DOES VINEGAR DISINFECT? – Find out!
Given the concern about the consideration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO)(1) and its rapid spread, hand sanitizer products have been sold out in most supermarkets. Correct hand hygiene and, above all, taking preventive measures can help minimize the spread of the virus. This is why many people are turning to home remedies or other alcohol-based products as an alternative to disinfect their hands.
Vinegar stands out as one of the options to resort to if we run out of disinfectant, but is it really vinegar disinfects? In this interesting FoxWiki article we clear your doubts and tell you everything about the disinfectant power of vinegar and how you can use it.
Does vinegar disinfect?: the answer
Topics Covered in This Article
Vinegar is used to eliminate skin fungus and sun spots. But really vinegar disinfects hands? It is a natural disinfectant for clothing, wounds or food and can help clean hands, reducing to some extent some germs, especially bacteria and fungibut its ability to completely disinfect hands has not been demonstrated, above all, its action against viruses such as the current Whuan coronavirus has not been demonstrated.
If you want help preventing COVID-19 or other infections, we recommend washing your hands with soap and water and disinfecting them with a hydroalcoholic solution such as antiseptic gel. We recommend that you also read this other FoxWiki article about Does alcohol disinfect hands?
Does vinegar disinfect clothes?
Yes, you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to disinfect clothes, mattresses, bedding, etc. Vinegar also has other benefits for your laundry and that is that, in addition to disinfecting, it removes stains from clothing, has softening power, eliminates residues that the detergent may leave behind and is beneficial for keeping the washing machine in good condition.
If you want to use the remedy vinegar to disinfect clothes, you just have to mix one part vinegar with one part warm water and soak your clothes in this solution. Let it rest for 30 minutes and rinse. This method is only to disinfect, not to remove dirt, so after putting the clothes in the solution you will have to wash them. If you only need to disinfect towels or clothing that are clean, disinfection will be enough.
Vinegar is also beneficial for clothes because it prevents the appearance of mold and mites, so we totally recommend using it when cleaning your mattresses and bedding. In this other post you can discover How to disinfect clothes with vinegar and other products and methods.
Does vinegar disinfect wounds?
That’s right, vinegar can be used as a disinfectant for wounds since it contains acetic acid, a powerful cleaner that destroys bacteria and disinfects. If you need to disinfect a wound, we recommend diluting the vinegar with water to minimize the acidity and avoid stinging of the wound. Mix a tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar in a glass of water and stir. Apply the liquid to the wound you want to disinfect and let it air dry.
Does vinegar disinfect vegetables?
The answer is yes. The acidity of vinegar acts by eliminating possible traces of pesticides that may remain on fruits and vegetables and destroys bacteria. For disinfect vegetables It is used, above all, white or apple vinegar and it can be used alone or diluted in water, at FoxWiki we advise you to dilute it since the effectiveness is the same and you will not need as much product. If you don’t have vinegar on hand and want to disinfect your vegetables with a natural product, the citric acid in lemon has the same disinfectant power.
To use this natural disinfectant you just have to dilute a glass of white vinegar in a liter of water. Add the vegetables or fruits to the liquid and let them soak for 10 minutes. After this time, rinse the vegetables. Here you can learn more about How to disinfect vegetables.
How to use vinegar to disinfect
Until now, we have told you that vinegar can be used to disinfect, but do you want to know? what type of bacteria does vinegar kill? Vinegar eliminates fungi, microorganisms such as bacteria, microbacteria, some viruses and other germs. For example, its effectiveness has been demonstrated against bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans. By having a acidic pH Located at 2.4 on the pH scale, it has great disinfectant power, killing 95% of the bacteria found on a surface.
At FoxWiki, we recommend using vinegar not only to disinfect fruits, vegetables or clothes, you can also use it to clean your home since it vinegar disinfects the floor. The advantages of cleaning with it are: cleaning, disinfection and shine.
So, if you’re wondering how to use vinegar to disinfectthe only precaution you should take when using it is to dilute it in water so that the acidity does not damage the delicate surfaces that you are going to disinfect. Use 250 milliliters of vinegar for every 125 milliliters of water and, if you want to give another perfume to the mixture or you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you can add a few drops of any essential oil.
What is the best vinegar to clean and disinfect?
The best vinegar for both cleaning and disinfection is one with a concentration between 3% and 5% acetic acid.
If you are going to use vinegar as a home remedy to disinfect or clean a surface, we recommend using white vinegar or apple cider vinegar since other darker vinegars can stain, if you use it to clean and its effectiveness has not been proven, if you use it to disinfect.
If you want to read more articles similar to Does vinegar disinfect?we recommend that you enter our Home Cleaning category.
References
- WHO: Opening remarks by the Director-General of WHO at the press conference on COVID-19 on 11 March 2020. https://www.who.int/en/dg/speeches/detail/who-director -general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—11-march-2020
Bibliography
- Mendoza, V., Cantor, B., & Félix, R. (2012). Effect of the use of acetic acid, citric acid and calcium hypochlorite to control Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and sweet chili (Capsicum annuum L.) (Bachelor’s thesis, Zamorano: Escuela Agrícola Panamericana, 2012.).
- Ortiz Uribe, NC (2017). Disinfection of toothbrushes inoculated with Streptococcus mutans using vinegar, chlorhexidine and cetylpyridinium chloride (Bachelor’s thesis, Quito: UCE).
- Ubillus Lombeida, C. A. (2019). Proposal for the manufacture and marketing of a disinfectant that does not contain chemicals, based on apple cider vinegar, baking soda and lemon in the city of Guayaquil.