Vinegar And Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfects Produce And Surfaces Better Than Commerical Cleaners

Vinegar (white or apple cider) and hydrogen peroxide are commonly used to clean or remove stains, odors and a host of many other things. Both are effective, inexpensive and non-toxic.

Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, found that when these 2 ingredients are used one after another, their disinfecting power becomes even more effective than if you were to use each of them by itself. In fact, it is even better than commercial cleaners in killing bacteria. Her simple recipe is to fill up a spray bottle each of white or apple cider vinegar and three percent hydrogen peroxide (commonly available in drug stores), then just spray one after another, it doesn’t matter which one goes first, onto fresh produce (which you can rinse off afterwards with water) or onto cutting boards and countertops.

This 2-step action was found to kill E. coli, Salmonella or Shigella bacteria on badly contaminated food and surfaces. Neither is toxic to you even if a small amount does remain on the produce.

But here’s a word of caution: never mix the two together in the bottle because that will produce peracetic acid, which is not only unsafe but it does not possess the desired properties found in vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.

Source: “Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide as Disinfectants” by Judy Stouffer, B.S., M.S., SFO.

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