Welcome to the second post in the 'The Vinegar Series'.
In the first part I shared with you this picture as a hint to what was coming in this the second part.
As you've probably guessed already. It's about an all purpose cleaner!
But before we continue much further. First things first...
What makes vinegar such a good cleaner?
It will probably not be news to you that one of the components of vinegar is acetic acid. This ingredient which makes up only a small percentage of vinegar's total composition is the main reason as to why it is so effective at cleaning. It is reputed to be a good disinfectant as it cuts through grease and deodorises, although I was unable to find any solid evidence for this. It seems to be one of those things that people "just know". It has also been shown to have a bactericidal effect when a food item is soaked in it for a period of time*. This is good news for those of you who are looking for a naturally effective way to wash your produce!
However, it has been advised that you should not use vinegar for the exclusive use of fighting against human pathogens because of their inefficacy compared to chemical disinfectants**. This doesn't concern me personally because I don't use cleaners for the purpose of destroying bacteria. I'm much more interested in using natural alternatives to reduce our households environmental impact!
Tip: It's best not to use vinegar in any way on stone surfaces like granite or marble, as it will gradually erode over time.
How much vinegar to use?
There are many different ratios of vinegar to water that you can use to make up this spray according to how strong you need it to be. You can make up your own, or here are a few ideas to get you started:
- 1/3 Vinegar and 2/3 water: This was the first option I tried but I found that for me it just didn't have the cleaning power I was looking for. It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be at at tackling spattered food in the kitchen or hard water build up in the bathroom. But if you're looking for a spray to maintain cleanliness in your home, then this would be a great option for you.
- 1/2 Vinegar and 1/2 water: These are the quantities that I used for the recipe in this post and my favourite out of the three. It was more successful in achieving the level of cleaning I wanted, but without an over powering smell of vinegar. Of course the essential oils help with that!
- 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water: This one has the highest concentration of vinegar, and is probably best saved for those who really don't mind the smell of vinegar. It is also going to be the most effective at tackling stubborn cleaning tasks. If you want the cleaning power of this solution but have more of an aversion to the odour of vinegar, then add more drops of essential oil until it is bearable for you.
Read on to see how to put the all purpose cleaner together.
What you'll need
25 drops Lemon essential oil
10 drops Rosemary essential oil
1 Cup (8 fl oz) white distilled vinegar
1 Cup (8 fl oz) filtered, boiled or distilled water
1 measuring jug
1 empty spray bottle (I recommend a glass one)
I chose lemon essential oil because of it's well known abilities to cut through grease and dirt (I explain a bit about why that is in this post). Then rosemary essential oil is the newest addition to my collection so I had to include it in this recipe because I'd heard of it's natural antibacterial qualities. Upon further research I discovered that it has even been proven to be active against clinical strains of E.coli along with basil***.
You may want to use different essential oils depending on the qualities you wish your cleaner to have.
How to combine the ingredients
Step 1: Measure the vinegar into a measuring jug and pour into your empty bottle.
Step 2: Add the essential oils of your choice into the bottle, fasten the spray nozzle and gently shake to combine.
Step 3: Measure out the water, remove the spray nozzle and add the water into the bottle.
Step 4: Replace the nozzle and gently shake to combine everything.
Tip: If you're using essential oils in a clear bottle like me make sure you store it in a dark place away from sunlight when it's not in use. If you are using an amber or cobalt glass spray bottle, you can keep it out on your counter top although probably best away from direct sunlight.
That's it for this post. I hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about vinegar! Do let me know if you make this all purpose cleaner and what your experience with it was.
Have fun doing some natural cleaning!
Kathryn.
* Karapinar, M. Gonul, S,A. 1992. Removal of Yersinia enterocolitica from fresh parsley by washing with acetic acid or vinegar. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016816059290086I.
** Rutwala, W,A. et al. 2000. Antimicrobial activity of home disinfectants and natural products against potential human pathogens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10656352.
*** Sienkiewicz, M, et al. 2013. The potential of use basil and rosemary essential oils as effective antibacterial agents. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23921795.