Should You Wash Laundry With Vinegar?
Let’s review the pros and cons, dos and don’ts of washing laundry with vinegar. We will also go over the best uses for vinegar in laundry, and learn some harmful results of continuous use. This article will give you the know-how to make the best decision for your situation.
Pros and Cons of Vinegar
Vinegar has a long list of excellent uses and benefits. Everything from health to sanitizing to laundry use. However, as times change, so do laundry materials and chemicals. As a result, you may want to reconsider whether or not you need to use vinegar in your wash day routine.
- Pros: Vinegar can be used for stain removal of low pH stains. It can also be used in the fight against mold and mildew, for banishing odors, and as a fabric softener.
- Cons: This product when used in large quantities, or all the time, can damage fabrics such as cotton, linen, rayon, and nylon. It can also change the colors of pH-sensitive dyes. Also, because of its acidic nature, doing laundry with vinegar can damage components of the washer such as the seals and hoses causing leaks.
The Dos and Don’ts of Vinegar
- Dos: Do use the recommended amounts of vinegar based on your load’s size. Do use white vinegar. *Do test it on an inconspicuous part of your clothing for color fastness. Do keep vinegar away from children. Do use it for treating low pH stains such as:
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- Oil Based Stains
- Grass Stains
- Coffee and Tea Stains
- Blood Stains
- Sweat Stains
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- Don’ts: Don’t mix vinegar with chlorine and non-chlorine bleach. Don’t mix peroxide with vinegar. Don’t use it on a regular basis, or in the wrong quantities. Don’t use it on cotton, linen, rayon, or nylon. Don’t add to your fabric softener dispenser.
How To Use Vinegar In Laundry
- Treat low-pH stains with a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water. Allow to work for 30 minutes then wash as usual.*
- As a treatment for mold and mildew. Take the moldy laundry outside, and using a brush, gently remove the mold spores. Add 1 cup of white vinegar into a bucket of hot water. Gently submerge the moldy laundry and allow it to soak for an hour. Then wash as normal.
- To soften fabrics add 1/2 – 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. It is not recommended to add this to your fabric softener dispenser as it can be corrosive.
So now that you have more information, you can make an intelligent decision that works best for you and your family’s laundry needs. Or just schedule pick-up online today and let us do it for you!
