What is the use of vinegar and tea in cleaning?

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kenny1999

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From time to time, I can see that vinegar and tea are recommended for cleaning but I didn't pay attention to the details. I have never cleaned any cookware or dishware with the use of vinegar or tea. I almost always only use kitchen detergent or boiling water for cleaning. Is vinegar or tea really helpful in cleaning?
 
I use a 1/2 cup of vinegar once a month in my dishwasher. I'm not sure if it is needed, but I've never had a drain overflow or a problem with the dishwasher draining. I think it cleans the pipes.
Also, our furnace man recommended putting a cup of vinegar in the outflow pipe once a year. I do that, and we haven't had a problem with the heater/air conditioner unit.
 
I have never heard of using tea in cleaning. Vinegar is great for getting calcium or lime deposits out of coffee makers and kettles. You do have to rinse well afterwards. I also use vinegar to get rid of stains from red cabbage. Baking soda down a slow drain, followed by some vinegar until it stops fizzing, and then some hot water will usually make the sink drain more quickly. Often that method will unclog a sink drain.
 
I don't know about tea, other than as an astringent it might help cut thru grease?
Vinegar, on the other hand, as an acid, is an excellent grease cutter, solvent and disinfectant.
It is excellent for disolving calcium and or lime build-up.
 
I haven't heard of tea for cleaning. I used vinegar for running through a coffee maker when we drank coffee (a while ago). It helps with hard water stains, the white ones. Vinegar is also good to use if cleaning mold, so for refrigerators especially the plastic/rubber seals, and for bathrooms. Splash a little vinegar in water if you are cleaning berries, like strawberries, to keep them from molding so fast. Wiping down cheese with vinegar on a paper towel is a good way to handle it before putting it in a clean plastic wrapper, it stops mold from growing.
 
Hot water with a splash of vinegar was always our window washing solution followed by a brisk buff with a sheet of newspaper.

Do people still wash windows?

I do!

I still use water and vinegar with a drop of DAWN. The newspaper has been replaced with a paper towel.
 
Vinegar yes, as a lot of people already stated.
Tea? Don't know.
Getting rid of tes stains/deposit? Fill cup with water, add a little chlorine. Done ;)
 
Hot water with a splash of vinegar was always our window washing solution followed by a brisk buff with a sheet of newspaper.

Do people still wash windows?

I do!

I still use water and vinegar with a drop of DAWN. The newspaper has been replaced with a paper towel.
Thanks for posting that. I do remember using vinegar w/water and a drop of dawn dishwashing detergent for washing windows.
 
I keep aquarium fish. I have a few tanks. All have glass lids. I used CLR for years to get the stubborn calcified areas clean. It worked well but is very dangerous to fish.
Someone mentioned vinegar and I tried it. Sprayed the lids with 100% pure white vinegar and those stains were gone with just a little rubbing.

A few weeks ago I made hummus. I was following a recipe and it called for some baking soda in the soak water and a very little in the cooking water.
When the chick peas were done it left a terrible black stain in the bottom of my aluminum pot.
I assume it was from the baking soda? It was so bad I was going to ask here about it.
But I put some vinegar in the pot with some water and allowed it to sit. It took 2 days but the pot is perfectly clean. Looks just like it did before.
BTW. Vinegar does a good job on stink bugs as well.
 
I keep aquarium fish. I have a few tanks. All have glass lids. I used CLR for years to get the stubborn calcified areas clean. It worked well but is very dangerous to fish.
Someone mentioned vinegar and I tried it. Sprayed the lids with 100% pure white vinegar and those stains were gone with just a little rubbing.
Just wanted to mention, for people who don't know, the white distilled vinegar available in grocery stores is diluted with water to 5 percent. If it was 100 percent, it would be very dangerous to use or inhale.
 
Occasionally our dishwasher gets a strange smell to it ( almost smells like water from a fish tank). Anyway, we were told to run it with white distilled vinegar to take away that smell. We did it, it worked perfectly, so now we do it on a semi regular basis. My wife also cleans her coffee maker with it.
 
Just wanted to mention, for people who don't know, the white distilled vinegar available in grocery stores is diluted with water to 5 percent. If it was 100 percent, it would be very dangerous to use or inhale.

Vinegar comes in many strengths. 5% table use; 7% pickling; 10% cleaning.
 
Vinegar yes, as a lot of people already stated.
Tea? Don't know.
Getting rid of tes stains/deposit? Fill cup with water, add a little chlorine. Done ;)
Using chlorine bleach seems to "eat away" the glaze on enamel. This is not obvious, nor does it cause problems immediately. But, with repeated use, the problem starts. The cups or pots or whatever, stain much more quickly and worse. A soak in hot water and baking soda will take away most tea or coffee stains. You can also rub away most of the stains using dry baking soda and a damp rag or sponge. The soak method is less effort and works in thermoses but the rub method is quicker and works in places you can't rub.
 
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As
dragonlaw said,
5% table use; 7% pickling; 10% cleaning.
There is also horticultural vinegar that is used to kill weeds. It does its work, and doesn't leave any toxic residue in the soil. We use it on paths and the driveway.
 
@Marlingardener I have some of that 20% acetic acid, to kill weeds with - with some it takes a couple applications, for some very stubborn weeds, but at least it is considered "organic", and doesn't have those residues. 10% works on most, but there are those that don't even blink, when I use that!

I can't stand that smell of vinegar in my house, so I can't imagine cleaning with it! I try to do the pickling outside, if I can, for that reason, though I don't always get that option.
 

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