Is cleaning vinegar safe to consume?
Vinegar is good, but the moment it gets adapted for cleaning, it becomes a NO! The vinegar you use for your foods are tagged as cooking vinegar, and those ones have already been treated. All the possible impurities have already been separated from it and that makes it food worthy. However, the cleaning vinegar has been adulterated with constituents which makes it not safe to consume by humans!
If you’ve seen the effects of vinegar on food, you’d agree it’s an acid. When used for salad dressings and other forms of food, it literally brightens the food.
Asides from the color it adds; it also works to preserve the food from spoilage. Now, when this food vinegar undergoes a process known as distillation, it becomes cleaning vinegar—a colorless liquid.
Cleaning vinegar is very strong and acidic. It should neither be consumed nor mixed wantonly.
For example, mixing cleaning vinegar with a bleaching solution that has chlorine as its base can lead to the formation of dangerous fumes.
However, you can mix cleaning vinegar with your regular washing liquid. The result is a mixture that can get rid of stubborn patches of grime.
It can also be used for anything related to cleaning—from washing of the toilet to the cleaning of your kitchen counters.
However, it is recommended that you wear gloves while working with the mixture. This will help prevent your skin from being irritated.
What is cleaning vinegar used for?
Let’s see the various things you can use cleaning vinegar for and how;
Removal of soap scum
What soap scum does is to whiten walls and other places that it falls upon. In order to get rid of that white and stubborn stain, follow the steps below;
- Add quarter of a cup of cleaning vinegar to a bottle. The bottle should have a nozzle that will allow you spray the resulting solution.
- Make a solution by adding two cups of water to the vinegar.
- Add half of a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to the mixture.
- Replace the cap to the head of the bottle and then, shake the mixture vigorously.
- Spray the mixture lightly across the surfaces stained with the soap scum.
- Leave the mixture on the surfaces for a while before scrubbing with a brush. The bristles of the brush should be hard and firm if you want to get the best results.
- Rinse the surfaces with warm water.
- Dry the surfaces with a lint-free cloth.
Removal of stain on wooden floors
When you have stains on wooden or tiled floors, you can use cleaning vinegar to get rid of them. Follow the steps below to get started;
- Pour in a gallon of water into a bucket.
- Add half a cup of cleaning vinegar
- Dip a sponge into the mixture.
- Wring it lightly to get a bulk of the water out of the towel. You could also use a mopping stick for this.
- Clean the surfaces of the floor with the mop.
- You don’t have to rinse off the vinegar from the floor here. It usually wouldn’t cause stains.
Clearing of clogged ducts
If your kitchen or bathroom sinks have their outlets blocked, a mixture of cleaning vinegar and baking soda is the solution.
The mixture is also used for getting rid of odors that arise from garbage. Follow the steps below to get started;
- Pour about five cups of hot water down the clogged ducts.
- Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain. Ensure that you do not mix it with water before adding it.
- Pour in one cup of cleaning vinegar down the duct.
- A vigorous bubbling would occur on reaction of the steam, baking soda and cleaning vinegar.
To ensure that the force created due to the reaction is confined to the pipes, use a stopper to seal the ducts.
- Remove the stopper when you stop hearing the bubbling sound.
- Flush the ducts with more hot water. If you are trying to unclog your Water Closet, work with warm water. That way, you don’t end up breaking the ceramic.
- After flushing, the ducts become free from obstacles and odor.
Cleaning of a microwave
Have you been wondering what magic can be done to convert your crust-filled microwave to that sparkling device you got at the point of purchase?
Cleaning vinegar is just what you need! Here’s how you can get the magic done;
- Set a bowl that is friendly for use in a microwave and then, add two cups of water to it.
- Add one quarter teaspoon of cleaning vinegar to the water. If you want to make your microwave smell better, you could also add some orange slices to the mixture.
The slices should be with the orange peel.
- Set the bowl on the microwave’s platter and then, heat it up until the mixture begins to boil.
The steam it releases on boiling works to clean up the insides of the microwave.
- Do not open the microwave for about twenty minutes. That way, the steam can remain trapped within the interiors.
During that time, the steam works to get rid of deep stains within the microwave.
- For the exterior of the microwave, you can use a mixture of cleaning vinegar and your regular washing liquid to wipe the surface. You’d need a lint-free cloth for this step.
- Open the microwave’s door after twenty minutes and then, remove the bowl.
- Next, remove the platter you set the bowl upon. To clean that, use your regular washing liquid.
You could also set it with other plates in your dishwasher.
- Dry the platter and then, return it to the microwave.
What happens if you consume cleaning vinegar?
The consequence of consuming cleaning vinegar is simple. There’d be a powerful disruption of the bodily activities.
Cleaning vinegar is very acidic and could mess with the lining of your gums, throat, gullet, and stomach. This liquid is so toxic that it shouldn’t even be applied directly to surfaces.
It is recommended that it is mixed with cleaning solutions first. Even after that, you should wear gloves before working with it.
Vinegar is a substance that is obtained after certain foods have been fermented. What this means is that it contains acetic acid which can cause the following;
- Ulcers
- Interference with digestion
- Stomach cancer (due to changes that are made to the cells that line the stomach.)
- Impaired function of the adrenal gland and kidneys
- Weak bones—osteoporosis
- Reduction in body potassium levels
- High blood pressure
- Headaches
Can you use cleaning vinegar for cooking?
No, you cannot use cleaning vinegar for cooking, it is not safe for humans to consume. Vinegar (apple cider and white) when it hasn’t been subject to distillation can be used for cooking. You can always know the purpose of vinegar by checking the labels on the bottle you obtained from the store. On a bottle that contains cleaning vinegar, you’d always be warned against consuming it.