Will vinegar harm my garden?

Question

I live in drought-stricken Australia and like most people I'm doing everything possible to conserve water. My laundry grey water is being run off into the garden. I've changed to a No Phosphate washing liquid and stopped using fabric softeners. I've heard that vinegar is a good fabric softener and would like to substitute this for the commercial brands. Is it a fabric softener and will it harm my garden if used regularly? Is there anything else that can be used in its place that won't adversely affect my garden?

Answer 1

I use a vinegar & baking soda combination as a fabric softener in my laundry. It does not make your clothes smell like vinegar, by the way. And, if you use it like most other fabric softeners, it is highly diluted by the time it is drained out of your washer because it gets released into your load of laundry during the rinse cycle (along with all the rinse water). Over the long run, this diluted vinegar "may" have an eventual effect on your soil, but most soil has a built-in buffer and acetic acid isn't "that" acidic. I would suggest to go ahead and try the vinegar (I use white distilled vinegar in my washer's fabric softener dispenser) because it does work to soften clothes (but it doesn't reduce static cling). And, over time, just add some lime to your garden every now and then and it should balance itself out. Also, if you add organic material to your garden, it will further act as a buffer to pH changes. I suggest organic & composted manure.*****Just wanted to add that soil does not have to be acidic for plants to grow. I live in Austin, TX, which just happens to be built on a limestone geologic formation, which makes our soils neutral to basic in the pH scale. There are many places in the world where this is also the case. I'm not sure about Australian soils, in general, but either way, as the gardener, you have the option to plant whatever you want as is suitable to your soil. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a little home pH test kit to see where your soils are. If they are neutral, don't worry about making it acid. If they are very acid (less than 5.0), applying lime or naturally basic compost will help bring it up. That's my two cents, anyway.

Answer 2

If you use a dryer, consider rubberized knobby balls that soften clothes mechanically. Chemical softeners in the wash remain in the clothes and can leach into your body through your skin. Dryer sheets evaporate with the water and into the air. I am not sure you want to breath those vapors.

* Add a quarter cup of baking soda to wash cycle to soften clothes
* Add a quarter cup of white vinegar to wash or rinse cycle to soften clothes (don’t use bleach at the same time)
* Dry your clothes outside on a clothesline to eliminate static cling
* A piece of wadded up aluminum foil placed in the dryer with clothes will cut down on static cling
* Use less laundry detergent for softer clothes
* Install a water softener
* If you really feel that you need to use a commercial product, check out your local health food store for a natural fabric softener or reusable cloth dryer sheets that use a natural base like soy instead of chemicals.

Grey water systems are controversial and may be more hazardous and difficult to implement safely than is worth the effort.

Answer 3

well it will change the pH of the soil and make it too acidic for plants to grow. As for using vinegar as a substitute, it would make your clothes smell, not a really goog idea. Try using fabric softening balls, which are two golf sized ridged balls that you put into your washing machine along with your clothes. It helps soften the fabric by pounding the fabrics and hence softening them

Answer 4

As Amy says, an organic acid like acetic acid is not very strong. The structure of the molecule doesn't lend itself to being a strong acid. Its effect can be easily nullified, if not nuetralised, by sufficient water. Also, some of the acid will be used in the wash.

You can test your soil's pH with a simple test kit that will remind you of the fun bits of chemistry class. Almost all plants prefer pH5-6 so that they can absorb nutrients from the soil. (I recently bought 3 m^3 of "compost soil" and later found it to have a pH of 8.5!)

Answer 5

Hi, almost all (and maybe even all) plants/trees/shrubs etc. prefer an acidic soil, and vinegar is an acid. So, no it will not hurt the plants, just do not pour it directly on a plant (plants, generally, like Ph of 5.5 to 6.5 and vinegar is less than 1, but soil is usually over 7.

Answer 6

Hello,
The vinegar can reduce the soil ph which could have an adverse effect on your garden.

A great gardening site to vist secilysgardentips.com

Good Day,
Roger

Answer 7

Apple Cider Vinegar eBook - http://AppleCiderVinegar.siopu.com/?RDl