white vinegar

Question

Hello,

My one year old son has cystic fibrosis, and I have a question about white vinegar. I use it a lot in maintaining my house, including cleaning my refrigerator or even taps. I would like to know if it was really effective as antimicrobial agent? Of course I also use bleach in all my other siphons and showers once a week.

Thank you in advance.

Answer

Hello,
Vinegar is an acidic liquid (usually between pH 2 and 3), obtained by the oxidation of ethanol in wine, cider, beer and other fermented beverages.
Common vinegar has a concentration of about 5% to 8% acetic acid. However, acetic acid is known to have antiseptic and disinfectant properties ... Microbiological studies showed that cleaning with 5% acetic acid (household vinegar) significantly reduced the presence of bacteria.
Acetic properties of vinegar are a product of interest for home maintenance. The pure white vinegar is also appreciated for generations as stain remover, removing mold and soap scum, polishing agent, descaler (on taps ...), fabric softener, deodorant ...... Vinegar is natural and biodegradable, safe for the environment .... And besides, it's not expensive (less than 1 € per liter)!
But do not forget to clean the surfaces, refrigerators before using white vinegar as a disinfectant
"One can well disinfect, only what is cleaned ".
On the other hand, alternating with the bleach seems to me to be a good idea
because it is now proven that frequent use of household chemicals is not good for the respiratory health of children.

For taps, regular disassembly, cleaning and disinfection seem more effective than a few drops daily for the "biofilm" is very strong in the absence of mechanical cleaning.
So I think you can continue to use this effective maintenance product, environmentally friendly and efficient.

By cons to disinfect medical equipment such as nebulizers, vinegar is not suitable.

Cordially
Yann Kerneur

04.02.2013