I love making my own cleaners and have been doing so for years. I’m always reading new recipes to see if I can improve on what I’m doing or make something new. Something I have noticed when reading green cleaning recipes is a lot of recipes calling for the use of Dr. Bronner’s (castile soap) and white vinegar. These are two of my very favorite cleaning tools but you can’t mix them!
This is where some science comes in, vinegar is an acid and castile soap is a base. When they react directly they basically cancel each other out. The vinegar takes the soap back to its original oils and makes it gross and curdled.
What happens when you mix the two.
No matter what you add with them, if you mix them together they will reaction in this way. If you have ever not rinsed vinegar out of your coffee pot before making coffee and add milk to it, that’s what this reaction looks like, gross!
Instead of mixing these great ingredients together, making them pretty much useless, use them in the ways they work best. Clean whatever it is you are cleaning with the castile soap and hot water, rinse, then spray with vinegar (diluted, if you wish), wipe away the buildup. This even works on windows!
Did you know that you couldn’t mix these two items? What are your favorite ways to properly use them? Share in the comments below and be sure to check out my cleaning recipes.
Sara
I knew you couldn’t put them together but wasn’t exactly sure why! Your picture and info helps me understand. I usually wash with castile soap and use vingear after like you suggested! I’ll be pinning this to help others! Thanks.
Lisa Sharp
Isn’t it gross? haha
Brenna
I actually never realized this until a while back when Lisa Bronner actually addressed this herself a while back and people started talking about it. Of course, from a chemical standpoint it makes perfect sense. Hopefully people realize if they want a clean house to not mix the two!
Lisa Sharp
Yeah I still see recipes using both together all the time. They are great but not together ha.
Elizabeth
Thanks for posting this!! I see recipes online that mix Castile soap and vinegar all the time,
Anna@Green Talk
I wouldn’t think of putting them together but thanks for explaining why not to. Sharing.
Lori Popkewitz Alper
Very interesting Lisa! I have both and use them for everything, but not together. Now I’ll make sure that never happens!
Carol
Actually the reaction of milk + vinegar is a different one – not an acid/base reaction but rather the acid coagulates the proteins. Still a reaction, but not the SAME reaction 🙂
Lisa Sharp
Right, I wasn’t clear, I meant it looks similar haha.
Lindsay
I have mixed Dr. Bronner’s with vinegar before, and have a recipe on my site I should change. Thanks Lisa!
Anne
Anybody notice that Bronner’s Sal Suds, created only for cleaning, works fine this way? The scientists here can explain why…discuss…
Lisa Sharp
It’s a synthetic detergent, not a soap. 🙂
Melissa
Can the Sal Suds be mixed with the castile soap? I want to try making my own dish soap but have to admit I like the look and feel of some suds in the dishwater. I will miss them if they’re not there.
Lisa Sharp
Why not just use Sal Suds?
Leiha Noriega
Sal Suds has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate which is objectionable to many and has been linked to health issues.
Laura
What about mixing something like lemon essential oil with soap (since it’s acidic)? Do you think it would have the same effect?
Lisa Sharp
No it shouldn’t. Dr. Bronner’s even has a citrus scented soap.
Joanna
I use castile soap all of the time, this is good information to know!