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Use White Vinegar As Rinse Aid in Your Dishwasher

Use White Vinegar As Rinse Aid in Your Dishwasher

Plain white vinegar makes a very inexpensive and effective rinse aid and your glasses will still come out looking like these glasses above

This tip is pretty simple really.  Just open the rinse aid dispenser and fill it with white vinegar instead of commercial Rinse Aid. Make sure you use up the commercial Rinse Aid you have so it isn’t wasted. As your Rinse Aid runs out, just add vinegar. It doesn't matter if they are combined. in fact, if you are nervous about totally replacing your Rinse Aid, combining it with vinegar is a good compromise.

In a household, vinegar is one of the most effective and natural cleaning agents. Using it as a Rinse Aid will get the soap off your dishes and deodorise naturally. It doesn't streak, mark or smell.

You can also use the white vinegar as both a regular dishwasher rinse aid and as a cleaner when your dishwasher needs a good cleanse. Simple fill the detergent dispenser of an empty dishwasher and run it through a cycle.

Commercial white vinegar is 5% Acetic Acid C2H4O2. Even if you make your own, it stops at around 6%. The minimum strength of vinegar in almost all countries is 4%. Below this level, it cannot be sold for human consumption. This minimum level ensures that vinegar is strong enough to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria or fungi and can fulfil most of its uses in cooking and consumption. If you want something stronger, go to the hardware store or specialist cleaning companies.

Pic: Unsplash | Monica Silva

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Science Notes

Vinegar is made by fermenting corn into alcohol and then vinegar. Its acidic properties is what dissolves oils, minerals and other unwanted materials, either food or cleaner related, from your dishes. It is also anti bacterial and anti fungal. 

Rinse Aid:  Commercial Rinse aid contains various ingredients including surfactants to prevent droplet formation, or chelating agents, fragrances etc.

Related Tip

Dishwashers use less water than hand washing. The average dishwasher uses between 12 and 16 litres of water. Washing dishes by hand uses more than 50 litres.

You can also use vinegar in your washing machine as a fabric softener.