Vinegar, A natural Cleaner

Vinegar is natural products that you can literally consume. Not just edible but good for you! Although, I do not recommend drinking this cleaner, that would be gross. There are also different types of vinegar, and some are better to consume with and other better to clean with… Cleaning vinegar is the best choice for cleaning due to it being high in acetic acid, white vinegar is second best. I would not use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar to clean with. Those vinegar’s are best cooking with.

Is Cleaning with Alcohol Natural?

Rubbing Alcohol (or isopropyl alcohol) is a super powerful disinfectant yet it is a synthetic product. Although alcohol is the natural occurrence of certain fermenting sugars, Rubbing Alcohol is not made the same way. It is man made through a chemical process involving petroleum derivatives. In order to find out more on how its made visit BiologyInsights.com. Rubbing Alcohol is extremely toxic to drink, but not to touch. With long exposure it can cause skin dryness and irritation.

Although Rubbing Alcohol is not as safe or natural as vinegar it is still considered a safe cleaning product. Rubbing Alcohol is not as toxic or cancer causing as other commercial cleaners and household cleaners ingredient are. Just to name a few… Phthalates are known to cause hormonal issues such as low sperm count, birth defects and reproductive cancer. Sodium Hydroxide is really bad for your skin and can causes respiratory damage. Formaldehyde can cause asthma or throat and nasal cancer. The toxic elements of these cleaners are major concerns for me. You can find out more about these and other cleaning products ingredients you may want to avoid at thegoodnesswell.com. 

If you don’t feel comfortable using rubbing alcohol in your natural DIY cleaners there’s good news! You don’t have too! Vinegar can stand on its own or can be pared with antibacterial essential oils or lemon oils from lemon rinds. To learn more about making lemon vinegar from your lemon rinds check out my post on Lemon Vinegar Cleaner.

How to make All purpose cleaner with Vinegar and rubbing alcohol

Its really very simple. In order to make your cleaner mix together 2 part water, 1 part rubbing alcohol 1 part vinegar into a glass spray bottle. That’s it!  

This ratio is even adjustable. I often use a 1:1:1 ration when making my cleaner, especially when cleaning the bathrooms and both version work great. Now, be aware that not enough vinegar or rubbing alcohol wont keep things as clean and too much can cause some damage to paint, wood and sometimes plastics.

add essential oils

If you want to make a great smelling and extra cleaning strength then add a few drops of essential oil to your cleaner. Add 15-25 drops of your preferred essential oil to your 16 oz glass spray bottle. For more effective recipes you can read more about using essential oils in your cleaning products here. Some great essential oils to use for cleaning are Tea Tree Oil, Lemon, Orange, Eucalyptus, Thieves, On-Guard and so many more. My favorite blends are Thieves and Tea Tree Oil.

add citrus rinds

I you don’t have essential oil you can also make your own citrus cleaner by soaking lemon, orange, lime or grapefruit rinds in a jar full of vinegar for 2 weeks or adding 1/2 a cup of lemon juice. The vinegar will start to brake down and mix with the de-greasing oils and antibacterial properties of the citrus making a powerful cleaner. Then use that vinegar in your cleaning solution. To read more details on making your own citrus vinegar cleaning here.

Are Homemade cleaning products cheaper?

Lets do some math…
-1/4 gallon, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Spray, Lemon Breeze Scent, 32oz – $3.97, $1.98 per 16 oz bottle.
-DoTERRA’s Multi-Purpose On Guard Cleaner Concentrate 12 oz, makes about 9, 16 oz spray bottles, $24 $2.67 per 16 oz bottle
-1.5 gallons, Homemade Vinegar All-Purpose Cleaner – Cleaning Vinegar 64oz, $2.62 + Rubbing Alcohol 91%, 32oz, $3.98 (x2) + On Guard Essential Oils, DoTERRA, 15ml $52OR Revive 30ml $28. TOTAL (with revive) is $38.58 at check out. 64oz of vinegar, 64oz of rubbing alcohol, 64oz water makes 12, 16oz spray bottles. When using 15 drops of oil per 16 oz spray bottle the total comes to about $1.78 per 16 oz bottle.

30ml of essential oil is approximately 500 drops. That is about 6 cents per drop. 15 drops per 16 oz spray bottle comes to 90 cents per bottle.

So yeah, this homemade cleaner is pretty cheap compared to most store-bought cleaners.

Vinegar and rubbing alcohol Cleaner is a Antibacterial Disinfectant

Vinegar is very strong acid creating a hostile environment for bacteria making them inactive but not always killing the germs… There’s a lot of different thoughts on this. We are all taught and know that there are good germ and bad germs but its not always easy to know when to kill germs and when to embrace them. 

If just using vinegar as a cleaner then clean is what you get. If you want to kill germs and disinfect you will need to add the rubbing alcohol. It is the the alcohol that disinfects. Disinfectants kills all germs both good and bad. A good cleaner remove dirt, debris, grime and germs on the surface level, making most germs inactive but does not kill them. Cleaners make it so germs don’t grow. Disinfectants will make them go away completely. So for best results in making a disinfectant with safe ingredients is to add a rubbing alcohol to your own cleaners.

FAQ

Can I use any vinegar to clean with?

There are lots of different types of vinegar and not all of them are ideal for cleaning. However, cleaning Vinegar, or distilled white vinegar are you two best vinegar for cleaning. I personally wouldn’t use Apple Cider Vinegar, or Rice Vinegar, or any other cooking vinegar for cleaning with.

What is NOT safe to clean with vinegar?

Vinegar is an all purpose spray cleaner but there are a few things to avoid cleaning with vinegar. 

• Natural Stone. The acid in the vinegar can cause pitting in natural stones like Marble or Granite. 
• Grout. Vinegar can cause deterioration of grout. 
• Stainless Steal. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting the the steal. 
• Waxed or unfinished wood should not have full strength vinegar but diluted is fine. The vinegar can cause discoloration if full strength. 
• Cast Iron. Again, the vinegar can cause pitting.  
• TV’s, Computers or other screen as the vinegar will take off the anti glare coating. 
• Rubber. Rubber with lots of exposure to vinegar will start to deteriorate. A little here and there wont hurt it too badly. 
• Hardwood Floors. Vinegar can dissolve the finish on the hardwood. For hardwood I suggest Murphy’s Oil Soup

What is safe to clean with vinegar?

• Glass, windows and mirrors. Mix a little rubbing alcohol for with the vinegar and you will get a quick dry, streak free cleaning. Toilet. For a deep clean you can put 2 cup of vinegar in your toilet and let sit for 2-3 hours. Clean with a toilet brush to help remove/prevent hard water lines and odor. Dust a bit of baking soda on the floor around the toilet and let sit for 20 minutes or longer spray with your vinegar cleaner let it bubble and do its work then wipe up.
• Bath/Showers. Your vinegar helps prevent and remove watermarks as well as preventing mildew. Use your cleaner for weekly wiping down of your shower and bathtubs. For deeper cleaning use undiluted vinegar. 
• Faucets. If you have hard water cleaning your faucets with vinegar is almost a must. The hard water build up can ruin your new faucets and daily or weekly cleaning with vinegar can prevent hard water build up to keep your faucets clean.
• Dirty Floors. Except hardwood floors or waxed floors. All other floors are safe for cleaning with vinegar.
• Dishwasher. Again, keep your dishwasher safe from hard water build up and crud with vinegar. 
• Appliances.
• Microwave, stove tops, oven, refrigerator etc, vinegar is a great cleaner for these appliances. I also have such a peace of mind cleaning around my food with a safe, natural cleaner. 
• Laundry. A miraculous deodorizer for your clothes, sheets, rags is adding vinegar to washing your laundry. Just be sure to not mix bleach and vinegar in the same load. 
• Coffeemakers. Run equal parts of vinegar and water through your coffee maker for a good cleaning. 
• Wood. If you want to clean natural wood with vinegar add an equal part of olive oil to your vinegar.
• Carpets and Upholstery. Spot clean you carpets with with vinegar. The profession carpet cleaner we use at our church told me to use vinegar for coffee spill and hot water and dish soup for sugar based spills (soda, lemonade).

What is NOT safe to clean with rubbing alcohol?

Here are a few things to look out for when cleaning with rubbing alcohol.

• Natural Stone. The alcohol can remove protective laying making it more porous and prone to stains and scratches.
• Painted or Finished Wood. A diluted cleaner should not do much or any real damage to the finish or paint but straight alcohol will strip some of the finish or paint off of your wood.
• Leather. Dries out, causing cracks and discoloration.
• Delicate Fabrics. Shrinks or discolors materials
• Rubber. Rubber with lots of exposure to rubbing alcohol will start to deteriorate. A little here and there wont hurt it too badly.
• Hardwood Floors. Vinegar can dissolve the finish on the hardwood. For hardwood I suggest Murphy’s Oil Soup
• Acrylic Plastics. Causes cloudiness and weakens material.

What is safe to clean with alcohol?

• Counter tops
• Stainless Steel Carpets and Upholstery. Make your own homemade carpet cleaner with Karries DIY carpet cleaning solution here. 
• Appliances.Microwave, stove tops, oven, refrigerator etc
• Glass, windows and mirrors. Rubbing alcohol is has a quick evaporation time, when mixed with the vinegar and you will get a quick drying, streak free, glass cleaner.
• Toilet, Bath/Showers.
• Faucets.
• Sticker Residue.
• Electronics. Rubbing alcohol is great for electronics and your computer keyboard because it drys quickly without leaving any residue. Its not great for electronics because it can damage the anti glare protection.

More of my favorite natural cleaning Formulas 

In my option the best cleaner out there is good old fashioned elbow grease and a clean cloth or paper towel with warm water. I’m never disappointed when I simple go around the house with a clean damp cloth, maybe with a drop or two of dish soup and go around my house cleaning. But obviously, I’ll probably do an even better job would if I take an all purpose cleaner around with me. 

Use these other natural all purpose cleaners, avoiding harsh chemicals to get a professional cleaner level cleaning in your home.

• Essential Oil Cleaners
• Castile Soup Cleaners
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Lemon Vinegar Cleaner

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There are many ways to clean and polish copper and to be honest I was skeptical of a few of them… Today I found 3 copper pots at a yard sale for $2! They looked pretty bad and I wasn’t sure if the natural remedies and cleaning tricks where going to work on these copper pots. I want to avoid commercial copper cleaner and see if natural acids really does work to clean copper pans. After doing a little research I decided to try three different cleaning methods and see which one was the best way. These three methods are all made out of natural solutions. By using natural acids to clean copper the acids dissolve the oxidized copper exterior making it shine like new and safer to use. Here are the results and cleaning process so you can determine which is the best methods and best results.

1. Lemon and salt
2. Vinegar, flour and salt
3. Ketchup

Lemon and Salt

The first pot I used a combination of salt and lemon. This method is simple. Cut a lemon in half and dip it in table salt or sea salt. Then rub the lemon with salt all over the pot in circular motions, dipping into the salt as needed.

My daughter loved helping with this one and as you can see in the photo it started working right away! This made me very excited because I wasn’t sure how well the natural cleaning tricks would work.

To clean the copper pot off you can wipe it down with some warm water and dry with a clean cloth.

Vinegar, Flour and Salt

The next pot I mixed together a combination of white vinegar, 1/4 cup fine sea salt and 1/4 cup flour, just enough vinegar in it to make a paste in a small bowl. I spooned the paste onto the pot and scrubbed it down with my scrub pad. You can also use a soft sponge.  

The vinegar is the true cleaning agent in this method but the flour helps keep it from just flowing off the pot. I can place more paste on the more affected area and the stubborn stains and let sit for longer. The flour and salt paste keeps the vinegar on the surface of the copper pot for a satisfying result.

Ketchup

Now to try the Ketchup. I know by now the vinegar and lemon both work well. Both vinegar and lemon are both acidic foods and that seems to be the trick. Ketchup is also an acidic food, both from the tomatoes and the vinegar in the ketchup. So in theory this should work…

And it did! I was actually very surprised with the ketchup method but it works really well.

Copper Pots Results

Now let’s look at all three natural ingredients compared them to each other.

I’m super impressed! And a little disappointed that they all work so wonderfully. I thought I would be able to compare and tell you all which one work better and which one didn’t work. So let me see if I can find fault in one of these methods…

Lemon and Salt:

The lemon and salt worked great but I felt like I couldn’t scrub it the same as the other. I still used my scrub pad and got a little cleaner. As I scrubbed I felt like I couldn’t keep the lemon juice where I wanted it like I could do with the vinegar paste and ketchup.

Vinegar and Four:

I like this one the best. Although the results of all three turned out the same this was the easiest to scrub with. I could see the vinegar at work because of the flour and I could paste the worse areas with more and let it sit there for a while for an easier clean. I could not do that with the lemon and salt mixture.

Ketchup:

Ketchup worked just as well as the others! This one was super easy to just grab out of the fridge and clean with. Its a little sticky because of the sugar but it all washes off well with hot water. For simple cleaning/maintenance for my copper pots I will probably just use ketchup. It was quick, simple and worked great. Although, if I have another deep clean that needs to happen I will use the vinegar and flour.

In Summery – Before and After

These were all very effective ways with simple steps to cleaning the surface of copper pots. Cleaning copper items are a lot easier then I expected. The Lemon, Vinegar and Ketchup are all acidic and clean the copper equally well. So there are no needs to buy any special commercial copper cleaner or harsh chemicals to get your copper clean. You can use natural cleaner that you already have in your kitchen. 

Note: I do not advice using steel wool on your copper item. Copper is a soft metal and is easily scratched. Although you may make it shine again by de-oxidizing the copper you will most likely leave swirl marks and scratches on your copper pots, pans and cups. Use a soft sponge, soft cloth or microfiber cloth you clean copper with.  

You can try this with other copper items such as copper cups, copper pans, copper sink, really anything that is made with a copper surface.

Want a Natural All Purpose Cleaner?

Did you know that you can make your own lemon scented all purpose cleaner? Its really easy and effective. Simple take lemon peels and put them in a jar. Fill the jar with vinegar and let sit for a week or two before you use. Pour into a spray bottle and you have a natural, effective all purpose clean!

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