An Ode to Vinegar, A Tribute to Heloise

Patricia Carroll, RN,BC, CEN, RRT, MS

In honor of my guest appearance on the Ask Heloise radio program, I composed this ode to vinegar – Heloise’s favorite household helper. Many people are familiar with all the things it can do around the house, but did you know it has a number of health benefits as well?  

Oh vinegar, my vinegar!

Dear Heloise oft sings your praise

To help our homes through dirty days.

You also bring us added wealth

When used to manage family health.

Beware of claims too good to be true --

For research backs up but a few.

It’s no for sunburn and bad headaches,

No cure for dandruff or bites from snakes.

Will not drop your high BP,

Won’t clear your skin or fight acne.

But yes! It treats that swimmer’s ear,

Kills some bacteria, that is clear.

Stops a jellyfish’s sting

Oh, and here’s another thing…

Vinegar turns cervical cancer cells white

It disinfects cutting boards, yes! that’s right.

Kills germs and mold on surfaces, too,

Just spray or wipe – it’s up to you.

I think that I shall never see

A better helper, no siree.

Now Hear This!

Swimmer’s ear is an inflammation, with or without infection in the outer ear caused by excessive moisture in the ear. Putting a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and rubbing alcohol in the ear with a dropper treats the problem because the vinegar is a disinfectant[1], and the rubbing alcohol dries the ear[2]. If you or your kids are prone to swimmer’s ear, get in the habit of using this remedy when you get out of the shower or the pool or the swimming hole as a preventive measure, too. You can also shake your head to get rid of excess water, and aim a blow dryer set on low into the ear to dry it out.  A dilute vinegar solution has also been shown to treat chronic inflammation of the eardrum[3].

Summer Health and Safety

There are more than 100 types of jellyfish that can sting unsuspecting swimmers, snorkelers and divers. A single jellyfish tentacle can contain as many as a half million stinging capsules!  A sting is painful, but rarely serious. What is important is getting the tentacles off the skin, and the best way to do this is to pour vinegar over the area of the sting. Simple household vinegar deactivates the cells and allows for simple manual removal of the tentacle(s).[4]

Foodborne illness is also a summer concern. We all know that we need to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold – particularly those yummy salads that are made with mayonnaise, right? Well, sort of. Mayonnaise presented a much greater health hazard when most people made it from scratch with raw eggs. Today, commercial mayo contains vinegar and lemon juice that make the mayo more acidic and less hospitable to bacterial growth. However, once the mayonnaise is mixed with potatoes and pasta, the acidity is neutralized and the benefit is lost.

Researchers have looked at how vinegar might help protect us from foodborne illness. A Japanese study cited by many local extension services showed that vinegar inhibited the growth of the nasty E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria. Salt and heat enhanced the antibacterial action and sugar decreased it.[5] Marinating your meat with a vinegar and sea salt marinade is not only tasty, but can help protect you from E. coli infection.

Standing water is a breeding ground for bacteria of all sorts, particularly in warm summer weather. Wading pools can be a real problem because we don’t use chlorine in these small pools and they are often used by little ones still in diapers that can contaminate the water. Kids are at risk when they swallow pool water, or when standing water collects on or in bath or pool toys.

In addition to dumping the pool after use and filling it fresh every day, it’s important to clean toys, too. Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology at NYU Medical Center suggests washing them with soap and water and then rinsing in vinegar or peroxide to kill bacteria.[6]

For All Seasons

As a respiratory therapist, I recommended that my patients use vinegar to clean medical equipment, such as nebulizers, used in the home. The bacteria in the home are much easier to kill than those in the hospital, so clean – not sterile – equipment is used. Vinegar is a very cost-effective disinfectant. Soaking a nebulizer in a solution of one part distilled white vinegar to three parts hot tap water for an hour will adequately clean the device. 

And perhaps the most amazing use for vinegar is this: when vinegar is swabbed on a woman’s cervix, cancerous cells turn white. Formally called “visual inspection with acetic acid,” researchers in 15 different studies have shown that this simple approach is just about as reliable as formal Pap tests. While we will probably not see this test replace the Pap test in the U.S., it is very promising as a cost-effective way to screen for cervical cancer in poor countries.[7]

Saving poor women’s lives….pretty amazing for a household helper, huh?

Written: July 2004