Household vinegar, for instance, is a popular botanical disinfectant, but it's not nearly as effective at killing germs as bleach or alcohol.
To make a disinfectant spray cleaner, you start with my homemade all-purpose cleaner and make a couple of changes. Instead of using the full amount of vinegar, we only use half the amount of vinegar and add in alcohol for its disinfecting properties.
Using isopropyl alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with national brands. This can also be used to give a nice shine to hard tiles, chrome, and other surfaces.
It is possible to make a natural disinfectant as effective as bleach. All you need is hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Now it's important NOT to use the two together at the same time. Rather, use them separately to make a disinfectant that's better than bleach.
Alcohol will be dissolved in vinegar.
Small alcohols like ethanol and isopropanol will be soluble in vinegar whose primary component is water and the polar compound acetic acid. Since all these compounds are polar, they can form favorable intermolecular forces of attraction that allow dissolution.
Here's a good recipe to try: Combine 1 / 2 cup white vinegar, 1 pint rubbing alcohol and 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing liquid. Add enough water to make a gallon. Pour into a spray bottle and CLEARLY label.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most powerful natural cleaning and disinfecting agents. Health professionals trust it against harmful bacteria, antigens, and viruses. It's used for a variety of disinfecting jobs, including cleaning cuts, removing earwax, and promoting dental hygiene.
If you're hoping to eliminate germs like those that cause colds, flus, and other viruses, it's best to shelve the vinegar. Vinegar is not an EPA-registered disinfectant or sanitizer, which means it won't kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, as is deemed a safe level by public health standards.
Alcohol-Based Recipe
Isopropyl alcohol is used to disinfect your skin before a shot at the doctor's office. It's also found in hand sanitizer. In a spray bottle, combine three-quarters cup of water with a cup and a half of isopropyl alcohol. Essential oils can also be added as desired.
Household vinegar, for instance, is a popular botanical disinfectant, but it's not nearly as effective at killing germs as bleach or alcohol.
Isopropyl alcohol and rubbing alcohol are not the same. Rubbing alcohol consists of isopropyl alcohol and some water. Sometimes it contains other additional ingredients. On the other hand, isopropyl alcohol is pure alcohol with little to no water and other ingredients.
If you're in the habit of using Lysol to deodorize and/or disinfect, you'll love vodka as an alternative! Since alcohol qualifies as an EPA registered disinfectant if it is 70% (140 proof) drinkable grain alcohol or 70% isopropyl alcohol, vodka makes a great non-toxic, fragrance free, natural disinfectant.
Natural alternatives: White vinegar mixed with water can be an effective option if you prefer natural alternatives. It possesses some disinfectant properties and helps neutralize odors. Prepare a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water and use it as a cleaning solution.
But those effects depend in part on how long the vinegar solution is in contact with a particular surface, says Jason Tetro, a microbiologist in Edmonton, Alberta, and author of “The Germ Files.” “You need at least five minutes for killing bacteria and 30 minutes for viruses.”
Vinegar has a very low pH level which means it's very acidic, so it can corrode some surfaces over time. For example, using vinegar on natural stone like granite or marble can dull and scratch the surface and it can corrode surfaces like unsealed grout, window seals, and fridge and dishwasher gaskets.
Like hand soap, dish soap does not kill bacteria, but it lifts them off surfaces to be washed away by water. Dishes should be washed and scrubbed in soapy water, rinsed with water and finally soaked in water containing germ-killing sanitizers before drying them off.
The best natural disinfectants include alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, hot water, and some essential oils. Evidence suggests that in some cases, many of these natural disinfectants can be as effective at killing germs as chemical cleaners like bleach.
Bleach is a strong and effective disinfectant – its active ingredient sodium hypochlorite is effective in killing bacteria, fungi and viruses, including influenza virus – but it is easily inactivated by organic material. Diluted household bleach disinfects within 10–60 minutes contact time (see Table G.
It's Not a Friend to Wood or Leather
You can use rubbing alcohol on some surfaces like marble, limestone, or terrazzo, but not on wood. The chemical will damage a wood finish. And while it's safe to use in a pinch on coated leather, like in your car, over time, it will damage and discolor the leather.