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—the kind 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. 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 years ago 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.
