Is Vinegar/Water solution safe?
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From: Sellersburg
Is Vinegar/Water solution safe?
Question: Is a 1:2 vinegar/distilled water solution safe to use to remove water spots?
I had the unfortunate luck to drive through some road work where they had some kind of cement/lime stone type dust on the road and a guy with a big hose was cleaning it off the road. It was basically cement dust. It got all over the side of the car around the wheel wells and I rinsed the car when I got home but it didn't come off. So I rinsed and then wiped and most of it came off, then today I noticed more in hidden areas and remembered that vinegar removes cement dust very well and use a little on the wheel well area to clean it off. It worked ok.
Then I realized that I had a few water spots on the upper body where I had rinsed the day before. So with a clean rag I used a little vinegar/water and wiped it dry quickly and it removed the water spots quite easily. I suppose water would have been just as good- but I was curious whether a vinegar solution can harm the paint. I would assume as long as I wipe it dry there should be no problem.
I use vinegar and water occasionally on the windows since it doesn't seem to leave the residue of glass cleaners.
-B
I had the unfortunate luck to drive through some road work where they had some kind of cement/lime stone type dust on the road and a guy with a big hose was cleaning it off the road. It was basically cement dust. It got all over the side of the car around the wheel wells and I rinsed the car when I got home but it didn't come off. So I rinsed and then wiped and most of it came off, then today I noticed more in hidden areas and remembered that vinegar removes cement dust very well and use a little on the wheel well area to clean it off. It worked ok.
Then I realized that I had a few water spots on the upper body where I had rinsed the day before. So with a clean rag I used a little vinegar/water and wiped it dry quickly and it removed the water spots quite easily. I suppose water would have been just as good- but I was curious whether a vinegar solution can harm the paint. I would assume as long as I wipe it dry there should be no problem.
I use vinegar and water occasionally on the windows since it doesn't seem to leave the residue of glass cleaners.
-B
Joined: Mar 2001
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Supermarket vinegar is 5% acetic acid (7% for the strong stuff), so if you dilute 1:2 (meaning dilution factor of 2 fold), you would get a 2.5% (or 3.5%) solution. If you wiped it off soon, you should be OK. It IS an acid so don't leave it on, say overnight, or it may etch the paint.
ps. Don't do this in the hot sun.
ps. Don't do this in the hot sun.
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From: NVA
What about on the inside of the windshield..? I mean from inside the car, you know that thick crap that builds up over time... humidity, dust, etc.? Would using vinegar on the inside help get that thick stuff off?
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: manhattan beach, calif
since xviper isnt around, i will answer:
you can even use vinegar straight on really stubborn water spots... if they have etched the paint, vinegar wont do it- but you should always make that the first attempt at water spots.
so the answer, is yes you can use it on the inside of the glass- just try not to get it on the vinyl. prob wont do a lot on the inside cause you dont have much in the way of deposits on the inside, but you can try it. will work better on the outside.- it will remove any protectants on the paint, so either keep it off of the paint or if you get it on the paint, redo your protectant.
best on the inside is a good glass cleaner... but again, an all in one or vinegar or whatever you want to use is just fine-
you can even use vinegar straight on really stubborn water spots... if they have etched the paint, vinegar wont do it- but you should always make that the first attempt at water spots.
so the answer, is yes you can use it on the inside of the glass- just try not to get it on the vinyl. prob wont do a lot on the inside cause you dont have much in the way of deposits on the inside, but you can try it. will work better on the outside.- it will remove any protectants on the paint, so either keep it off of the paint or if you get it on the paint, redo your protectant.
best on the inside is a good glass cleaner... but again, an all in one or vinegar or whatever you want to use is just fine-
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