What Happens If You Mix Cleaning Vinegar And Fabuloso?

Cleaning can be a tough, time-consuming task. It's understandable that you may want to shave off a few steps by mixing products like Fabuloso and cleaning vinegar. Fabuloso is designed to tackle everyday dirt and grime, while cleaning vinegar's acetic acid concentration makes it uniquely effective for a range of household jobs. Combining the two, however, isn't a shortcut worth taking. Fabuloso's formula is designed to work at particular concentrations. Adding cleaning vinegar won't improve this and could potentially interfere with the formula.

While it may seem like two products are better than one, when it comes to household cleaners, it's best to use them separately. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you should never mix cleaning products or chemicals, since this could create a potentially hazardous concoction or alter the chemical properties of each. While a mixture of Fabuloso and vinegar doesn't fall on the dangerous end of the spectrum, as mixing vinegar with chlorine bleach or bleach with ammonia does, Fabuloso's own manufacturer guidelines recommend cleaning separately with vinegar, then finishing with Fabuloso for best results. Combining the two products into one solution won't improve their cleaning power.

Fabuloso and cleaning vinegar are best suited for different purposes. Routine cleaning with soap or detergents like Fabuloso removes most harmful germs from surfaces and helps reduce the likelihood of infections. However, Fabuloso's basic namesake cleaning product doesn't contain a disinfectant for full sanitization; they offer a specialized product, Fabuloso Antibacterial, for this purpose. Vinegar, on the other hand, does have some antifungal and antibacterial properties, but it's not an EPA-registered disinfectant. 

Vinegar's antifungal and antibacterial properties make it effective for killing certain types of mold, whereas you should not clean mold and mildew with Fabuloso. The formula won't kill the spores. What you can do, however, is use vinegar first to disinfect and kill the spores, then finish the job with your favorite scented Fabuloso to avoid the unpleasant lingering vinegar smell. Vinegar's acidity also makes it effective at descaling mineral buildup, so it's an excellent tool for jobs like descaling your showerhead or coffee pot.