Vinegar Strength - What Effect Its Acidity Percentage Has On Its Cleaning Power

I received this question about vinegar strength recently on my Facebook fan page wall.

Question:

Can you tell me anything about Allen's Double Strength Vinegar?

Taylor's Answer:

Thanks for your question. You've asked me about a specific brand of vinegar, but I am going to expand my answer to tell you not really about this specific brand, but instead to explain what I think you're talking about.

As you know, along with using vinegar for food related purposes, there are many uses for vinegar for cleaning, laundry and stain removal.

High strength vinegar, such as the Allen's Double Strength Vinegar that you asked about, are being sold as vinegars that are specifically meant for cleaning your home, and not for use with your food.

The reason for this is that vinegar contains acetic acid. Typically, the amount of acetic acid present in distilled white vinegar (which is the type of vinegar most often used for cleaning) is around 4%, with some being as high as 7%, although that is more rare.

Basically, the high strength vinegar is double or so of the acetic acid, which is what makes vinegar work as a cleaner.

Although this sounds like it may be a good product to buy if you like to make your own homemade cleaning products, I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

My reasons include that regular vinegar is very cheap (such as the Walmart brand pictured above), and does a great job. Plus, most of the homemade cleaner recipes you find are based on the assumption that it is typical, regular strength vinegar. Using a stronger product may change the recipe, and not for the better.

Does anyone use a vinegar strength higher than normal when making their cleaning products? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about it, pros and cons, in the comments.

I've answered this question as part of the site for house cleaning help. Do you have a question of your own? If so, you can ask it there.

Thanks For Visiting Stain-Removal-101.com
A Busy Mom's Guide To Cleaning, Laundry & Stains

Taylor

Hi, I'm Taylor, a busy mom with 3 kids, so I have lots of hands on experience with house cleaning, laundry and stains. Thanks for visiting my website.

I update this site all the time with tips, tutorials, cleaning recipes, reviews of products from readers like you, and tests I've done on various cleaners, stain removers and laundry supplies.

I'd love for you to keep in touch with me, and I've created a couple of free resources for you when you do!

If you subscribe by email to get my newsletter and email updates you will get a free laundry stain removal chart!

In addition, if you "like" the site on Facebook you'll receive a free 40 page housekeeping checklist e-book.

I hope you enjoy these gifts, and stop by again soon!

CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only, and Stain-Removal-101.com provides it as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some stain removal methods can harm your item, so if the stained item is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.