# So, vinegar fumes and an air purifier (need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 20, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082 "2015-04-20T01:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **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, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/1 "2015-04-20T01:45:46Z")
So, I have a clogged sink and am hoping to use baking soda + vinegar to clear it, but I also have an air purifier machine. Would the vinegar fumes have a harmful effect on the air purifier? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/2 "2015-04-20T01:48:50Z")
I’ve used that method to clear a sink and never experienced any fumes from the vinegar, outside of the sink bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/3 "2015-04-20T01:49:21Z")
What method of air purification? MeOAc isn’t all that volatile. How much vinegar are we talking about? If you neutralized it all with bicarb, there won’t be any fumes. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/4 "2015-04-20T01:50:53Z")
no more of a problem that is caused when you open a jar of pickles. ---
**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, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/5 "2015-04-20T01:53:06Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > What method of air purification? Not sure, actually. Maybe a filter, or using high temps to zap the microbes. ---
**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, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/6 "2015-04-20T01:55:43Z")
Speaking of which, I’m not so confident the vinegar will do the clog-clearing trick after all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Joker_and_the_Thief)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/7 "2015-04-20T01:59:26Z")
Can’t you turn off the air purifier, stow it away someone, and then do whatever smelly thing you need to do to clean the sink? ---
**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, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/8 "2015-04-20T02:00:25Z")
> [@The\_Joker\_and\_the\_Thief](#): > > Can’t you turn off the air purifier, stow it away someone, and then do whatever smelly thing you need to do to clean the sink? Probably could, yeah. But just wondering if the fumes have any effect. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/9 "2015-04-20T03:13:31Z")
um, ok, quick question. you have a clogged sink. you’re going to pour a couple of things down there to clear it. why would you choose to pour two things which will react with/neutralize each other? What do you expect them to do? **ETA:** and the only “fumes” from such a combination will be CO2. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/10 "2015-04-20T10:55:27Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > um, ok, quick question. you have a clogged sink. you’re going to pour a couple of things down there to clear it. why would you choose to pour two things which will react with/neutralize each other? What do you expect them to do? > > **ETA:** and the only “fumes” from such a combination will be CO2. I think the idea is the slurry works its way into the nooks and crannies of the clog, and the effervescence helps to dislodge it. Never tried it. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-vinegar-fumes-and-an-air-purifier-need-answer-fast/718082/11 "2015-04-20T11:00:07Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > So, I have a clogged sink and am hoping to use baking soda + vinegar to clear it, but I also have an air purifier machine. Would the vinegar fumes have a harmful effect on the air purifier? The answer is no.