Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

The $2 Kmart product that will clean anything

The $2 Kmart product that will clean anything

The 8 daily habits of people with spotless houses

The 8 daily habits of people with spotless houses

5 things that make your kitchen look messier than it is

5 things that make your kitchen look messier than it is

Why you should wear rubber gloves

Why you should wear rubber gloves

{headline}

{headline}

Three kitchen items you're cleaning too much

Three kitchen items you're cleaning too much

The secret cleaning tips the professionals use

The secret cleaning tips the professionals use

7 unexpected ways to clean your house using dishwashing tablets

7 unexpected ways to clean your house using dishwashing tablets

{headline}

{headline}

6 hacks to make your white shoes look new again

6 hacks to make your white shoes look new again

The $5 smiley sponge sending shoppers into a frenzy

The $5 smiley sponge sending shoppers into a frenzy

Clever tip for keeping your skirting boards dust free

Clever tip for keeping your skirting boards dust free

6 household items that can remove ink from furniture

6 household items that can remove ink from furniture

The best vacuum cleaners for dealing with pet hair

The best vacuum cleaners for dealing with pet hair

The secret to getting sweat stains out of white T-shirts

The secret to getting sweat stains out of white T-shirts

5 spring cleaning hacks that will save you time

5 spring cleaning hacks that will save you time

  1. Home
  2. Better Life

Does vinegar really kill germs?

The answer might surprise you - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd
  • 16 Jan 2018

It’s no secret that vinegar is a simple and affordable all-purpose cleaner.

After all, it’s the most common ingredient (alongside baking soda) listed in many homemade cleaning solutions.

But does it really kill germs?

According to science, the answer is a definitive ‘yes’.

ABC Online reports that vinegar is about 5 per cent acetic acid, which kills bacteria and viruses by “chemically changing the proteins and fats that make up these nasties and destroying their cell structures.”

US studies have found that vinegar destroys a host of household pathogens, including the flu virus as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria which causes tuberculosis.

Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician at Australian National University told ABC Online: "TB is a hard-to-kill bacteria, so the fact that it works against them means most other bacteria will likely be killed by vinegar as well.”

It seems that the best approach to cleaning is to keep it simple.

Professor Collignon suggests that hot soapy water usually does the trick.

"You've got to clean the surface first and that's usually enough. Then you have to ask yourself whether you need to disinfect at all," he says.

According to Professor Collignon, vigorous elbow grease is the most effective method of cleaning, because you are "physically decreasing the number of bacteria present and washing them down the sink".

After some tips on how to clean with vinegar? You might like to read:

  • Homemade natural weed killer
  • 10 ways to use vinegar in your garden
  • How to clean a shower
  • 16 surprising new uses for apple cider vinegar
  • Easy toilet cleaning hack
  • 10 ways to clean your house while you sleep

Wondering if there’s anything that vinegar can't clean? You might like to read:

  • Six things that you shouldn’t clean with vinegar

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

The $2 Kmart product that will clean anything

The $2 Kmart product that will clean anything

The 8 daily habits of people with spotless houses

The 8 daily habits of people with spotless houses

5 things that make your kitchen look messier than it is

5 things that make your kitchen look messier than it is

Why you should wear rubber gloves

Why you should wear rubber gloves

{headline}

{headline}

Three kitchen items you're cleaning too much

Three kitchen items you're cleaning too much

The secret cleaning tips the professionals use

The secret cleaning tips the professionals use

7 unexpected ways to clean your house using dishwashing tablets

7 unexpected ways to clean your house using dishwashing tablets

{headline}

{headline}

6 hacks to make your white shoes look new again

6 hacks to make your white shoes look new again

The $5 smiley sponge sending shoppers into a frenzy

The $5 smiley sponge sending shoppers into a frenzy

Clever tip for keeping your skirting boards dust free

Clever tip for keeping your skirting boards dust free

6 household items that can remove ink from furniture

6 household items that can remove ink from furniture

The best vacuum cleaners for dealing with pet hair

The best vacuum cleaners for dealing with pet hair

The secret to getting sweat stains out of white T-shirts

The secret to getting sweat stains out of white T-shirts

5 spring cleaning hacks that will save you time

5 spring cleaning hacks that will save you time

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!