This homemade natural disinfectant cleaner can be used on everything – from kitchen surfaces to produce – without worrying about it leaving harmful residue or tainting food. And you need just two ingredients: vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. A study by Virginia Tech found that misting one ingredient after the other killed virtually all Salmonella and E. coli bacteria and was more effective than bleach.
Vinegar is an effective all-purpose cleaner for most cleaning tasks. But when trying to eliminate food borne pathogens like E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella, natural cleaners can join forces to become even more powerful. Used correctly, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide kill bacteria, viruses and germs, and are 10 times more effective together than when used separately.
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Warning
Don't put vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together in the same bottle. It won't have the same cleaning power, and combining both in the same bottle creates peracetic acid, which can be harmful. So it's best to keep them separate.
Things You'll Need
Distilled white vinegar
3% hydrogen peroxide
Essential oil, such as clove or tea tree (optional)
1 spray bottle
Spray nozzle for the original peroxide bottle or a dark spray bottle
1. Prep Each Bottle
Pour undiluted vinegar into a spray bottle. Add 5 to 10 drops of an antibacterial essential oil like clove or tea tree, if desired. Both oils are naturally antibacterial and can help reduce the strong scent of vinegar.
Since hydrogen peroxide starts to breaks down when exposed to light, keep it in its original bottle and add a spray nozzle, or use a dark-colored bottle with a spray nozzle.
2. Use to Disinfect Surfaces
To disinfect surfaces like counters or cutting boards, first wipe them down and clean with soap and water. Mist the surface with vinegar and let sit for five minutes. (Note: Do not use vinegar on marble surfaces.) Wipe down and mist the same area with the hydrogen peroxide. Let sit for five minutes as well, or until it has stopped fizzing. There's no need to rinse.
The order in which you spray vinegar or hydrogen peroxide doesn't matter, as long as you let each sit for five minutes.
Warning
Don’t use vinegar on marble surfaces. The acid will harm the stone.
3. Use to Disinfect Produce
A University of Florida study found that vinegar was a powerful disinfecting produce wash, reducing bacteria by 90 percent and viruses by about 95 percent on strawberries.
First rinse produce with water to remove any dirt particles. Then mist with vinegar followed by hydrogen peroxide. Rinse and serve.
