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Vinegar: It's magic

Phokus

Phokus

Lifer
So yeah, i've been kind of a lazy butt with cleaning the north wall of my house, there was quite a bit of mildew build up because the sun doesn't hit it. Did a bit of research on types of cleaners to use, but didn't want to damage the vegetation around my house with hard chemicals. Then i came across a blog post that suggested using 30% vinegar, 70% water and a dash of baking soda. Supposedly environmentally safe. 1 gallon of vinegar costs like $2.50. Before i used it, i tested just using a hard brush and water and the mildew refused to come out. The vinegar solution? Went through the mildew like a hot knife through butter:

http://imgur.com/a/1yE0f

I'm using this for cleaning EVERYTHING from now on
 
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It's also highly illegal and requires federal forms to be signed and notarized in triplicate, approved by the FBVE: the Federal Bureau of Vinegar Enforcement, before you can purchase as much as 1 pint.
 
Yup, some magic stuff. Plus it never breaks down. A bottle now will be the same in 50 years.

I spray it on my windshield in winter, ice comes right off.
 
zinfamous said:
by the way, you're going to have fruit flies all over that side of your house for a week or two.
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I noticed like one fly the next day... i sprayed it down a couple of times so hopefully it's not too bad, maybe i should get some sort of fly trap just in case.
 
Between vinegar and baking soda, almost all of my cleaning needs are taken care of. It's cheap, and you don't have to worry about poisoning anything.
 
Anyone know if vinegar can be used as a paint remover? I'm thinking of using it to clean and refinish my deck.
 
Phokus said:
Anyone know if vinegar can be used as a paint remover? I'm thinking of using it to clean and refinish my deck.
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i don't think it can. but might as well give it a shot on a small area and see for yourself if it works.
 
Phokus said:
I noticed like one fly the next day... i sprayed it down a couple of times so hopefully it's not too bad, maybe i should get some sort of fly trap just in case.
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you shouldn't worry about it. fruit flies are completely harmless and no nuisance whatsoever. They won't buzz around your ear and are quite clean--they're tiny and hover very slowly--probably b/c they do nothing but consume fermented products. 😀

They're just on the hunt for some stray booze is all. anything fermenty/vinegary and you will likely find them.

...and pay homage to the humble Drosophila, the wonderful creature that gave us modern genetics and genome science.
 
eits said:
you pour straight vinegar into your wiper solution tank? any effects on your paint?
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Woops, forgot to mention I only drive beaters. Even if it ate the paint off, I wouldn't care. I've never noticed it have any effect though.

I don't put it in the washer thingy, but just a spray mister bottle thing. Hose down the windshield, wait 30 seconds or so, and use the wipers to remove the ice.

And yeah, the car can smell like vinegar for 10 minutes or so, but doesn't last. But I like the smell. Smells like freshly douched porkchops.
 
PottedMeat said:
i'm guessing the 70/30 vinegar/water goes on first -> baking soda after for abrasive/neutralization?
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Nah, i put a spoonful of baking soda into the vinegar... didn't know that neutralizes the aciditiy. I guess it wasn't enough to completely neutralize it though.
 
SandEagle said:
i found that vinegar cleans better than pine sol
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vinegar and isopropyl alcohol cleans better than 98% of the crap on the market, charging 30% more for cleaning purposes.

but be quiet! can't hurt their profit margins. Our economy will collapse if people become more sensible! D:
 
eits said:
i'd imagine it'd create an oxidizing solution.
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Seems to me it would create more water/salt (acid + base)?

I'm not a chemist (nor do I play one on TV) but if it neutralizes the acid, wouldn't it be just as well to leave it out (baking soda) and add less vinegar to the water?
 
oh great thread thanks!

we get mildew on the side of the house too. i just use the power washer 1-2 times a year and it keeps it down.
 
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