# Does vinegar lose cleaning potency with age? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2013, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193 "2013-10-25T08:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2018, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/21 "2018-07-21T13:18:24Z")
As an additional note, don’t use bleach _and_ vinegar. You can get away with it if you keep them separate, including thoroughly rinsing the cutting board between cleanses, but letting the two mix is a hazard. [reference](https://www.thoughtco.com/mixing-bleach-and-vinegar-609281) ---
**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:** [July 22, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/22 "2018-07-22T01:41:55Z")
[Moderating] I have no idea what art form is supposed to be embodied by cleaning supplies. Off to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/23 "2018-07-22T02:06:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderating] > > I have no idea what art form is supposed to be embodied by cleaning supplies. Off to IMHO. Well, the topic relates to cooking, I guess. Personally, I think it’s better off in GQ, since it’s pretty much straight-up organic chemistry. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/24 "2018-07-22T02:09:40Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Actually, bamboo is more closely related to grass, but it does make a very nice wood-like substance that is a very renewable resource. I hate bamboo cutting boards; they get all sliced up even worse than plastic. If you treat one from hard wood right, it will last forever. You need separate cutting boards for meat, fruits, and onion and garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/25 "2018-07-22T02:36:13Z")
It’s best to have two cutting boards: one for hazardous things like raw meat and poultry, and the other for everything else. That way you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination. Barring that, you can use one side of a cutting board for hazardous foods, and the other side for non-hazardous. It requires close attention, and there’s also the possibility that you’ll transfer raw meat juices to another surface when you turn the board over. It’s not necessary to sterilize a cutting board if you’re not going to use it again for a while. Just wash it with hot soapy water and then let it dry completely. It’s when you re-use a cutting board shortly after cutting something hazardous that you have to be careful. You should also be careful with knives and other utensils, and with your hands. For instance, if you cut up a raw chicken, then make a sandwich without washing your hands, you can get a case of salmonella. Even using the same knife on the chicken and the sandwich can lead to food poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![C\_Murdock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@C\_Murdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_Murdock)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/26 "2018-07-23T04:21:14Z")
For some reason I can’t edit my post above. It has a bunch of embarrassing typos in. “bacterial” should be “bacteria” in two places, and “born” should be “borne”. However, I’m sure that everyone got the message. Because it is porous and cannot trap moisture, wood and bamboo create a poor environment for bacteria to thrive. The “common knowledge” that plastic is safer than wood was disinformation spread by the plastics industry about 40 years ago, disinformation which the media picked up and spread as if it were true. But it was never true. What Jeff just said above is true IF you are using a wood or bamboo cutting board. If it is a plastic cutting board, the non-porous plastic can hold moisture and bacteria in the cuts for much longer than just a day. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/27 "2018-07-24T19:58:09Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Probably not, but there’s definitely a reason vinegar won’t do. I’m surprised that anyone in 2018 subscribed to the (what is it, superstition basically I guess) that vinegar would clean the board after cutting raw chicken. I suspect irresponsible eco-propaganda. 2013, not 2018 (although I suspect your point held five years ago, too). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/28 "2018-07-24T20:38:38Z")
I have cooked much chicken in my day, as did my saintly mother and grandma before me, and we have never cleaned cutting boards with anything but hot soapy water. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193/29 "2018-07-24T21:09:57Z")
Another trick is to first do all your prep work on the foods that won’t be cooked, then work on the foods that will be cooked. So, for example, if you’re going to have chicken cacciatore and salad, first make the salad and then work on the chicken. You’re a lot less likely to contaminate the salad if you do things in that order. Of course, you can wait until the end to dress the salad, since you won’t use a cutting board or knife for this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vinegar-lose-cleaning-potency-with-age/672193.md?page=1)