HOUSEHOLD: Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs (TIPS, HINTS)

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Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold and Germs

Adapted from the " Care2 Ask Annie " newsletter.

 

Vinegar is a mainstay of the old folk recipes for cleaning, and with

good reason. The vim of the vinegar is that it kills bacteria, mold, and

germs.

 

Heinz company spokesperson Michael Mullen references numerous studies to

show that a straight 5 percent solution of vinegar - such as you can buy

in the supermarket - kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold,

and 80 percent of germs (viruses). He noted that Heinz can't claim on

their packaging that vinegar is a disinfectant since the company has not

registered it as a pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA). However, it seems to be common knowledge in the industry that

vinegar is powerfully antibacterial. Even the CBS news show 48 Hours had

a special last December with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good

Housekeeping Institute that showed this.

 

Just like antibiotics, common disinfectants found in sponges and

household sprays may contribute to drug resistant bacteria, according to

researchers of drug resistance at Tufts New England Medical Center.

Furthermore, research at the Government Accounting Office shows that

many commercial disinfectants are ineffective to begin with, just like

antibiotics.

 

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your

kitchen near your cutting board, and in your bathroom, and use them for

cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to

bed at night, and don't even rinse, but let it set overnight. The smell

of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great

for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

 

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