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I use vinegar for almost everything in my house!

Me too! What ratio to water do you use for your air deodorizer?

Just don't use it for days on a parked car, it can corrode the metal on electronic

wow, interesting I was not aware of that. Thank you for sharing.

Does it help with 4/20 smells asking for a friend btw

Vinegar and baking soda does nothing. It's only an internet's thing. If you combine an acid element with a basic one you get a neutral pH, loosing the benefits of both starting elements. So, don't combine vinegar and baking soda.

LPT: if you don’t like how something smells, you can make it smell like vinegar

Exactly!

For real. Everyone loves talking about vinegar to clean but then the whole damn house smells like vinegar! Not a fan.

How professionals eliminate smells in vehicles for resale.

They use ozone.

You can get one for about $70 off Amazon. Leave it in the car, running for at least a couple of hours, and like magic all your smells will be gone.

https://youtu.be/AIfXfEZfOgs

https://youtu.be/NXR1dIQTeYQ

https://youtu.be/3_u1_e8dnYA

Unfortunately you're incorrect as I've been using baking soda and vinegar for years to clean tough stains and remove odors from places like my garbage disposal. The reason this happens is because when the baking soda is mixed with the vinegar the baking soda’s reaction causes it to transform into water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide that is released during the reaction gives it the bubbling effect that expands and helps lift dirt/odors from the surfaces being cleaned.

See my response above.

The vinegar smell dissipates very quickly :P

You might have the ratio off. Try mixing 2 tablespoons of vinegar with two cups of water in a spray bottle. The more vinegar you use the stronger the cleaning solvent, however the smell well last longer (however it will always dissipate in time)

Most experts agree that ozone generators are ineffective at cleaning indoor air, and inhaling ozone poses serious health risks for humans and animals.

Yes it's very effective at removing weed smells from a room. Some recommend simmering the vinegar on your stove as simmering it on your stovetop will really crank up its odor removal powers. The vinegar then vaporizes its acetic acid, which then bonds with the molecules responsible for the weed smell.

ITT: Vinegar salesmen

It's not for CLEANING the air... it's for killing the smell. OP, you made this damn thread. Do you not read your own TITLE?????

Also, don't sit in the car while you're treating it. It's on the instructions (probably in large red letters) but I'm sure some idiot did it.

Cleaning: the act of removing impurities and general undesirable agents from the environment.

Some call me Vic_Vinegar.

Vinegar is actually an apex cleaning solution idk why people in this thread are trying to fight with OP

You should show the smells your definition. That'll fix it.

The chemical reaction that produces CO2 has a limited duration (maybe 3 minutes).

There are none left to show :)

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I'm generally not spending more than 3 minutes actively scrubbing anyway.

$70??? Yeah, I'll stick with the $2 vinegar.

Did you repeat this several times and compared the results against a control cleaning solution and control for variables?

Yes but the clock starts ticking the moment you combine the ingredients, not the moment you begin scrubbing. The fact that this concept was omitted from the initial post demonstrates that OP doesn't really understand the chemistry, and this misunderstanding casts doubt on OP's claims. Nowhere in OP's post, or any post that supports the use of vinegar & baking soda, is a recommendation to mix immediately before use and discard after 10 minutes.

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Good tips, I've used many of these for years.

I just recently bought vinegar (to unclog a drain, and yes it worked).

I forgot that the cap isn't very secure and ended up with vinegar spilled on my seat, which ended up in the little pocket in the seat joint (where the extra fabric is, to allow it to recline).

Smelled like vinegar for a few days, now it just smells nice and fresh! Clumsiness for the win, I suppose.

Sorry for mixing you up with OP - I edited my comment accordingly. You've resorted to name-calling, whereas I'm arguing the facts in question. The word "immediately" appears nowhere in OP's post, nor does any comment regarding the timeline of mixing/application.

I have sensitive skin and have to use unscented detergent on my clothing lest I break out terribly. Adding white vinegar to the softener dispenser built into my washer eliminates any residual scents like sweat or general front loader must from my clothes so they are acctually sentless. When you don’t have tide or whatever scenting your clothing the scent of fully synthetic fibers like active wear or silk really comes through and I find it unpleasant. H

I have actually never heard of doing that and now I’m looking it up!

I own a macaw so I can’t use most other products. Vinegar all the things 😂

The smell of vinegar makes me gag so thats gonna be a no from me dawg.

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Good tip. I may try it some day. Grew up in a house where my aunt put way too much vinegar and cleaned the floors weekly. 🤮

Now how do I get rid of this vinegar smell in my car/home?

Apple cider vinegar also works!

You can add baking soda first and this turns the vinegar into water, carbon dioxide, and a salt so it doesn't smell like vinegar. It just smells like water. Because it's just water now.

So my wireless stick vac has a weird odour ( dirty feet) ever since I cleaned out the filter a few days ago and it’s coming from the motor (not a burning smell). I didn’t put the filter back right away without allowing it to dry out so I doubt it’s moisture related but I just bought it from Amazon last week. What do I do

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It smells unpleasant and people can’t see past that.

Yes to all this!!! I get my weekly supply of cold brew coffee in growlers from a local coffee shop. Both growlers bumped into each other as I made a quick right turn, causing one of them to burst and spill all over behind the driver’s seat. It was a two week old car and smelled of coffee. I was worried but vinegar and baking soda saved my life and money. I did spend quite some time wet vacuuming and pouring baking soda to absorb the liquid. Then I sprayed with vinegar and had the windows down for a bit to circulate. It completely removed the odor of the coffee!

Step 1, clean the car. Step 2, ozone the car.

I was wondering about this, why do people recommend it for cleaning then?

They're fooled by big baking soda.

LPT: how to make water and clean many things with it!

Arm twisted, threatened with hammer

Actual LPT: Clean up the source of the offending odor if possible with the proper cleaning product. If you just have to go the hippie route, use baking soda and water only. Baking soda neutralizes both acidic and basic odor molecules. All adding vinegar does is neutralize the baking soda and has the added bonus of smelling repulsive. Rinse thoroughly; residual baking soda or pretty much any cleaning product will attract moisture and thus dirt and grime back to the area.

Honestly, just water, a good absorbent towel and a little elbow grease will go a long way.

Wet carpet WILL start to smell if not dried in a timely manner. Invest in a dehumidifier, a real one with a compressor. Run the power cord through a cracked window and set it to "continuous run" and let it go overnight or in a garage. The key is avoiding overheating, you know how hot vehicle interiors can get in the sun, and a dehumidifier will be dumping several hundred additional watts of heat...

For an actual little to no effort way to dordorize a vehicle, read up on the proper use of an ozone generator. A cheep Chinesium unit from eBay will be just fine. This is what used car dealers do.

Sometimes I forget to empty the waste container on my smart Vac/mop and then it well create the worse smell. What I’ll do is pour baking soda all over the container and then flush it with vinegar. As long as I get the entire container once it dries the funk is gone. I’m unsure if your wireless stick can be flushed as I’ve never worked with it so make sure this won’t cause an issue before trying this method. A safer approach would be to try and simmer the vinegar in a pan with the filter and motor very close to the pan (make sure motor is exposed). This may kill everything that’s causing the smell.

Rob McElhenney (the real Vic Vinegar) talks about how his mother used to cover him in vinegar as a fly/mosquito repellent (while it does do this it’s generally recommended for dogs). He stated that it made him smell really bad and how it gave him PTSD every time he smelled vinegar. He did state the few times he didn’t use the vinegar the mosquitoes and flies went to town on him…

Fun fact we use vinegar the wash the inside window of zoo exhibit because its harmless for the animals.

yeaaaaa so vinegar will rust all the metal it touches if you just leave it there and don’t wipe it off. don’t do this to your car unless you want to rust it from the inside out. . and most essential oils will break down over time and will corrode the internal upholstery. OP, i know your heart is in the right place but overall bad advice for the car stuff

You must be new to this site.

CAR DEODORIZER- feels like r/DIWHY material. I had a idiot boss that pretty much touted the same thing about the “wonders” of vinegar and blasted the interior of his leased G80 company vehicle, for reasons.. It was like opening a bag of salt and vinegar chips in my face every time I stepped into that car. Blegh

That’s why they make specific cleaners.

Reminder that tea oil is toxic to cats and dogs. Especially cats!

So keeping vinegar overnight is not enough time to negatively affect anything other than neutralizing bad smells. White vinegar is actually used to resolve rust not create it. Here’s a link explaining the process on the Home Depot website.

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

Baking soda and vinegar is used as a cleaning solution and vinegar with water in a spray bottle is used to neutralize odors (there are other uses but these two are the most frequently used). Make sure and use a ratio of 2 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of vinegar for the odor neutralizer so that the vinegar smell goes away within half a minute. Depending on how bad the smell is you can increase the amount of vinegar up to a 1:2 ratio.

Arm and Hammer has a monopoly on the market and employs special interest groups to buy congressmen so that they can suppress other cleaning solutions...

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Vinegar's main chemical component is acetic acid, which makes the solution a strong cleaning agent for stains, dirt, grime, freshening laundry, cleaning windows and much more. Vinegar’s acid count can cut through grease as well as remove hard water deposits. It acts to kill bacteria and viruses, like E. coli and salmonella, as well as other germs that can find their way onto countertops, dishes and bathroom surfaces. Just about any vinegar (distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, malt vinegar, any specialties) can be used to clean because they all possess the masterful trait of high acidity.

Baking soda is vinegar’s equal when it comes to cleaning. It can be used almost as widely and partners up well with the acidic helper. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is chemically akin to salt. This means it is a neutral compound with a slightly high pH level. In short, it will absorb anything that is acidic, rather than cutting through or masking. Many odors are in fact, acidic, which is why baking soda is so great at neutralizing them. This acid-base reaction is also why baking soda and vinegar partner up so well. 

When cleaning spread a dusting of baking soda across the area you are targeting, depending on how bad the buildup is you can leave it sitting for a a few minutes to a few hours (or overnight, if you can) and then splash vinegar on top and you’ll be able to remove the buildup. You can even use a paste of baking soda and vinegar to remove stains from fabrics and act as a gentle surface cleaner.

Like the other user said, your toxic feedback is not necessary as it's possible to have a constructive open discussion with different opinions.

I don’t question the merits of vinegar, or baking soda. I question the claims pertaining to the mixture of the two. What happens when they mix is not a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of fact. What I object to most of all is the treatment of scientific/factual matters as if they are subject to opinion. That treatment represents a dumbing down of our society; it’s anti-intellectual- and I’d make the case that anti-intellectualism is a cancer to society. It’s toxic and deserves to be treated as such.

Baking soda can be used as a cleaning solution with water, but it's not nearly as effective. The reason experts recommend using vinegar and baking soda is because it's a highly effective organic cleaner that does not have any harsh chemicals like most over the counter alternatives. The smell of vinegar does not last as the smell goes away once it dries when using the correct ratio with water. If for some reason you did not mix vinegar with water then it will take a little longer for the smell to go away (it can be as little as 10 minutes up to 24 hours). If you want to rush this process then open a box of baking soda in the area where the smell is.

Nice, thanks for sharing.

Blast how? did he use it as a cleaning solution and spray it all over the car?

I use apple cider vinegar/water in a spray bottle as a natural deodorizer for my dog's coat. It's also a proactive/reactive killer of any flies or fleas. The next time your dog has the musty smell after exercising or a wet dog smell then try this solution! (but please make sure to cut it with water)

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

The smell of vinegar goes away once it dries.

Thanks for sharing!

To each his own :).

What do you do if the other people in the house complain about the vinegar smell and says to get rid of it?

No it isn't. Baking soda and vinegar make carbon dioxide. It's literally called sodium bicarbonate.

Better yet, put some cheap vodka in a spray bottle and spray that on the stinky surfaces/objects. Works wonders. If you have something you can’t spray, put it in a tub with a saucer of fresh ground coffee beans. I do that for old jewelry.

Absolutely! I have a mixture in the room our cats litterbox is in because she's not the best burryer, works wonders

Yeah!

Why on earth would you want the smell of vinegar instead of coffee?

Agree. By the above logic of the bubbling action OP would be just as well off using carbonated water, instead of going through the effort of essentially producing the same thing.

Can you provide a source for the molecule-bonding claim, please?

I thought the same. I love coffee and it wouldn’t hurt but it’s not the same…it smelled wet and it’s smelled less delicious lol

ohhhh like old, spilled coffee. Not like a nice fresh bean. Got it. <nods>

And baking soda neutralizes vinegar, use either or not both.

Together you just made fancy salt water. Does nothing but leave a film from salt.

Vinegar smell goes away in less than 24 hours.

Depends. Why risk it? It’s a terrible smell.

Then he used way too much vinegar. Probably sprayed it on straight instead of diluting it. It doesn't take much.

If you read the label on the cleaning solutions, half the time the active ingredient is just acetic acid (vinegar), or citric acid.

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It doesn't depend at all. Vinegar evaporates quickly. I have been cleaning my floors with vinegar for years and I know how long it takes to dissipate. Later the same day there is no vinegar smell whatsoever.

I’m an old lady and I’m fully familiar with the lingering nature of vinegar odor.

Well shucks don't use it if you don't like it. I support your freedom to choose (to use vinegar or not). But don't scare people off from trying it when you know for a fact due to your own past experiences that the smell eventually goes away.

...Are you a bot?

That buzzfeed quality article was a hoot. My favorite part is the clogged toilet remedy: Bail out the shit-water, then create a shit-volcano, and finally add hot water to release the full aromatic effect. And when none of that works, use a plunger.

Many years ago, I had a warehouse type job. We got a new employee one day, nice young guy, fit, obviously took care of himself and one of the better workers we ever had. But he smelled. Bad. Every day. Like mildew and stale sweat. A few months later, his father joined. Same deal. Great attitude, looked healthy, but had that same aromatic quality about him. Now I'm not saying they'd be the type to avoid "harsh chemicals" in favor of BS like this, but if I were a betting man...

Incorrect again. All acids attack and corrode steel. Vinegar can be used to remove surface rust because it dissolves the iron and iron oxide. However, the steel must then be fully rinsed and the vinegar must be neutralized, or else additional extreme rust will be created. Vinegar absolutely accelerates corrosion. I’m an engineer with 15 years of engineering/metalworking experience. Moreover, the statements I’m making can be demonstrated as true with paper/pencil chemistry equations.

If you need to put anything in the rinse cycle to eliminate BO from your clothes, somethings majorly wrong with the detergent you're using and/or your machine. I've had my Electrolux front loader since '08 or '09 and never had any issues with "front load must". Here's what I do:

Use a quality detergent; Tide Free & Clear, it's worth it, you don't need much. Bleach my whites. For bulky items like blankets that don't get laundered often, I use the 2 hour "deep clean sanitize" cycle. It gets REALLY hot, like when the drum isn't moving, you can hear the "sizzle" of the submerged heating element. This probably helps break down scum and stuff. There's a product called "Affresh" specifically made to "remove odor causing residues and grime daily loads leave behind." It comes 6 tablets to a pack, and you're supposed to run one tablet a month through it. Screw that noise. Once a year, if that, I throw in the whole box and run the sanitize cycle. Still works as good as the day I got it. And it doesn't even have Wi-Fi.

Out of curiosity, even if it dries on metal it's still corrosive? Or it more a case of, it'll dry, then when exposed to moisture it'll rehydrate and start eating away at the metal?

Or whatever the actual chemistry terms are.

I have a home ozone generator machine for this, I put it inside the car, close all windows but a small crack, let it run for 20-30 minutes and it will kill any odor, cigarette, dog, barf, BO, you name it. Beware, this acts by oxidizing and killing any organic matter, and with it the smell, this is dangerous to inhale as it will burn your airways and lungs, but doing it with the right precautions, it works wonderfully.

Make sure if you pour hot water in your toilet that it isn't boiling; you can crack the ceramic bowl.

My point is that it depends. Which is what I said. But keep repeating yourself if you like. No skin off my nose.

It also stops hot sauce from burning as bad better than most things.

Several of these work without vinegar, BTW.

Most of the corrosion happens while the steel is exposed to the liquid vinegar. Once the vinegar evaporates you’d have a pitted texture with rust. Imagine that’s sample A and we have sample B that’s the same but after that first flash-rust, we rinsed and neutralized sample B. From that point on, I think sample A might corrode faster due to remnant vinegar but I’m not sure, and I imagine that if it did, the corrosion rates of the two samples would equalize after some time.

Edit - to explain further, what makes vinegar increase future corrosion is the rough surface finish it creates at initial exposure. The smoother the surface, the more resistant the surface is to rust. Sandblasting is exactly the same (it removes rust, but also primes the steel for increased future rust).

Yeah then you just get the oh so pleasant stank of vinegar to deal with. How is that better?

What about smelly shoes

Uhhh this will rust the wiring harnesses and things below the carpet, if u start having electrical issues, you’ll know where to look

>vinegar will rust all the metal it touches if you just leave it there and don’t wipe it off

This is true, but only because the acetic acid in the vinegar can remove any initial oxidized layers to help rust form deeper within the metal. You would need to leave at least a puddle of vinegar on a metal to see an increase in corrosion. The amount of evaporated vinegar from an open container is not going to be significant enough to cause corrosion. Moreover, there isn't going to be much exposed metal inside your car for the acetic acid to land on anyway. It wouldn't be any more corrosion than you driving through a rainstorm.

Vinegar does not cause rust, it’s actually used to dissolve/remove rust.

Mix the baking soda and white vinegar together in a small bowl to form a paste. Dip the toothbrush into the mixture and apply the paste all over the shoes, scrubbing softly to remove dirt and stains

The smell of vinegar dissolves once it dries as long as you mix it with water. If you don’t mix it with water or put too much vinegar in the spray bottle it will dissipate over time. If you can’t wait then open a box of baking soda and put it near the smell. It will remove the smell it like it does in your fridge.

Yes but not nearly as effective.

Do you mean when you cook with it or do you mix it with already made hot sauce?

Good point!

Thanks for sharing your approach.

A bot….of course not….beep blip bloop

>it can also be used as a cleaner if you add baking soda to the mix

Please don't recommend doing this. It is useless. Baking soda is a base, and vinegar contains acetic acid which is an acid. When you combine a base and an acid, you get water and a salt. In the case of baking soda and vinegar, you get water, carbon dioxide, and a salt, sodium acetate. There is nothing special about this salt. Combining baking soda and vinegar for a cleaner just gives you salt water. Use one or the other, not both at the same time.

>Carpet Stain Cleaner: Create a paste with baking soda and a small amount of vinegar, then work it into the stained carpet fibers with your fingers. Allow the mixture to sit and dry overnight, then vacuum up any remnants.

Cut the vinegar and just sprinkle baking soda to remove odors. To remove stains, it depends on the kind of stain but you should try either making a baking soda paste with water or just plain vinegar. In either case, you should be blotting it with a paper towel or something absorbent rather than letting it sit.

>Drain Cleaner: Pour a cup of baking soda into your drain. Then pour about 1/2 cup of vinegar down the drain and cover it with a plate. Let the mixture sit for half an hour, and then flush it with hot water for several minutes until the drain runs clear.

Mixing baking soda and vinegar is only helpful when it's bubbling because the bubbles can help dislodge stuff you normally can't reach, like in a drain. In this case, I would say you probably don't need to let it sit for half an hour unless your goal is to clear a clogged drain by increasing the pressure with the released CO2 from the baking soda and vinegar combo.

>APC: For an all-purpose cleaner you can use every day, pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into a spray bottle and add a couple tablespoons of baking soda to it. Add 10 drops of tea tree oil and fill the bottle the rest of the way with water.

You will likely have similar results from filling a bottle with tap water and adding 10 drops of tea tree oil.

>Toilet Cleaner: Pour a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar down the toilet’s drain. You should see it bubble up. Wait about 30 minutes and pour hot water into the bowl to see if it drains. It’s OK to repeat these steps if you see some loosening, but need a little more clog removed. The vinegar will also clean your toilet while you're doing this.

See drain cleaner for the part about bubbling. As for the last sentence, no, the vinegar will not clean your toilet while you're doing this because it will be deactivated by the baking soda.

TL;DR STOP MIXING BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR FOR CLEANING! They are both fairly good and useful cleaning products on their own, but combining them essentially gives you salt water. It is much cheaper and just as effective to sprinkle some table salt into tap water if you really want to use it.

>Baking soda and vinegar is used as a cleaning solution

You can use it as a cleaning solution, but it's not going to be any more effective than a bottle of water.

I’m not saying to use vinegar as a lotion or body spray at all because I can imagine how bad that reaction can be. But vinegar dissolves once it dries as long as cut with water. if you really want to find out then you can apply the scientific method and grab a spray bottle and mix 2 tablespoons of vinegar into 2 cups of water and then shake the bottle. Once it’s done spray it as a mist near you and wait 30 seconds. If it’s not gone then come back and tell us for bragging rights…..now of course we have to use the honor system hers, but who would like regarding something so trivial.

You don’t use baking soda to neutralize an odor in your car.

When baking soda is mixed with vinegar, the acid breaks down baking soda, releasing carbon dioxide gas that can help lift dirt from the surfaces being cleaned.

When baking soda is mixed with vinegar, the acid breaks down baking soda, releasing carbon dioxide gas that can help lift dirt from the surfaces being cleaned.

Do you know what else helps lift dirt from the surface being cleaned? A brush, a sponge, an absorbent towel, a vacuum, or even just spraying it with water. Using the created carbon dioxide gas is just a mechanical force to push dirt. I mentioned in a different comment that the only kind of useful case for using the bubbles to clean is in places you can't reach, like your drain. https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/vinegar-baking-soda-cleaning-mixture-myth-36880375

Saying you can use the carbon dioxide bubbles to lift dirt is like saying a student can carry all their books between classes with their hands. Sure, it kind of works, but many alternatives will do the job better.

it smels bad so lets use a worst smell to make the first didsapear?

I get the idea, but cannot support the vinager :/

"Home/car"

How did you know I'm living in my car?

Vinegar still smells worse than anything I was trying to get rid of.

Not OP, and I'm giving an educated guess, so bear with me.

A lot of foul odors of organic origin tend to be alkaline: ammonia, urea, sulfates, etc., and acetic acid tends to neutralize them into something we can't smell, or temporarily overpower the smell. In the case of weed, it's either an aromatic hydrocarbon or a terpene that is in charge of the smell. I presume that in the presence of acids, those molecules breakdown into something we cannot smell.

I like this explanation; thank you.

If you’re mouth is on fire and you want to get a glass of milk to stop it, a little vinegar of some kind helps to break down the oils in the sauce

It's not directly body odor.. its more the smell of the synthetic fibers that I seem to be sensitive to and the fact that front loaders have a generally shit design with the rubber gasket trapping moisture and kid socks and mildewing. I'm generally responsible enough to check the gasket and clean it out after use but I have 4 people from 12 to 70 doing laundry in my house and the likelihood of "someone" leaving a load in long enough to mildew approaches unity in any two-week period. A cup of vinegar eliminates most any residual odor from piss-soaked kid bedding to the weird synthetic chamois in my riding bibs to the dog bed cover. It's a one stop shop lol. I agree with you about using quality detergent; I feel the same way about house paint! it's worth spending the extra money!

edit: i just realized that my work computer is signed into a different account .. but tis I Boonestafa!

Any layer protecting the metal from rusting to moisture would be stripped.. I would just say if ur gonna use it in a car make sure it’s not enough to soak thru the carpet to the metal below, just a light application and shop vac it up after. Just saying cuz I’ve dealt with stuff rusting under the carpet from trapped moisture and that was without stripping the coatings on the metal and electronic plugs underneath

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One LPT for front loaders, leave the door open after washing to let the washer fully dry out for a day or so. Helps big time keeping the funkiness down.