Unfortunately, this has led to quite a bit of misinformation, particularly about the effectiveness of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide as cleaners and as disinfectants.
More studies are in the works. Hydrogen peroxide is considered an environmentally safe alternative to chlorine-based bleaches as it breaks down into water and oxygen. Under normal conditions, hydrogen peroxide is extremely stable when properly stored.
Be aware hydrogen peroxide is extremely light sensitive and potency is reduced over time when not stored in dark containers. The Talk Clean to Me Blog is a great place to find information about chemical disinfectants. What about when they are used together? When chemically combined, acetic acid plus hydrogen peroxide is known as Peracetic Acid, and was first registered with the US EPA as a disinfectant in Again, concentration of product is the key to its speed and effectiveness as a disinfectant, its capability as a cleaner, and its safety profile.
As expected, it is cost effective and has a low environmental impact. Is there another way to use them together as common household ingredients? Several websites devoted to natural or green cleaning and DIY cleaning tips in general, such as Brightnest , have mentioned using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together as a disinfecting tag team. These are usually the key microorganisms requiring disinfection in a residential setting.
Unfortunately, the DIY article made the leap from these two products being effective against specific bacteria on beef tissue directly to being effective as a homemade disinfectant on household surfaces, which is definitely irresponsible and possibly dangerous. Taking such studies out of context is what makes the content of some of these websites suspect. While hydrogen peroxide washes have been used for decades in poultry processing I did find additional studies showing separate vinegar and hydrogen peroxide washes and have been shown effective at reducing specific but not all microbes on certain vegetables and fruits namely apples and celery , there are no studies testing this combo on household surfaces, and definitely nothing claiming disinfection.
