“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
The combination of dish soap and vinegar is highly effective for a few different reasons. They're both excellent at breaking down tough grease and grime, but vinegar alone will simply run off of most surfaces, and dish soap is too thick to use on its own.
Pour 2 cups Dawn and 2 cups vinegar into a glass bowl. Stir; heat 4 minutes in the microwave; remove and stir again. Shake well to mix the solution. Use as needed on shower doors.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar
“Combining these two creates peracetic acid or corrosive acid, an irritant that, in high concentrations, can harm the skin, eyes, throat, nose, and lungs,” says Bock.
Soap Scum Remover: 1 part Dawn to 1 part Vinegar
Spray all over the tub/shower and let it sit for a few minutes to a few hours, depending how yucky the target. Since the spray is thicker, it clings to the walls and shower doors rather than running right down.
If you find your fruit flies impervious to your plastic wrap or paper cone traps, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.
Dish soap and vinegar work wonders for that extra smudge-cutting and cleaning mixture. Mix in a spray bottle 1/4 cup of white vinegar with 2 1/2 cups of water, plus 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap.
Many hotels use ammonia-based cleaning solutions because ammonia readily cuts through dirt and soap scum. Because of the way it dries, ammonia also decreases the possibility of streaks on glass.
In this video, she shares that her secret to keeping her shower so clean is that she uses just white vinegar and Dawn dish soap. She pours this solution into a dishwand and uses this every so often to clean her shower wall, floors and glass doors.
Deep-cleaning scrub — Great for soap scum and mildew. Mix 1 to 2/3 cups baking soda, ½ cup castile soap or other quality liquid dish detergent, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Stir till dissolved. Spray on scum and mildew; scrub with scrubby sponge.
Tired of stinky, retail cleaners? Try this: Vinegar Cleaner: 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp Dawn dish soap 1 tbsp white vinegar Directions: Fill spray bottle with water. Add Dawn. Add baking soda.
What's happening in there? A chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda produces bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The dish detergent in the vinegar helps the bubbles last longer than they would with just vinegar and baking soda.
Experts swear by apple cider vinegar traps as the best way to get rid of fruit flies. You can also use white vinegar in a pinch. Simply grab a bowl or glass, then fill it up with apple cider vinegar. Cover it up with a plastic wrap, then use a rubber band to secure it to the top of the bowl or glass.
A foul rotting piece of organic matter (from food, to feces, and everything in between) is probably the reason why the house flies are growing at an alarming rate in your home. It is the perfect breeding ground for houseflies and they will show up near and far to take advantage of the filth that is available to them.
The white vinegar is too pungent, and lacks sweetness, to attract fruit flies. However, apple cider vinegar brings in fruit flies by the dozens. It's crucial to have a sweet temptation to make the fly trap work. Otherwise, the flies flock to nearby fruit bowls and other kitchen treats.
Now, don't confuse distilled with basic white vinegar, which is stronger and has up to 25% acetic acid. That vinegar is sold exclusively for cleaning purposes and is not a good idea to ingest. However, beyond cooking, distilled white vinegar can be used for many of the same household chores.
Don't mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar together in the same mixture. This can create peracetic acid, which may be toxic and can irritate your throat and lungs, eyes and skin. You can, however, alternate spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar on a surface. Just make sure to wipe the surface between sprays.
Get Rid of Strong Odors
Vinegar helps remove strong odors like cigarette smoke, farm odors, and fast-food cooking odors. Fill the washer tub or a large sink with warm water and add 1 to 2 cups of distilled white vinegar depending on the size of the laundry load. Add the stinky clothes and allow them to soak overnight.
All you'll need is one cup of white vinegar and one cup of baking soda. You'll be using these two ingredients separately, as using them together will only cancel out the effectiveness of each one, during two washes on the same load of towels.
For best results, add vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent has done its job in the wash cycle.