Honestly, I don’t like the smell of vinegar. But I know that it is one of the best natural cleaning solutions available. However, that’s easily solvable by creating scented cleaning vinegars.
And let’s face it, cleaning with vinegar is one of the easiest (and most economical) ways to make your home healthier and green.
Here’s what I do to use the cleaning power of vinegar and give it some extra Oomph (cleaning power) and improve the smell. I infuse it with lemon peel or other disinfecting herbs. It’s really easy to do and can be made inexpensively with discarded citrus peels or herbs from your garden.
Used at full strength, it’s great for degreasing surfaces, cleaning coffee pots, disinfecting countertops, clean glass and tile. Dilute 50/50 with water for all your general cleaning needs and before using on wood and on the side of caution, do a test patch before using on wood. I found that quite a few bloggers disagree on whether or not it’s safe to use on wood. I’ve used it on my kitchen wood cabinets without any problem. However, all bloggers agreed that it’s not safe to use on natural stone surfaces because the acid can erode the stone.
How To Make Infused Cleaning Vinegars
You’ll need a glass jar with nonmetal lid (If you don’t have a jar with a nonmetal lid, use a piece of plastic on top to cover before screwing on the metal Cap (Saran wrap or cut out circles from plastic shopping bag like I did).
Wash and rinse well and fill your jar with one of the following:
| Ingredient | Cleaning Properties |
| Lemon Peel | Antifungal, Antibacterial |
| Lavender | Antibacterial, Antimicrobial |
| Lemongrass | Antifungal, Antimicrobial, Bactericidal |
| Rosemary | Antibacterial, Disinfectant |
To Make Your Scent Infused Vinegars
Scrub the lemons gently and peel. I drink lemon water many mornings so I just put the lemon skins in a baggie and put them in the fridge until I’m ready to use them. If you are making a cleaning vinegar with lemon peels, peel the lemons and set the flesh aside (to use in other recipes or morning lemon water) and place the lemon peels in a clean jar.
I made three different scent infused vinegars: Lavendar, Lemon Peel and Lemongrass. I also plan to make a Rosemary infused cleaning vinegar.
If you are using herbs from the garden, then rinse well to remove dust and possibly bugs and fill your herb of choice into the glass jar. Pour enough vinegar into the jar until the peels/herbs are completely covered. Don’t worry if some of them float to the top.
Cap your vinegars and let them marinate for several weeks (out of direct light) while shaking occasionally. Because they’re so pretty to look at, I let mine sit on a kitchen counter that does not receive any direct sunlight.
I checked my lavender and lemongrass vinegars after a couple of weeks and they still smelled a little too vinegary so I added about 5 – 6 drop of essential oils in each. When your cleaning vinegars are ready, strain out the peels or herbs using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth and pour into a spray bottle.
For your general cleaning needs, add a 50/50 mix of cleaning vinegar and purified water to a spray bottle. For your tough home cleaning projects use at 100% strength for issues like mildew, dirty floors and bathroom cleaning.
The Power Of Vinegar – From The Vinegar Institute
Vinegar is well recognized as a cleaning agent. It is especially effective in removing inorganic soils and mineral deposits such as hard water films. It is also effective against a broad range of bacteria, destroying or reducing these organisms to acceptable levels.
In a study conducted by the University of Georgia, Shigella sonnei on parsley was greatly reduced or eliminated after treating with vinegar.
Similarly, researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University showed a reduction of E. coli O157:H7 on apples subjected to a wash containing acetic acid. Researchers at the University of Florida investigated different physical and chemical washing treatments in the reduction of viral and bacterial pathogens (E. coli 0157:H7, Salmonella Montevideo, poliovirus 1 and certain bacteriophages) from inoculated strawberries. Solutions containing vinegar reduced the numbers of bacteria by about 90%. The vinegar wash also reduced the numbers of viruses by about 95%.3
The most commonly used vinegar in green cleaning is distilled white vinegar which has a pH of 2.0.
How Long Does Vinegar Last
Vinegar has an almost indefinite shelf life but vinegar may change aesthetically after 3 ½ years, but it is still safe. I’m sure you’ll use your gallon jug long before 3 /12 years.
Precautions with Vinegar
If vinegar accidentally get in your eyes, flush the eyes with water for 10-15 minutes.
Avoid mixing vinegar with bleach as it will create a toxic chlorine gas.
Mixing vinegar and baking soda creates a chemical reaction which nulls the cleaning effect of vinegar. It basically becomes just salt water and will do nothing to disinfect your home.
I’m really in love with the lemongrass scent infused vinegar. It really smells great. It makes me want to clean absolutely everything. I also like the lemon peel scent infused vinegar but it is a little sticky when used at full strength so I recommend rinsing after using it at full strength. I’m totally surprised that I didn’t like the lavender scented vinegar as much as the others. Try them and judge for yourself.
Conclusion: Cleaning with vinegars is a great way to reduce your toxic load in your home to protect your family. It’s biodegradable and also safer for the environment than many other branded household cleaners. I hope you enjoy the scent of the infused vinegars more than just straight vinegar. They also make great gifts if you spray paint the metal caps (or use mason jars with glass caps); embellish with a ribbon and add an instruction label.