How Long Can You Use A Bottle Of Vinegar For Cleaning Before It Expires?
Vinegar is a versatile cleaning agent that can be used for a variety of tasks, from cleaning countertops to removing stains. It is also a natural disinfectant, making it a safe and effective choice for cleaning your home. More than that, it's delicious and can be added to multiple recipes. With its multiple uses, you might wonder how long you can use a bottle of vinegar for cleaning before it expires.
The good news is that vinegar has a very long shelf life. In fact, according to The Vinegar Institute, it can be considered to be self-preserving because of its acidic nature. This means that it will not spoil or go bad, even if it is not stored in the refrigerator.
With vinegar such as red wine or balsamic, after a while, you may notice changes in color simply because of the other ingredients added like sugar and food dyes. However, with vinegar used for cleaning, there is not a whole lot of obvious change. If you have a bottle of white vinegar, which is traditionally used for cleaning purposes, it will largely stay the same no matter how long you keep it.
Vinegar may be less effective for cleaning as it ages
Though vinegar doesn't change much, the effectiveness of using it as a cleaning agent can decrease over time. This is because the acetic acid in vinegar can slowly evaporate. As a result, vinegar that is older may not be as potent as vinegar that is newer.
You will find a "best by" date on vinegar bottles yet you can still feel free to use it beyond that time. A "best by" date just means that the product will be in peak freshness by a certain date and has nothing to do with safety.
Since vinegar does not technically expire, there is no need to worry about it becoming harmful. You can keep a bottle of white vinegar indefinitely and it won't spoil. You can even keep white vinegar used for recipes well past best-by dates, and there is no need to replace white vinegar that you exclusively use to clean.
Tips for storing vinegar
Vinegar is not only a versatile and effective cleaning agent but it is a safe and natural choice for cleaning your home. Since white vinegar can be used for so many different household cleaning projects, many people often keep a lot of it on hand. After all, white vinegar is often used to clean countertops, microwaves, coffee pots, stovetops, and other appliances. It can remove stains, deodorize drains, and clean windows and mirrors. It can even get rid of gnats.
Buying larger-size bottles or multiple bottles is often cheaper in the long run. There are a few easy tips to keep vinegar as fresh and potent as possible which can be very handy when buying in bulk sizes. Though you may be getting a good deal, you may not use it all initially. Keeping it strong over time will help speed up your future cleaning projects.
First off, store vinegar in a cool dark place such as in your garage basement, or under your sink. Avoid storing the bottle in direct sunlight. After each use, be sure to close the bottle tightly to prevent evaporation.