3 reasons to clean with vinegar – and 3 reasons not to

It can feel a bit like a jungle choosing cleaning agents for different things, and this is especially true for our laundry.

Many conclude that it must be better for both health and the environment to resort to old home remedies, such as washing with vinegar instead of using detergent and fabric softener.

But is it actually better, and how do you really wash with vinegar? We're going to get to the bottom of that!

Advantages of washing with vinegar

Using a decilitre of vinegar spirit instead of detergent, or adding two tablespoons of vinegar instead of fabric softener, can freshen up your clothes and help them retain their colour.

Antibacterial

Vinegar is antibacterial, which is of course beneficial when washing clothes, sheets and towels. When the bacteria die, bad odours are reduced. So if, for example, you have workout clothes that never smell fresh, vinegar can be a good trick to try.

Environmentally friendly

Vinegar is not classified as an environmentally hazardous substance and breaks down quickly in nature. This means you can use it with a clear conscience when you do laundry.

Colour preservation

Vinegar helps your clothes keep their colour. This applies to black, white and coloured garments. It is also practical when you have patterned clothes with different colours.

Disadvantages of washing with vinegar

It's easy to think that the natural alternative must always be the best. But even natural cleaning products have their downsides.

Corrosive

Vinegar is as harsh as many chemicals and must be kept out of reach of children. It is dangerous to get in the eyes, to drink and can also corrode if it gets on the skin. Avoid inhaling the vapours. Using vinegar spirit with 12% acetic acid instead of vinegar with 24% can be a good precaution.

Can damage the washing machine

In many places you can read that it is completely harmless to wash with vinegar and that it does not damage the washing machine. But Steven Grayson, who owns a company that services washing machines in the USA, disagrees.

"If you use vinegar regularly, it can literally melt hoses. This causes leaks that can damage the house in all kinds of ways."

Word against word. Some say it's not a problem, others say regular washing with vinegar destroys the washing machine.

Expensive

Another reason to avoid vinegar might be the price. A 500 ml bottle of vinegar spirit costs around 15 SEK. If you use a decilitre per wash, you can do five loads with one bottle. That means each wash costs 3 SEK.

That might not sound like much, but compared to regular detergent, it is roughly three times as expensive per wash.

If you want to save money and still have an environmentally friendly option, you can compare with Grumme's coloured wash detergent.

It is labelled with Bra Miljöval and costs 1.23 SEK per wash. It is also more concentrated so you don't have to transport lots of glass bottles, and you don't have to buy detergent all the time.

Is vinegar good for washing or not?

Just like with most other old home remedies, it is difficult to find scientific evidence whether vinegar is good as a detergent or not.

At least we can say that it is not particularly harmful to the environment or health as long as you are careful not to get it on yourself.

However, there are divided opinions about whether it is bad for the washing machine or not, as it could potentially damage the hoses in the washing machine, which could cause leaks.

Many use vinegar occasionally to clean the washing machine from limescale deposits. Read more about how to clean the washing machine in our post How to clean the washing machine.

But what should you do then? Surely you can't just use ordinary detergent which seems so bad for the environment? Choose an environmentally labelled detergent, so you don't have to worry.

Then you also know the optimal dosage!