# Are all vinegars suitable for household cleaning? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156 "2020-04-20T01:10:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/1 "2020-04-20T01:10:43Z")
I know white vinegar is the usual one for cleaning, but alas, my grocery store is all out of it. I do have a bottle of rice vinegar in the fridge, though. Is that, for any reason, more or less suitable for cleaning the bathtub or plumbing drains (plus baking soda) than the white stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/2 "2020-04-20T01:15:34Z")
Rice vinegar usually has a higher sugar content and probably, I am guessing here, would leave a sugary/sticky residue. EDIT: several websites disagree with me and recommend it for cleaning. I would be inclined to take their word for it over mine. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/3 "2020-04-20T01:53:41Z")
Not balsamic; that does have too much sugar in it. But I would think most any other vinegar would be sufficient. I suspect white is most often used because it’s quite inexpensive and effective when used properly. A gallon of white vinegar can clean up a buncha stuff and make pickles as well. Jenny your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/4 "2020-04-20T03:31:43Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I know white vinegar is the usual one for cleaning, but alas, my grocery store is all out of it. I do have a bottle of rice vinegar in the fridge, though. Is that, for any reason, more or less suitable for cleaning the bathtub or plumbing drains (plus baking soda) than the white stuff? All baking soda is going to do is neutralize the vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/5 "2020-04-20T05:04:42Z")
It is very fun to watch the foam though, when you pour in the vinegar. It sure LOOKS like it’s doing something. And it will freshen the drain. As to clogs, nope. Won’t do much. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/6 "2020-04-20T05:53:30Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > It is very fun to watch the foam though, when you pour in the vinegar. It sure LOOKS like it’s doing something. And it will freshen the drain. > > As to clogs, nope. Won’t do much. Yup. Not going to do much for most clogs, but any vinegar will do for that purpose. For other cleaning purposes get distilled white vinegar if you want to avoid any residue or residual odor. The strongest vinegar I see regularly at grocery stores is rice wine vinegar though. And you can get cleaning vinegar that will cost much less than what you’ll pay for food quality vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/7 "2020-04-20T10:03:39Z")
Malt vinegar isn’t as versatile for cleaning, because it can stain, so is no good for fabrics and possibly some other surfaces. So it depends what you’re going to use it for. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/8 "2020-04-20T10:28:26Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > It is very fun to watch the foam though, when you pour in the vinegar. It sure LOOKS like it’s doing something. And it will freshen the drain. > > As to clogs, nope. Won’t do much. It would need something slightly abrasive. I’ve seen it done by pouring down a mixture of salt and bicarb, and adding the vinegar afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/9 "2020-04-20T12:16:03Z")
Baking soda and vinegar together can help to clear a drain, if you do something to seal the drain right after pouring in the vinegar. The pressure from the gas produced can push a clog through. Though you can get the same effect from a plunger. As for sugar residue, just be sure to rinse with water afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/10 "2020-04-20T12:57:12Z")
Rice vinegar is much less acidic than white vinegar so it may be less effective. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/11 "2020-04-24T02:48:09Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > All baking soda is going to do is neutralize the vinegar. I’ve actually used the combination of these to unclog a toilet, hoping to avoid having to trot out the snake. You pour most of a box of baking soda into the toilet. Once it’s settled down into the very bottom of the bowl, you pour in a few good glugs of white vinegar. The reaction creates enough pressure to push the clog on through the pipe. As far as I know, it’s insufficient pressure to damage anything - at least, the toilet does not seem to have suffered any damage. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-vinegars-suitable-for-household-cleaning/852156/12 "2020-04-24T12:40:10Z")
If you’re not sealing the entrance to the toilet somehow after pouring in the vinegar, all of that pressure is just going to go back out into the air in the bathroom, instead of pushing on the clog. If it’s worked for you, it might have been just the clog clearing itself, as will often happen eventually even without doing anything.