How To Mask The Smell Of The Vinegar While Cleaning Your Home

Vinegar can be a versatile cleaning tool that's extremely inexpensive and effective, from helping to disinfect your countertops to naturally cleaning your bathroom, but its strong, acidic scent is often unpleasant or irritating to those with sensitive noses. If you love the cleansing power and disinfectant properties of white vinegar but can't stand the smell, there are several methods to create a homemade cleaning solution with a better aroma. By adding essential oils to your vinegar or infusing it with fresh herbs, citrus peels, or even pine needles, your cleaner will have a delightful scent without sacrificing its functionality.

While some recommend using less vinegar and more water to avoid the cleaner's smell, this will sacrifice some of its cleansing power. Most types of white vinegar contain 5% acetic acid, which is what makes it so good for cleaning and why it is a mild disinfectant, though it is not capable of eliminating as many germs as bleach. If the vinegar is so heavily diluted that there's not much of a smell, it may not kill as much bacteria or do as good of a job making your house sparkle.

For those with a bit more time on their hands, infusing your white vinegar with lemon, orange, or other citrus peels is a great way to hide the acidic smell. Your natural cleaner could also be infused with fresh herbs, such as rosemary or mint, or flower pedals, like lavender or rose. Even pine needles harvested from outside or from a leftover Christmas tree can turn into a fresh-smelling cleaning solution. If you'd like, you can combine your natural ingredients to make your own scent, such as lemon rosemary or orange mint.

To create your solution, add your citrus peels, pine needles, flowers, or herbs to a glass jar. While you could just use a few of your ingredients, the more you have, the better the scent will be, so it's best to almost fill your container. Pour vinegar into the jar until it's full and leave it in a dark area to steep for a minimum of 10 days or up to a few weeks. The longer the solution is left alone, the stronger the smell. When you're done waiting, strain the liquid into a spray bottle and get to cleaning.

This method for crafting a cleaning solution takes much less time than infusing your vinegar, but it will still leave your home smelling better than if you cleaned with just vinegar. For this homemade cleaner, you can add between 10 and 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Scents like eucalyptus, lavender, citrus, and peppermint are all great choices for a fresh-smelling home. The oil can be dropped directly into a spray bottle of vinegar and shaken, or you could use one part water and one part vinegar as your base. 

When using essential oils around your home, it's best to keep them away from pets. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, certain oils and concentrations pose a risk to the health of cats and dogs, so be sure to only use this cleaner on surfaces your pet cannot access.

Whether you choose this quick essential oil and vinegar solution or decide to infuse your cleaner with natural ingredients, these tips will help to mask the scent of vinegar, leaving your home clean and smelling nice.