vinegar

[Guest guest]

I thought vinegar was just good to clean with but not to KILL mold.

Is it an " anti-bacterial " ?? Like for kitchen counters???

felice

[Guest guest]

When I was using a nebulizer the instructions were to soak the cup in

vinegar and hot water to sanitize it. So, I assume that vinegar does

disinfect. To clean mold spores and/or toxins from non-porous surfaces

I was advised to use a weak dilution of bleach.

-

>

> I thought vinegar was just good to clean with but not to KILL mold.

> Is it an " anti-bacterial " ?? Like for kitchen counters???

> felice

>

[Guest guest]

Adelwijn,

i

Its very hard to clean mold-contaminated home contents effectively. Very

hard. Vinegar just doesn't cut it. Mold toxins are so strong that they can

make people sick in very small quantities. They can last a very long time.

Years. So contamnated stuff can continue to make you sick for a long time.

See the following paper..

http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/index/UT51G3X2HWVBUPFT.pdf

http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/15238314

An investigation into techniques for cleaning mold-contaminated home

contents.

Medscape Newsletters

J Occup Environ Hyg. 2004; 1(7):442-7 (ISSN: 1545-9624)

SC; Brasel TL; Carriker CG; Fortenberry GD; Fogle MR; JM; Wu

C; Andriychuk LA; Karunasena E; Straus DC

Center for Indoor Air Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology,

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430, USA.

.@...

This study examined the efficacy of the following treatments to reduce

selected fungal spore and mycotoxin levels on materials commonly found in

home contents: (1) gamma irradiation at a 10-13 kiloGray exposure, (2) a

detergent/bleach wash, and (3) a steam cleaning technique. A minimum of six

replicates were performed per treatment. Paper, cloth, wood, and carpet were

inoculated with either fungal spores (Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus

niger, Penicillium chrysogenum, or Chaetomium globosum) at 240,000

spores/2.54 cm2 of material or with the mycotoxins roridin A, T-2, and

verrucarin A at 10 microg per 2.54 cm2 of material. Treatments were

evaluated with an agar plating technique for fungal spores and a yeast

toxicity culture assay for mycotoxins. Results showed that gamma irradiation

inactivated fungal spores, but the treatment was not successful in

inactivating mycotoxins. The washing technique completely inactivated or

removed spores on all materials except for C. globosum, which was reduced on

all items except paper (p < 0.05). Washing inactivated all mycotoxins on

paper and cloth but not on carpet or untreated wood (p < 0.001). The steam

cleaning treatment did not completely eliminate any fungal spores; however,

it reduced P. chrysogenum numbers on all materials, C. globosum was reduced

on wood and carpet, and S. chartarum was reduced on wood (p < 0.05). Steam

cleaning was unsuccessful in inactivating any of the tested mycotoxins.

These results show that the bleach/detergent washing technique was more

effective overall in reducing spore and mycotoxin levels than gamma

irradiation or steam cleaning. However, the other examined techniques were

successful in varying degrees.

PreMedline Identifier: 15238314

On 11/17/06, Adelwijn <adelwijn@...> wrote:

> A tip I was given by someone with a chemistry degree for a natural

disinfectant

> is to keep a spray container with vinegar and another with 3% hydrogen

peroxide.

> Spray one, then the other on to the surface to be disinfected. It doesn't

matter

> what order you spray them on – it is the reaction that occurs at the time

the

> two are combined that has the disinfectant action.

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> >I thought vinegar was just good to clean with but not to KILL mold.

> Is it an " anti-bacterial " -?? Like for kitchen counters???

> felice

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