Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
The smell of vinegar dissipates quickly. If you don't have soapy water available to sanitize with first and you have no choice then it will work in a pinch. It's a chemical-free way to remove dirt and grime. If no soap is available then it's better to use that than nothing before using the bleach/water solution.
I use vinegar for cleaning a whole bunch of stuff first before I use soap and water. Windows, mirrors, my dishwasher, as dishwasher drying agent (I called my manufacturer first to make sure it was safe for my machine), carpet, rugs, detergent residue from towels, my oven and stove (it's a great degreaser when you mix it with baking soda and vegetable oil). It's just not a common thing for people to use for cleaning so people get weirded out by it.
I do use it commonly--since it's an acid, it binds with lime (which is alkaline) and will clean some things. But other chemicals, such as soap, bind better with actual dirt or grease.
We're not allowed to use it as a sanitizer, so I'm assuming it doesn't deal as well with bacteria, whereas the bleach spray will actually sanitize.
I once knew of a guy who was a chemist or something and he was producing his own cleaning liquids and was trying to start an MLM cleaning company. He explained the different chemical types for cleaning. It was kinda interesting--there were really only a few types: Solvent (orange, goo gone type stuff), acid, detergents, and maybe a few others.