Along with baking soda, vinegar shares the honor of being the most versatile and widely used natural cleaning product in the home. Its uses are almost infinite, from cleaning the inside of the washing machine to erasing burnt stains from pots, removing bad odors from the microwave or disinfecting the toilet.
However, a very frequent doubt among those who start using this product is the question of the difference between white vinegar and cleaning vinegar. Are they both for cleaning? Is only one valid in the kitchen? What main quality is it that distinguishes them? Get out of doubt immediately.
This is the difference between white vinegar and cleaning vinegar
For culinary use, you have different types of vinegar at your disposal, such as balsamic or Modena vinegar, white wine vinegar or white vinegar, the latter made with grain or cereal alcohol. In the case of white vinegar, it is stronger and a few drops are enough for the dressing.
For its part, cleaning vinegar has a specific use for this purpose, and you will find it in the cleaning section of the supermarket. The main difference with white vinegar is precisely the percentage of acidity of its content.
while ehe acidity level of white vinegar intended for culinary consumption is between 3% and 5%vinegar for cleaning has a much higher degree, since it its acidity is 8%.
Don’t even think about adding the latter to your salad: due to the high level of acidity, it could cause different damages in your bodyfrom burns to the sensitive tissue in your esophagus and mouth, to nausea, vomiting, headaches, skin problems, or tooth damage.
So I can’t clean my house with white vinegar?
Yes you can: the white vinegar that you use for cooking is also valid for cleaning your house, since it has disinfectant and antibacterial properties and is also ideal for removing grease or eliminating bad odours.
However, and Although it is valid to use the vinegar intended for food, the ideal is to use the cleaning one, since it guarantees greater efficiency and deeper disinfection. It can from removing chewing gum from clothes to oil stuck to electrical appliances, and of course, it ends up against germs and bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella.
Among other uses, the cleaning vinegar It is great as a natural softener, to remove the smell of moisture and sweat from clothes, to leave kitchen tiles spotless without resorting to bleach, to remove limescale from taps and sinks, to clean steel and silver, to remove stains traces of grease and dirt from digital screens or cleaning ovens, blinds or clothes irons.
In other words: If possible, leave the white vinegar for the lettuce and the cleaning vinegar for the cloth. If you don’t have it on hand, the kitchen one will serve you for cleaning (not the other way around).
