Should i use vinegar in my laundry

One of the best alternatives to commercial laundry detergents is probably in your pantry right now: vinegar. You can wash your laundry with distilled, white vinegar as well as apple cider vinegar.

Vinegar has a number of benefits , both as a food and as a cleaning aid. In addition to this, vinegar has antibacterial properties. Washing your clothes with vinegar is a great way to avoid using harsh chemicals.

If you have sensitive skin, certain detergents can irritate your skin and cause an allergic rash called contact dermatitis. If you seem to be allergic to washing detergents , vinegar might be a good substitute. Vinegar is also earth-friendly.

Research shows that the harsh chemicals in certain laundry detergents are harmful to the environment. Soap buildup can result in blue or white streaks appearing on your clothing. It can also turn your white clothing yellow and cause dark clothing to fade. To remove soapy buildup on clothing, soak your clothes in a solution of 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water before washing them in the machine.

You can use vinegar to remove stains on clothing. As with soapy buildup, dirt and food particles can become loosened when they come into contact with vinegar, allowing the water to carry it away. Dilute 1 cup of vinegar with a gallon of water. Pretreat stains by pouring the solution directly onto the stain or work it into the stain with a clean cloth.

Then, wash your clothing as usual. Add this to your washing machine. You can also soak your clothes in this solution and a gallon of water. Vinegar seems to neutralize odors, leaving your clothing smelling clean. And switch to using dryer sheets and dryer balls to soften your clothes. Do not add clothes. The devil is probably in the details here. Filling the washing machine up with vinegar would undoubtedly be a different situation that having a small amount say, the capacity of the fabric softener dispenser added to a load of water.

I just don't believe the latter will cause the kinds of problems described here, particularly if the washing machine is being used regularly so that any residual acid isn't just sitting around in the machine indefinitely.

Also the low pH of the vinegar should be mitigated by the high pH of the detergent, bringing it closer to a neutral equilibrium by the time it all gets agitated together in there. Thanks to everyone's comments regarding using vinegar in the washers. Liquid fabric softeners and softener sheets cause skin irritations for some people and are the culprit to major sinus problems and migraines, plus cause havoc with your internal organs that most people have not read about.

Works great on static! I was wondering if anyone pauses the HE machines once the rinse cycle starts and then add the vinegar in the final rinse? Donna, which GE did you buy? My goal, when shopping for a new washer was to find one that let me put in as much water as I wanted. Well, the advertising mat on top of the washer said "use as much water as you want".

Not entirely true. As much water as you want as long as it's not more than they'll allow :o. I bought the 4. It's a good washer but due to the water restrictions, I can't wash as much as I want in one load. No way a king size quilt is going in there. It will have water restrictions too but at least it will be a larger capacity.

I like my clothes to move freely in the water. I already have it's matching dryer and love it! I DO use vinegar in some of my washes. I don't think I've used it yet in the new soon to be replaced washer.

I use it in the wash cycle to help with stinky sweaty work clothes. Mostly not a problem in the cooler months. I don't use fabric softeners of any kind. Towels aren't as absorbent with fs. I don't put our good clothes in the dryer. They are line dried and I prefer them to have more shape than be limp ish due to fs. So, no, I don't pause the rinse cycle to add vinegar but if I used vinegar in the rinse cycle, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Oh no! Thanks for the heads up.

I was always of the naive assumption that vinegar, being a "natural" product was basically harmless. My mistake corrected! Luckily I hadn't quite got around to actually trying it in the washing machine or even on teh windows but I will be careful where I douse my home cleaning products now. Ellie ULS. OMG, my husband and I cleaned the agitator to our Speed Queen tonight and gunk we pulled out was amazingly disgusting! It looked like a dead rat and I never use the fabric softener doodad at the top.

I learned that it keeps the drain hoses, etc, clean. Yikes elbits! You must be so glad you got that removed! I guess you had to scrub and bleach inside the agitator column. I've tried numerous times to get the fabric softener doo-dad off my SQ to clean under it and that thing is not coming off without breaking the machine in the process. I've watched a few youtube vids on how to, but none of that works for my softener cup which I never use either. I'm afraid I'd have a yuck too since I've had the machine for over 3.

LOL, common knowledge says that toploaders aren't subject to collecting smutz, that's only in the realm of those infernal frontloaders. That looks like a wad of lint with maybe some hair and other debris.

Vinegar won't do anything to prevent it. After much effort I was able to get the fabric softener cup off hope I didn't break the machine of my SQ. The inside of our agitator pole was not too bad. It looks like dark dust. No build up of hair or lint chucks. I was surprised since we have a long hair cat who sheds year round and the SQ by nature makes lots of lint. I wiped it out and good as new.

I'd rather not have it. Would you know if it's alright to run wash cycles without the cup in place? I'm thinking it would be fine since it has little drain holes in the agitator pole. Replacing the softener cup with a cap is the same thing as running the machine without the cup I've read advisories on other agitator brands to never run the machine without the cup in place to avoid small items falling into the agitator, which makes me LOL.

Made it look nice, it wasn't just slapped on there haphazardly. The moisture and heat never caused the tape to peel off and it kept the cup clean. I called SQ again today since they didn't return my call yesterday or today. In regards to a cap, they said I'd have to go through my distributor. And that the caps are not made to fit residential models--only commercial models. They claim to not know if the cap would fit my awn Moving on, since I haven't called the nearest SQ distributor yet I may do that instead One retailer is pwslaundry and the other is appliance parts pros.

Do you know if they are reputable suppliers? I mean, it wouldn't really offend me if there was no cap in my life. Could even possibly be a good thing in that air can now get in there easily to dry it out--remove a place mold can grow.

It does looks strange to the eye though, if you know what I mean. I can see how a sock can get dumped in there by accident, but one can fix that easy enough. Good thinking Monica. I'm trying to take it a step further and find a stretchable silicone lid. I see them on amazon, but only in multiples.

Your idea made think I can probably just use saran wrap with a rubber band lol. Same difference, just not as tidy looking. Four orders from AppliancePartsPros in , two in They're still in business so that's a point of favor.

SQ doesn't directly deal with consumers via distributors or corporate except for extreme complaints, which are referred to the dealer anyway. The machine will run perfectly fine without an softener dispenser or cap. Aesthetic concern is your choice. My other washer was twenty years old. Used vinegar in every load. No problem!! Yes, that was an accumulation of lint and chihuahua hair. I wash plenty small blankets and towels every few days.

My Speed Queen was purchased in December , so this was 8 years worth. Well, I'm glad you got that cleaned out elbits.

What about a laundry rinse with these ingredients? Is this chemically similar to vinegar since some folks have recommended using vinegar as a laundry rinse. FYI vinegar hurts nothing. Also using to clean washer is safe. To one who said she couldn't find it,it's by the pickles,spices or baking aisle.

What say you? I once had a print out 3 pages long of all the uses for white vinegar. Google used for white vinegar, you'll be surprised at how many there are. Vinegar dosage of the level that fits into a softener dispenser is unlikely to cause harm considering the dilution level when combined with the volume of rinse water. I would avoid using it in the rinse aid dispenser of a dishwasher.

It is acidic and could have a long-term effect on deteriorating the dispenser seals. It's not diluted while sitting in the dispenser. I can't remember how much I used. It's been a few years. I don't think I put it in a dispenser tho. I think I just poured it in the rinse water. Maybe a cup or a little more.

I only used it for my husbands sweaty white t-shirts. If your model has a self-clean function, in most cases all you'll need to do is fill the tank with water, heat the iron, unplug it, and hold it over the sink with the soleplate facing downward. Press and hold the self-clean button, and hot water and steam will be released from the soleplate—along with any impurities.

The acid etches and dulls natural stone such as marble and limestone. It can make them lose their shine, which Sansoni likens to scarring. With other durable stones, such as granite, vinegar can break down any sealers that have been applied. Instead, we recommend wiping down these types of countertops with a sponge or dish towel dipped in mild detergent. Use only plastic scrub pads to remove stubborn spots.

You may have heard that running a dishwasher with a bowl of vinegar in it will help get rid of hard-water film and lingering odors. Some people even use vinegar as a rinse aid. Ciufo recommends using a dishwasher cleaner, such as those from Affresh or Finish, to remove hard-water film.

Vinegar is ineffective at getting rid of water spots, and some dishwasher manufacturers warn that the acetic acid can eat away at the rubber parts in the appliance. When mixed with the right ratio of water, vinegar can be great at leaving windows streak-free. But never use it on an electronic screen like that on your computer , smartphone , tablet , or TV. Use a soft sponge or cloth dampened with plain water instead. For stubborn spots, try a solution of dish soap highly diluted with water, applied to the cloth and not to the screen itself.

As a guideline for how much soap to use, Panasonic recommends a ratio of water to soap. Many flooring manufacturers, including Lumber Liquidators, warn against using vinegar to clean hardwood floors.

Some will even void the warranty if there are any signs that vinegar was used. Diluted vinegar can dissolve the finish that protects the wood and leave it looking cloudy, dull, or scratched. The same goes for wood furniture.

You want to keep vinegar away from some grades of stainless steel.