Everything you need to know about vinegar
Sara IdenforsEverything you need to know about vinegar
Vinegar is fantastic for cleaning and household chores as well as cooking, BUT it is worth learning about the miracle product vinegar; there are areas where you absolutely MUST NOT use vinegar.
Vinegar may seem like a universal remedy, a miracle cure for everything, BUT using vinegar carelessly can actually cause serious damage when it is used as a cleaning agent. That is why we have gathered everything you need to know about this wonderful vinegar here.
Worth knowing about vinegar
What we call vinegar is a mixture of acetic acid and water. Depending on how we mix it, it has different names and functions. What we call “vinegar” is therefore various acetic acid solutions. Thus, vinegar is acidic, not alkaline; its starting point is an acid, namely acetic acid.
Vinegar is used in the household to remove limescale deposits, for example in coffee makers, dishwashers, and kettles. Acetic acid is very strong and has a preservative effect. It keeps bacteria and mold away from various pickled foods and was widely used by housewives before freezers became common in Sweden.
Both vinegar and wine vinegar are made through oxidation. Vinegar is made by allowing alcohol to oxidize, which produces acetic acid. The ethanol disappears as the vinegar forms. Vinegar may contain traces of alcohol, but not significant amounts. Wine vinegar also contains acetic acid, but is made by oxidizing wine or cider—for example, apple cider vinegar, which is very popular right now. Wine vinegar is not as sharp as vinegar and is therefore more suitable for salad dressing, while vinegar is better suited, for example, for pickling cucumbers.
History of vinegar
In Sweden, it is safe to say that vinegar has been used since the 17th century. In 1840, it started Jöns Jacob Berzelius a factory in Stockholm to make vinegar. It later became Winborgs vinegar factory, whose vinegar you can still find on store shelves today. Stensmölla Chemical Technical Industry also manufactured vinegar; vinegar production began there in 1881. In 1886, it changed its name to Skånska Ättikfabriken and later to Perstorp AB—you probably recognize the company name as well.. In 2013, the Perstorp trademark was sold to the food group O. Kavli AB.
Different concentrations of vinegar
Vinegar sold in grocery stores (in Sweden): 12% or 24%.
Other names and concentrations have also been used in the past.
-
- Glacial acetic acid: 100% acetic acid, or a concentration of >90%.
Not for use in cooking.
It is called glacial acetic acid because it has a high melting point—that is, it solidifies just below room temperature.
Glacial acetic acid is used for cold welding certain plastics. -
- Acetic acid or vinegar acid: the common name for pure ethanoic acid.
(In food contexts, the term has also been used somewhat loosely to describe strong vinegar.)
Until 1980, Perstorp sold a 44% acetic acid solution called acetic acid. It is no longer sold for safety reasons. It was more corrosive than lower-concentration vinegar. -
- Vinegar spirit or acetic acid spirit for cleaning
: 12% acetic acid solution. Despite its name, it contains no alcohol. - Pickling vinegar: 6% acetic acid solution.
- Food vinegar: 3% acetic acid solution.
- Cleaning vinegar is sold by Soapa as a 15% acetic acid solution.
Never use vinegar for this!!!
STONE: Marble, granite, or other stone.
If the stone contains limestone, as marble does, vinegar can destroy the stone countertop—we use vinegar to remove limescale from, for example, faucets, so we should therefore NEVER use vinegar on stone. Make it a habit never to use vinegar on any stone, regardless of the type of stone, to be on the safe side.
Instead, use an over-fatted soap so the stone is treated gently while it is cleaned, and you do not need to oil it. Soapa and most linseed oil soaps are over-fatted.
For unglazed tiles and ceramic tiles the same applies as above—it is still stone. Instead, use an over-fatted soap as described above.
Iron: The inside of the iron can be damaged by vinegar; use distilled water in the iron instead. One tip is to use the water from the dryer, if you have a condenser dryer—it is distilled and ready to use.
Egg: For all stains and food dirt where EGG is an ingredient—avoid vinegar at all costs. Vinegar makes the egg coagulate immediately, and the stain becomes practically impossible to remove.
Stains from grass, grease, or blood—do NOT treat them with vinegar. Remove grass with something alkaline, baking soda, or soap. Grease is easiest to dissolve with fatty soap—like dissolves like, as the chemistry teacher used to say. Blood is easiest to remove with cold water and salt.
WOOD & VINEGAR DO NOT GO TOGETHER
WOOD: Do NOT use vinegar on wood. Precious wood species, so-called hardwood, are especially sensitive. Remember that vinegar is an acid—the wood’s surface is damaged by acidic vinegar. Wood needs to be re-greased to retain its beautiful color and surface. Therefore, clean wood with fatty soap so it regains its smooth surface and luster. Vinegar instead makes it crack and become rough.
Softwood is less sensitive (wood from coniferous trees), but it does not benefit from acidic vinegar either.
So: Parquet, garden furniture, etc. should never be cleaned with vinegar!
Instead: Clean fine surfaces with re-fatting soap, linseed oil soap, or Soapa using a soft mop. Have your garden furniture become unsightly? Scrub it with a scrubbing brush and fatty soap.
Anything that degreases damages wood, so be careful with dish soap and all-purpose cleaner. If you have accidentally used drying cleaning products, oil your countertop or furniture so it regains some of its former shine. Contact the seller or a well-stocked furniture store to find the right oil.
Hardwood, soap-scrubbed garden furniture, DO NOT use vinegar
Garden furniture made from so-called hardwood that has been scrubbed with soap using Soapa. For additional treatment, rub the surface with cold water and fatty soap a couple more times—you’ll then get the same beautiful surface as an old-fashioned scrubbed wooden floor. For extra shine, apply oil, but note that furniture oil can stain your clothes if used in excessively large amounts.
Note that we have used SOAP here! NOT vinegar!
The soap is fatty and alkaline, which treats wood and other natural materials.
What you CAN use vinegar for
If you have hard water that makes cleaning the bathroom and toilet difficult, cleaning with vinegar may be the solution. Vinegar effectively removes limescale and limescale residue in the bathroom. Vinegar is therefore very good for cleaning bathrooms, but note that you MUST NOT use vinegar on stone or wood. You can also easily clean the toilet with vinegar. One tip is to dilute the vinegar according to the following recipe.
Vinegar cleaning spray recipe
Vinegar 2 dl
Dish soap a couple of drops
Water 3 dl
Mix and pour into an empty spray bottle; it’s the most practical option because the mixture is thin and runny.
Replace fabric softener, which is often a minor environmental offender (though there are good varieties too), with vinegar. The vinegar softens your clothes, and all the smell disappears during the rinse cycle. You don’t need to worry about it. Your laundry will smell like wet laundry, not perfume… just wet and clean. If you still want your freshly washed clothes to have a scent, you can add a couple of drops of an essential oil you like.
Ants don’t like vinegar. If you’re bothered by ants, try locating where they’re getting in, then fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray where the ants want to enter. Don’t spray directly on wooden walls, as the vinegar can damage them. Repeat for a couple of days in a row and the ants will choose another place to settle.
Cracked breakfast eggs are no fun—a dreary start to the day, you know! But adding 1 tbsp of vinegar to the water prevents the eggs from cracking while boiling.
Has your T-shirt got deodorant stains? Dilute vinegar with water and pretreat the stains. Feel free to use a laundry brush if you have one. Then wash as usual and, with a little luck, the stain will disappear.
Greasy stains should instead be pretreated with fatty soap. Grass stains should also be treated with an alkaline solution—not an acidic one such as vinegar.
Polish windows and mirrors. If you’re in a hurry, you can simply put a little vinegar on a lint-free paper towel or a microfiber cloth. Quickly wipe mirrors and faucets and they’ll become brilliantly shiny. If you need to clean larger surfaces, mix vinegar, water, and a few drops of dish soap (preferably an eco-friendly one) in a spray bottle and use it as window cleaner. If you need to clean when temperatures are below freezing, add a little rubbing alcohol to your mixture and it won’t freeze. Keep in mind that this mixture is drying and should not be used on natural materials such as wood and stone.