Vinegar Kills Bacteria, Mold
and Germs
Vinegar is a mainstay of the old folk recipes for cleaning, and with
good reason. The vim of the vinegar is that it kills bacteria, mold, and
germs.
Heinz company spokesperson Michael
Mullen references numerous studies to show that a straight 5 percent
solution of vinegar—such as you can buy in the supermarket—kills 99
percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs
(viruses). He noted that Heinz can't claim on their packaging that
vinegar is a disinfectant since the company has not registered it as a
pesticide with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, it
seems to be common knowledge in the industry that vinegar is powerfully
antibacterial. Even the CBS news show 48 Hours had a special last
December with Heloise reporting on tests from The Good Housekeeping
Institute that showed this.
Just like antibiotics, common
disinfectants found in sponges and household sprays may contribute to
drug resistant bacteria, according to researchers of drug resistance at
Tufts New England Medical Center. Furthermore, research at the
Government Accounting Office shows that many commercial disinfectants
are ineffective to begin with, just like antibiotics.
Keep a clean spray bottle filled
with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board,
and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. I often spray the
vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don't
even rinse, but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates
within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the
toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.
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