You've probably been told to use vinegar as a household cleaner, but you may have wondered: is it effective enough? Vinegar is a completely natural substance that is found in almost everyone's kitchen. But in addition to its powerful cleaning properties, it can also be used for disinfection. This natural, slightly acidic liquid does its job without producing toxic chemicals, so it is not harmful to your health, and it can also be produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
Read this article and learn everything about vinegar, its history, its cleaning effects, and of course, most importantly: how you can clean your home with it.
Reading time 6 minutes
A brief history of vinegar
If we look at the evolution of vinegar, we can say that it is certainly the oldest ingredient in your kitchen. As early as 3000 BC, vinegar-based liquids were found in Egyptian shipwrecks, and there are also written records from Babylonian times about vinegar. It is even mentioned in the Bible!
We don't want to bore you with the events of the next 4-5,000 years, so let's jump straight to the 19th century! Although vinegar had been made for thousands of years by then, it was Louis Pasteur who first published the scientific, microbiological knowledge behind vinegar in the 1850s. A few decades later, as large companies such as Heinz began mass-producing vinegar, it slowly became a staple in every household.
How is vinegar made?
The original name of vinegar comes from the French word combination vin+aigre, which translates to “vinegar.” The word means “sour wine,” where vin means wine and aigre means sour. But vinegar can be fermented from virtually any plant material, so in addition to wine vinegar, you can also find rice, malt, fruit, or grain vinegars. To put it simply: any substance that contains sugar or starch that can turn into alcohol can turn into vinegar during the fermentation process. The vinegar used in ancient times was probably made in the same way that many great culinary discoveries are: by accident.
Bacterial fermentation produces acetic acid, and in ancient times this happened naturally, as acetic acid-producing bacteria in fermented, slightly alcoholic liquids were exposed to oxygen. Until the 19th century, people had no idea why this happened, so they thought that wine left in the open air simply turned into vinegar. But later, the true background of the process was understood, and this started a real revolution in vinegar production.
The cleaning and antibacterial properties of vinegar
Vinegar, thanks to its antibacterial properties, is also an excellent cleaning agent. Let's see what benefits there are when you use vinegar to clean your home.
A great solvent. Vinegar can easily dissolve soap scum and grease, making it great for cleaning a variety of surfaces.
Eliminates odors. Although vinegar has a strong odor of its own, it evaporates quickly and takes unpleasant odors with it.
The best descaling agent.
It has disinfectant properties. Researchers have found that vinegar not only kills bacteria and foodborne pathogens, but also some viruses.
Easy to rinse off.
How do you use vinegar for cleaning?
Vinegar is an effective, non-toxic, and vegan cleaning agent, but how should you use it to clean your home?
Use white distilled vinegar or vinegar made from biomass. A good strong white distilled vinegar diluted with water is best, but it's even better to use a product made specifically for cleaning, such as CYCLE products.
Use vinegar to clean the kitchen and bathroom.
You can also wash your clothes with vinegar. It may sound strange, but if we add a little vinegar instead of fabric softener, our clothes will be cleaner, fresher, and even softer.
You can also use it to clean your toilet. You can use vinegar to clean both the inside and outside of your toilet bowl. Pour a cup of undiluted vinegar into the bowl and leave it there for a few hours. Then scrub it with a brush and rinse.
Use vinegar as a glass cleaner. You can make a stain-free window cleaner by using one part water and two parts vinegar. Spray this on the glass and wipe it off to get clean, streak-free glass.
You can also deal with the vinegar smell by adding natural essential oils. If you are looking for the scent of classic cleaning products, you can suppress the strong smell of vinegar by adding some natural essential oils. This can be orange, grapefruit or lemon essential oils. This way the smell will be better, but no toxic substances will be added to the cleaning product. We do the same with CYCLE products.
You can also use it to remove stains from carpets. If you put baking soda on the carpet stain and then sprinkle it with half a cup of vinegar, you can get rid of it!
Freshen up your bedroom with vinegar. Spray a little vinegar on your mattress and let it dry. It helps eliminate dust mites, mold, and odors.
With CYCLE, you don't have to compromise: keeping your home clean and living an eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle can now go hand in hand. Not only is the acetic acid in CYCLE products made from biomass, but other ingredients also come from natural sources, such as essential oils used for fragrance, recycled water, and citric acid.
