Vinegar is not only a popular condiment that is used both in every day and “haute cuisine” of various nations, as well as in the preparation of various canned foods. There is an opinion that it has disinfectant properties and helps to fight viral diseases. It originated in China, whose citizens are known for their addiction to the most exotic remedies, from pounded tiger claws to exotic mixtures. During the 2003 pneumonia, for example, residents of Guangdong devastated stores and markets in search of white vinegar, jacking up prices and enriching vendors. In a matter of days, stores in that city made a month’s worth of sales, something that had not happened in many years before.
But how well-founded is the belief, rooted from time immemorial, and does vinegar really purify the air?
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Does vinegar purify the air?
Indeed, acetic acid has the property to neutralize alkaline odors. It is not difficult to prove this – it is enough to put a deep plate filled with white vinegar in the room for several hours a day. A more lasting effect is popular spraying the premises with a sprayer, which allows you to reach the most inaccessible places. The optimal composition of such a solution is a tablespoon of white vinegar diluted in a glass of water. This composition neutralizes foreign odors and practically does not smell, unlike undiluted vinegar, the specific smell of which may be unpleasant for people with a particularly sensitive sense of smell.
If you prefer natural fragrances, you can add a few drops of lavender, lemon, or other citrus or cinnamon essential oils to the sprayer mixture. The main thing is that the aroma of this oil should not cause you discomfort, dizziness, or headache, much fewer allergies. Remember that even pleasant smells can become unbearable if you inhale them for too long!
Is vinegar a disinfectant?
“Yes,” will be answered by an experienced housewife who has had to clean countertops, sinks, and other dirty surfaces in our homes with vinegar. This practice is especially popular among health-conscious people, lovers of traditional home care, and those who are allergic to chemical cleaners. And yet the use of vinegar as a disinfectant has only a limited effect, and stories about its ability to kill pathogens are greatly exaggerated.
On the one hand, the use of a 5% solution of acetic acid kills pathogens Salmonella, Escherichia Coli, and Listeria Monocytogenes or reduces their numbers. Also, a 2010 study cited by Healthline, a respected medical publication, shows that a 10 percent solution of malt vinegar kills the influenza A viruses that dominated that year.
On the other hand, the vinegar solution does not help fight the still-mutating SARS-CoV-2 strain, nor does it help kill other harmful microbes. So this simple-to-prepare wonder drug has only a limited effect.
Can I boil vinegar to clean the air?
Another common notion about vinegar is that boiled vinegar has particularly effective disinfectant properties. There are arguments both for and against, which find many adherents.
Proponents of boiled vinegar argue that the hot vinegar solution poured into a bowl or pot not only neutralizes unpleasant odors (including the smell of chemicals, burnt food, animal hair, and so on), but also destroys harmful microbes. In addition, such a vessel is not difficult to carry from room to room, disinfecting the apartment. The main thing is not to get scalded and to make sure that the hot pot with a similar to drinking water content does not fall into the hands of curious children who want to touch or try everything within reach.
Skeptics, including the authoritative American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have a different stance. Its representatives point out that during the boiling process, some of the vinegar or vinegar solution evaporates, reducing the disinfectant effectiveness of the substance. In addition, the amount of vinegar needed to disarm influenza virions can be toxic to humans, especially young children, and unsafe for our pets.
In addition, influenza viruses and other acute respiratory viruses do not fill the entire space of an apartment – they “settle” in the droplets of moisture that are excreted from the nose or mouth of infected people. They also “inhabit” the aerosol that is produced when patients cough or sneeze, settling on nearby people or surfaces. It follows that a pot of perfumed liquid standing in the middle of the room is unlikely to protect you and your loved ones from the sinister coronavirus, not to mention the “normal” flu. The same goes for other viruses- and germ-induced illnesses.
The most that boiled vinegar can do is kill the dust mites that live in our homes, inhabiting the space under beds, sofas and closets, dresser drawers, and bedding. Also, boiled vinegar is a formidable enemy of dandruff and allergens that “float” in the air of our homes for a long time. It is these valuable properties that allow acetic acid to be used in popular home deodorants, which have a disinfectant effect and consist of natural ingredients. Thousands of housewives who have been using these deodorants for years and decades can do no wrong!
How does boiled vinegar remove odors?
To understand why boiled vinegar helps remove unpleasant odors, you need to remember the basics of high school chemistry. Although the human nose is inferior insensitivity to the canine nose, we too are endowed with the unique ability to enjoy the scents of a blooming garden, delicious hot bread or freshly cut grass and to cringe at the unpleasant odors, the mere mention of which evokes unpleasant associations. But both the fragrance of a rose and the disgusting smell of garbage reach us thanks to the volatile molecules that penetrate our respiratory tract when we breathe in. It is then that the aromatic molecule “attaches itself” to the thin layer of mucus lining our nasopharynx to “send” the appropriate message to the memory bank, our brain. Often we do not have time to realize what odor we smell, much less name it, but we already feel a pleasant invigorating freshness, slight pleasant dizziness associated with the strong odors of patchouli, musk, or concentrated rose oil, or, on the contrary, a distinct headache and a disgusting feeling of nausea.
And boiling vinegar causes the acetic acid to vaporize, which combines with the volatile molecules, eliminating or attenuating unpleasant odors that often continue to be felt even after their source is eliminated. To freshen the air in the apartment, simply fill a pot or a deep bowl with boiling vinegar and leave it to infuse for an hour. If you spilled milk on a hot stove, overcooked a fish, accidentally broke a rotten egg, or spilled an odorous nail polish remover, boiled vinegar will come to your aid, even if ordinary airing of the room or an air conditioner (fan) turned on does not help you.
To get a more permanent effect, you can mix boiled vinegar with baking soda, which any housewife who likes to cook baked goods has in stock. You will get a white foam, which is an excellent homemade disinfectant, hypoallergenic and inexpensive as well. The preparation of this disinfectant, the components of which can be found in every kitchen and sold in any store, takes a few minutes, not counting the time needed to boil the vinegar (which requires no more than an hour).
Does boiling vinegar kill germs in the air?
But boiling vinegar and even making it into a foam with a disinfectant effect is not enough to kill germs and viruses, especially those that are constantly mutating like flu viruses. The reason is simple – in order to kill germs and viruses, acetic acid must be in direct contact with them for at least 30 minutes, and, as noted above, some understudied microorganisms are still virtually invulnerable. As for germs, they remain in the air for several seconds to several hours. In addition, germs do not stay in place, but “swim” from one room to another, “traveling” through the apartment. Even if you walk around with a bowl or a pot full of boiled vinegar from room to room, you are unlikely to get rid of them.
Vinegar is much more effective with industrial or homemade cleaners designed for cleaning and disinfecting sinks, stoves, tile surfaces, doorknobs, and other household utensils. Not only does it kill germs, but it also removes traces of grease, dirt, sweat, and various staining products and substances, including chocolate, cocoa, and coffee.
What happens when you boil white vinegar?
Finally, it’s worth remembering that boiling a five percent solution of acetic acid evaporates first the germ-free water and only then the actual vinegar that kills them. Besides, vinegar vapors can be uncomfortable for both you and your family. This is especially true for small children, whose eyes, esophagus, and stomach can be affected by exposure to high concentrations of vinegar. And this is in those cases when the inquisitive kid will not try to get closer to the pot occupying his imagination or uncork the tempting bottle with caustic contents. On the sad consequences of such experiments, you can easily guess for yourself.
Conclusion
So, the widespread representation in everyday life of the miraculous disinfecting power of white vinegar is largely exaggerated, although it is an inexpensive and generally available remedy for the elimination of unpleasant odors. Many stories about the unique properties of vinegar turn out to be only urban legends, notwithstanding the test for scientific validity. In addition, contrary to popular beliefs, the process of boiling does not increase but decreases the disinfecting properties of vinegar. And in addition, it fills your apartment with hot, humid vapors that make you feel tired and weak, even if you are perfectly rested and healthy.
And if you decide to boil vinegar, listen to a few helpful tips. First, use a stove or pot with a timer and make sure the vinegar spends no more than an hour on the stove. If you don’t have a stove with a timer, keep an eye on the clock or set an alarm clock that will remind you with a shrill chime that it’s time to take the pot off the stove. And try not to have small children in the kitchen while the pot is boiling. Also, make sure that curious little ones do not get to the hot pot or bowl in which the boiling vinegar is poured. If the smell and vapors of boiled vinegar make you and your housemates uncomfortable, immediately pour the vinegar down the toilet or into the sink and thoroughly air the room.
And, of course, you should remember that boiled vinegar is not a panacea for all diseases and does not replace vaccinations, preventive medical examinations, sports, gardening, and, in general, a healthy lifestyle. Stay healthy, stay tuned, and carefully read our investigation of popular myths from the arsenal of traditional medicine!
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