Cleaning and Disinfecting with Vinegar

cleaning toys with water soap and vinegar

For some of us, living in the city means that some people live in smaller than average spaces.  Personally, I love the convenience of our two bedroom studio but it bothers me to use cleaning agents such as clorox or ammonia because the smell quickly travels to all corners of the apartment.  While I do like the smell of steamed clorox, I know it can't be all that healthy for my little one.  He'll be 18 months soon, yet my anxieties and worries when it comes to how I am handle things for him are still as fresh and nerve wrecking as the day he came home.  The mentality of a parent is such a weird thing for me because I notice how aware I have become with everything in life, in my routines and in my thoughts and actions.  As an active learner, I learned that we need some exposure to germs, especially him so that his immune system could become stronger.  And I'm sure we could all agree that cleaning with water only isn't the brightest idea out there.

Well,  few years ago I was employed as a coordinator with a dialysis clinic.  My point in mentioning this is that I distinctly remember two things when it comes to cleaning up bacteria. The first was that the units and seats were wiped down with alcohol after each treatment.  And the second was that spills were cleaned up with VINEGAR.  Of course, after remembering this while cleaning with 409 - which clearly states "harmful to humans and animals" - I researched Vinegar as a cleaning agent.

I was excited and relieved to learn that vinegar works well in killing most bacteria, mold and germs.  Needless to say, I filled up a spray bottle with vinegar and started spraying everything from the door knobs to the kitten's bedding.  As you can see in the picture, I even filled up his old tub with all the plastic toys I could find and then dumped them into a solution of water, vinegar and some dish soap.  I let them soak for about 10 minutes then I rinsed and dried them off before putting them back into his room.

I felt and still feel good about my new cleaning agent and the smell of vinegar isn't that bad, especially when I think about that versus breathing in harmful cleaning fumes.  In my opinion, which based on some research and my experience in the medical world, I am convinced that Vinegar is an effective tool for sanitizing the home.  I have learned to trust myself when it comes to making decisions because whenever I have doubted myself, later on down the line I usually realize that I had it right all along.  I admit, I do wish there was some way to home test the levels of bacteria found in the apartment and on the toys and so forth.  Not because I doubt my choice of cleaning agent but because I think it would be great to know the "scientific" outcome of my daily cleaning efforts.

Actually, I might be going off on a tangent but a bacteria tester would also be great for testing the levels of  bacteria in washing machines at laundromats, trays and tables at restaurants, equipment at a playground, or even our very own steering wheels.  Sure, I could just walk around with alcohol wipes and be the antibacterial maniac but I'd love to personally test and confirm what it actually accomplishes.  Just sayin'!


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