The Great Cleaning Debate: Baking Soda vs. Vinegar

Posted on 11/08/2015

Magnificent Four of Home Cleaners and Their Uses

Sooner or later everybody involved with home cleaning will get advice or a suggestion to forget about the labelled detergents and instead use what the kitchen offers– the magnificent four of home cleaners: baking soda, vinegar, salt, and lemon juice. The first two especially are recommended for 90 percent of cleaning jobs as they do the job that most cleaners do without all the expenses and danger of toxin issues invading your health. Both of them are universal cleaners which really can be used in most cases. And, since people are competitive that way, there is the little argument of which one is better: vinegar or baking soda? Let us check out the facts.

Application
• As effective as baking soda can be, it is a substance that is most useful only when combined with other substances. You need to add at least water to release the baking soda’s true potential when cleaning.
• Vinegar is independent of other substances – its acidic properties make it a detergent in itself. It can eat through different stains with a few drops, and just a few cups can clean or unclog drains.

Battling Odours
• As an odour-killer, baking soda is the perfect cleaner. Sprinkle some soda and add water to the odour’s source, rub at it, and soon the smell with be completely eliminated. You can clear all unwanted smells from your home with just a few minutes of rubbing.
• Vinegar is useful for eliminating smells as well, but it replaces them with its own. If you are not tolerant to its smell, you should not practice that – yes, the vinegar’s smell does dissipate after a while, but badly ventilated rooms can become unusable until it does.

Stain Removal
• Baking soda can clean almost everything, there is very little in the way of stains that can remain untouched by its powerful effects, including the toughest of stains and grease marks, but it cannot disinfect.
• Vinegar can tackle many stains and wins against most, but definitely not all. But, it is a great disinfectant. Vinegar works wonders against bacteria and even mould, protecting every surface you use it on.

Safety
• Despite being a cleaning agent, baking soda is completely non-toxic and it is a pure substance. It is a safe product that can be kept everywhere. Many cleaning product have problems with kids’ safety, but baking soda is harmless even if you put it in your mouth.
• Vinegar is basically a natural product made of apples, grapes or sugarcanes. Sure, you can get dizzy and it can burn your throat if you consume it, but it will not hurt anyone – exactly the opposite, it protects against diseases, and can even soothe mosquito bites.

Availability
• Baking soda can be found in most stores, and despite being a product of different companies, it comes universal – there is one type for everything.
• Vinegar can be found everywhere as well, but there are different types – you can pick the one you like most, so it can suit different tastes.

Precautions
• Baking soda can be hard on surfaces – unless made into a paste, it can damage the more gentle surfaces and leave scratches.
• Vinegar is liquid – it leaves no scratches behind and cleans hard surfaces well, but its acidic properties can leave them discoloured.

You have all the facts now, so pick your favourite homemade cleaning agent carefully and contribute to the eternal battle by voicing your own opinion on the matter. As you can see, both are extremely helpful cleaners and can do wonders around the house, so why not just settle and use them both?