Do you want to use more natural products in your cleaning? Whether it’s to save money or to use fewer chemicals in your home, you probably have everything you need to put together a natural cleaning kit in your cupboards right now.

But what are the best natural cleaners to use and what makes them so good? – And most importantly, will they clean as well as store-bought chemical cleaners?

RELATED: HOW TO CLEAN YOUR DISHWASHER WITH VINEGAR

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Check out our handy guide right here:

White vinegar

You must have seen all those ‘95 Uses for White Vinegar!’ type posts, but what is it that makes vinegar such an effective cheap and natural cleaner

The reason is acetic acid. White vinegar contains one of the highest concentrations of acetic acid, compared to other vinegar like apple cider or malt vinegar.

It’s this acetic acid that’s responsible for killing all kinds of mold and fungus, which is what makes it such a potent cleaner and disinfectant.

It can destroy lots of different types of germs and bacteria, including forms of E Coli, which is why it’s so often recommended for disinfecting.

So now you know why vinegar comes highly recommended for cleaning everything from your dishwasher and fridge to the bathroom and work surfaces.

Not only popular for its germ-killing properties, but the acid also cuts through grease, soap, and residues. – Hence its popularity for achieving a streak-free shine on mirrors, windows, and glass. Not to mention cutting through hard watermarks and limescale build-up.

Its acidic qualities are also why it’s recommended for getting pesky adhesives and stickers off jars.

How to use vinegar for cleaning

Invest in a spray bottle like this one

Make a 50-50 solution of white vinegar and water to use on surfaces in your kitchen, and bathroom, and for all kinds of cleaning around the home.

Vinegar can be used neat and left to soak on particularly tough jobs such as getting stains off chopping boards or removing limescale from shower heads (I put the vinegar and showerhead together in a plastic bag and leave them to soak overnight).

Shopping tip
Many bottles of white vinegar will contain around 5% acetic acid. That should be sufficient but for extra cleaning power, try to find a higher concentration of acetic acid: the higher the concentration, the stronger the cleaning.

We recommend this one

You can look in health food shops and eco stores to find other variants.

It’s important to note that you mix vinegar with water, not with other cleansers such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide. There are no cleaning benefits to these DIY upgrades (apart from a satisfying fizz) and they can form toxic combinations that can cause burns and respiratory problems. If the smell of the vinegar bothers you, add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to your spray bottle mixture. – We love lemon and eucalyptus oils for a fresh scent.

What not to clean

Before you get too spray-happy with the vinegar, there are certain things it’s not recommended for:

• Some metal and cast iron pans: the acid, particularly if left to soak for long periods, might corrode the metal
• Types of stone including granite and marble work surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms or stone floor tiles
• Wooden floors and wooden furniture with a waxed finish, which the acid could eat into
• Your smartphone screen: don’t be tempted to wipe off the smears with vinegar, it could eat away at the inbuilt protective coating

Does vinegar beat those store-bought cleaners?

The jury’s still out on whether white vinegar kills germs and bacteria to a standard equal to that of store-bought cleaners, as too little official research has been done.

What there does seem to be agreement on is that aggressively sanitizing all areas of your home is not always required as frequently or to the extent we might think.

So, unless you have particular health concerns such as a compromised immune system or worries about food contamination (always consult a health professional for the best advice if so), vinegar is probably perfectly acceptable to use as an everyday cleaner.

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In the next post: why baking soda is a natural cleaning holy grail.

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