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Vinegar: It's magic

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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?

Baking soda is always a handy mild abrasive but I'm going to guess it's not used in a large enough quantity here for that. Maybe they just wanted a little fizz.
 
Vinegar gets rid of ball stank and horrifying pit wrench. If you spray down a gym locker with it that shit cleans right up.
 
I use a cup of vinegar about once in week in the automatic dishwasher to keep the drinking glasses clear of the cloudy buildup common with hard water. I simply pour the vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher and close the door, starting the cycle normally. Works great.
 
Then you haven't used enough baking soda. Vinegar and baking soda combined can produce quite a reaction, a la baking soda/vinegar rockets.

Put a strong base and mix with a strong acid and you will get a strong exothermic reaction.
 
Baking soda is always a handy mild abrasive but I'm going to guess it's not used in a large enough quantity here for that. Maybe they just wanted a little fizz.

Works good on toothpaste too.

Of all the various types of vinegar, I love balsamic as far as eating goes. Nothing better than freshly baked bread dipped in balsamic and some olive oil.
 
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Then you haven't used enough baking soda. Vinegar and baking soda combined can produce quite a reaction, a la baking soda/vinegar rockets.
I know. Carbonic acid breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. So when you protonate bicarbonate, you make a shit ton of carbonic acid, and thus a lot of CO2 and some heat. The gas bubbles out of solution. It's basically like shaking a soda bottle...but it's not oxidizing, and not particularly exciting, chemistry wise.
 
Take a huge bucket of vinegar and then dump an entire box of baking soda into it. This will take care of all your cleaning needs. 😉 :biggrin:


PS for the mentally challenged: Don't really do this. 😛
 
I wish I didn't hate the smell of vinegar so much, sounds like good stuff! Makes me want to puke though. Could never see myself cleaning with it. Would rather smell ammonia.
 
The baking soda won't do anything. The baking soda on its own can be a mild degreaser, but sodium carbonate (soda ash) would probably be better for that. The acidity of vinegar is a great cleaner, as it will oxidize stains and denature proteins. Combining the two, however, will simply create dilute sodium acetate, which is as good as table salt for this purpose.

Most likely, you aren't throwing in enough baking soda to neutralize all the vinegar, so you are just cleaning with acetic acid.
 
I wish I didn't hate the smell of vinegar so much, sounds like good stuff! Makes me want to puke though. Could never see myself cleaning with it. Would rather smell ammonia.


Actually, this is one are where the baking soda could be useful. If you wash with the vinegar first, then rinse with a baking soda solution, you'll neutralize the vinegar into an odorless salt. The baking soda is mild enough that there's no harm in having a little sodium bicarbonate residue.
 
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