bins.
The coarseness of the salt combined with the acidity of the vinegar provides the scrubbing and grime-removal power needed to tackle stubborn buildup on surfaces.
Tub and Tile Cleaner Recipe
This salt and vinegar cleaner is designed for bathroom surfaces:
Ingredients:
– 1⁄2 cup salt
– 1⁄2 cup cleaning vinegar
– 5 drops essential oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Sprinkle the salt over the bathtub, shower walls, tile, or other surfaces.
2. Spray the cleaning vinegar over the salt. Let bubble for a few minutes.
3. Scrub with a brush or sponge, then rinse clean.
4. Repeat for stubborn areas.
The salt and vinegar work together to remove soap scum, hard water buildup, mildew stains, and dirt from bathroom surfaces.
Water
Though cleaning vinegar is already diluted with water, you can dilute it further by adding more water to the bottle. This creates a mild vinegar cleaning solution for everyday cleaning tasks.
Diluting cleaning vinegar with water makes it less acidic. This allows you to use it safely on more surfaces like:
– Finished wood
– Laminate
– Granite
– Marble
The mild acidity still shines and disinfects without damaging surfaces that can’t tolerate concentrated vinegar. Follow package instructions for proper dilution ratios to get the cleaning strength you desire.
All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
This easy cleaner combines water and vinegar:
Ingredients:
– 2 cups warm water
– 1⁄4 cup cleaning vinegar
– 5-10 drops essential oil (lemon, peppermint, lavender, etc.)
Directions:
1. Fill spray bottle with warm water.
2. Add cleaning vinegar and essential oils. Shake well.
3. Use on kitchen counters, backsplashes, appliances, windows, mirrors, and more.
4. Spray surface and wipe clean with damp cloth.
The water dilutes the vinegar to make it safe for everyday use on more household surfaces. Just shake well before each use.
Essential Oils
Essential oils like lemon, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, orange, and grapefruit can be added to cleaning vinegar solutions.
The oils provide several benefits:
– Add antimicrobial properties to boost disinfecting power
– Provide natural fragrance to leave a fresh, clean scent
– Enhance grease cutting abilities
– Create cleaning products that are safer if accidentally ingested
Use 5-15 drops of essential oil per 1 cup of cleaning vinegar. Citrus oils like lemon, grapefruit, and orange add nice fresh scents. Mint and eucalyptus provide extra disinfecting properties.
You can combine several oils together. Try lemon and peppermint or lavender and orange for pleasing aromas. Just avoid overpowering vinegar with too much fragrance.
Disinfecting Cleaner Recipe
This citrus vinegar cleaner uses antibacterial essential oils:
Ingredients:
– 2 cups water
– 1⁄4 cup cleaning vinegar
– 5 drops lemon oil
– 5 drops eucalyptus oil
Directions:
1. Add water and vinegar to spray bottle.
2. Add essential oils. Shake well to mix.
3. Use on kitchen and bathroom surfaces.
4. Spray and let sit briefly before wiping clean.
The eucalyptus oil boosts the disinfecting effects of the vinegar, while lemon oil adds a clean citrus scent.
Other Cleaning Vinegar Mixes
In addition to the common ingredients listed above, cleaning vinegar also combines well with:
– Dish soap – For extra grease-cutting power on counters, appliances, floors, etc.
– Castile soap – Gentle plant-based soap for an all-purpose cleaner.
– Olive oil – Polishes stainless steel and counters when mixed with vinegar and water.
– Borax – Helps vinegar cling to vertical surfaces like shower walls. Also cuts grease.
– Cornstarch – Thickens vinegar into a paste for scrubbing gunk on pots, appliances, etc.
– Club soda – The carbonation provides extra cleaning bubbles when used with vinegar.
So you see, vinegar is an extremely versatile cleaner. There are endless options for mixing it with other natural, safe ingredients to customize your own DIY cleaning solutions.
Experiment with different vinegar combinations to tackle cleaning tasks all around your home. The possibilities are nearly endless!
Tips for Using Vinegar Cleaning Mixes
Here are some helpful tips for using vinegar cleaning mixes effectively:
– Always test cleaners in an inconspicuous area first to ensure compatibility with surfaces.
– Combine ingredients in a spray bottle for easy application to surfaces.
– Shake bottles well before each use to mix ingredients.
– Applycleanersand let soak for several minutes before scrubbing and rinsing.
– Use a scrub brush, sponge, or cloth to gently scrub stubborn grime after letting cleaner sit.
– Rinse surfaces thoroughly after cleaning.
– Wipe surfaces dry with a clean cloth to prevent streaks.
– Use glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol to remove any vinegar haze on glass surfaces.
– Store unused mixture in an airtight container and label with the date mixed. Discard after a few weeks once the active ingredients lose potency.
– Never mix vinegar with bleach or ammonia, as this creates toxic fumes.
With the right technique, vinegar cleaning solutions can be very effective for tackling all kinds of dirty jobs around the home. Get creative with DIY combinations!
Conclusion
Cleaning vinegar is a versatile base for making homemade cleaners. Mixing it with ingredients like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, salt, water, and essential oils allows you to customize solutions for specific cleaning needs.
Baking soda adds gentle scrubbing power for bathrooms, kitchens, appliances, and more. Peroxide whitens grout and lifts stains. Lemon juice cuts grease and leaves surfaces shiny. Salt scours away tough gunk. Oils lend disinfecting properties and scent. Water dilutes vinegar for everyday cleaning tasks.
Experiment with different vinegar combinations until you find the perfect solutions to keep your home sparkling clean. Vinegar mixes provide cleaning and disinfecting power without harsh chemicals. Make your own eco-friendly cleaners today!