In the past few years, I’ve become become the opposite of a germaphobe. For daily cleaning I wipe counters with just a wet rag and use the world’s easiest homemade foaming soap to wash hands. I’m a cleaner-a-phobe!
But I’ve always wanted a good all-purpose cleaner I could use in the kitchen without worrying about it getting on food or leaving harmful residue. Finally, I found a powerful combo that’s safe around food and kids: hydrogen peroxide and distilled white vinegar.
How to use Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar together
Simply spray one right after the other onto surfaces you want to clean – counters, cutting boards, even fruits & veggies. It’s 10 times more effective than using either spray by itself! Here’s how it works:
In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing the two mists killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces when used in this fashion, making this spray combination more effective at killing these potentially lethal bacteria than chlorine bleach or any commercially available kitchen cleaner. (source)
Simple All-Purpose Hydrogen Peroxide + Vinegar Cleaner Recipe
This involves making 2 separate spray bottles (and for nice glass spray or pump bottles, I love Rail19).
In the first spray bottle, combine:
- 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 5 drops tea tree oil
- 5 drops clove oil
Newsflash – vinegar stinks. I chose clove essential oil because it’s naturally antibacterial and antiviral and easily overpowers the smell. Cinnamon or citrus would also work. Fill rest of way with water.
In a second bottle, add hydrogen peroxide. You need a dark-colored bottle as peroxide starts to breaks down when exposed to light (or just put a spray nozzle on the original bottle).
Warning: Don’t put vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together in the same bottle
I did this the first time (oops), but apparently combining both in the same bottle creates peracetic acid, which can be harmful. So it’s best to keep them separate!
And once you have a big jug of vinegar there are about a billion things you can make and clean with it. Here are just a few!
11 Homemade Vinegar Cleaner Recipes
Citrus garbage disposal refreshers
Your garbage disposal needs some refreshing, and this citrus and vinegar combination is the solution.
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Natural glass cleaner
Clean windows and mirrors like never before with this all natural combination.
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Homemade shower spray
Just give the shower a quick spritz after each use to keep soap buildup and mildew at bay between the deep cleanings.
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Make your own reusable dryer sheets
Make my own reusable dryer sheets from all-natural ingredients and reap the benefits of saving money and having fresh-smelling laundry.
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Naturally antibacterial all-purpose cleaner
Tea tree oil and grapefruit are combined with vinegar to help you disinfect any surface in the house.
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Reusable disinfectant homemade wipes
Wipe away the germs with these reusable cloths soaked in vinegar, liquid soap and essential oils.
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Mold and mildew spray
Get rid of unpleasant mold and mildew using this three ingredient spray that's bleach-free.
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Natural oven cleaner
Rinse your oven with vinegar to remove any residue of the cleaner.
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All natural floor cleaner
A natural floor cleaner that actually works, with tea tree and orange essential oils.
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Remove stains
Lipstick and nail polish stains can be removed with the aid of vinegar.
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Deep clean your refrigerator
Naturally and deep clean your refrigerator with a solution of vinegar, dish soap and essential oil.
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Nice DIY cleaner recipes. Thanks for the great tips.
I shared this article on DIY best posts.
Which one do you use first do you use dry rag wet rag do you spray the other one right away
Such a useful article and tips. I really loved your ideas. It is great to find new ways to clean the house. Thanks for this share!
Please check out mother nature network man.com and ewg.com for scientific information on wipes and vinegar usage. They state that they do not kill e-coli or growing bacterias. You are correct about not using antibacterial soap.