Vinegar as Disinfectant?

[BobH]

I've googled and read some articles about using vinegar as a disinfectant, but I still have questions that I hope some here will have answers for.

The articles mentioned a 5% solution of vinegar and also mentioned that off the shelf vinegar is 5% acetic acid. Showing how easily confused I am, I don't understand whether the statements are equivalent or if a 5% acetic acid solution should be further diluted to a 5% dilution with water. I use a CPAP for apnea and the instructions say to clean its water reservoir and hoses with a solution of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. This makes a 25% solution of vinegar which is much less than 5% acetic acid solution (5% x 25% = 1.25%, I think).

Further reading suggests that hydrogen peroxide off the shelf solutions should be combined with white vinegar because this greatly increases the effectiveness of either solution alone. What was missing from those articles was information about the ratio of vinegar to peroxide and whether or not the mixture could/should be diluted with water.

I'm sticking with the instructions for my CPAP because it has worked well for me for years; however, I need to disinfect a small lot of Lego blocks that I purchased from the www. I was thinking of pouring in some peroxide after removing the CPAP bits but want to be certain that I use enough to disinfect the Legos. I could just put the blocks in boiling water but fear this might cause them to deform.

Anyone?

[HansV]

A 5% solution of vinegar contains 5% acetic acid (by weight), so the two terms are the same.

Do not mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide! The combination results in a far more agressive acid (peracetic acid). The idea is that cleaning a surface with first one, then the other is more effective than each of the two apart.

Also, do not put Legos in boiling water! Use water of about 100 °F, not more.

Letting the Legos soak for a while in warm (not hot) water with dishwashing liquid should be sufficient; if they're very dirty you could add some bleach (1 tablespoon/gallon).

[BobH]

Thanks, Hans!

That is far better information - and advice - than I could discern from the web articles.

U da man!!!

[wasbit]

Other avenues to try are sterilising solutions used for baby's feeding equipment or used in home wine making.

In the UK, Milton or Chempro SDP are two products available at any chemist shop.

[Becks]

If the blocks are soiled - visible dirt, grease, etc - I'd use warm water and mild dish-washing detergent, then sterilize in sodium metabisulfite (used by home brewers). A sterilant won't be very effective in the presence of dirt and grime.

Kevin

[John Gray]

I need to disinfect a small lot of Lego blocks that I purchased

Me, I'd put them in the dish-washer, making sure that they didn't escape and drop down to the lowest level of the dish-washer, where the heating elements may be located.

You can also do the same with mucky keyboards...!

[ChrisGreaves]

Me, I'd put them in the dish-washer,

Liar!(grin!)
YOU, You'd build a dishwasher out of lego ... putting the rest of us to shame

[Leif]

Anyone?

I would follow Hans' advice: soak them in hot, soapy water for a few hours, then scrub well with a nailbrush or similar to get any obvious ingrained dirt out.

Then I would follow Wasbit's or Kevin's advice to soak them overnight in proprietary sterilising solution.

Alternatively, you could just follow the advice at the Lego Knowledge Base

[StuartR]

...Alternatively, you could just follow the advice at the Lego Knowledge Base

Sadly, this just returns

Your support portal session has expired due to inactivity...

[HansV]

This, from Knowledge Base (type disinfect in the Search box)?

We recommend that you clean or wash your LEGO parts only by hand at max. 40°C or 104 degrees (F) Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures may affect the quality of the LEGO parts. You can add a mild detergent to the water, followed by rinsing with clear water. Please don't put your bricks in the washing machine or dishwasher or attempt to dry them in ovens, microwaves or with hair dryers. Any electrical parts, such as cables, motors, battery compartments, can only be wiped off with alcohol. Air-dry parts at room temperature. For disinfecting please use mild bleach.

[Leif]

As I was saying....

Navigate to http://en-us.kb.lego.com/

In the top-left search field enter "clean"

Click on the Search Button

Select the first article returned

x.jpg

Which basically states exactly what Hans has above

[BobH]

Thank you, all, for the responses and great information.

The Legos were not grimy; however, I wanted to sterilize them just in case they might be bringing some germs with them. I put them in a pot of water with vinegar and detergent at about 120° F for 5 minutes them spread them on the counter and turned on the ceiling fan. They dried overnight and have now been added to the bin. They are none the worse for the process.

Christian and I are getting a sizable collection now but there are far too many tiny bits and bobs and specialty pieces. Might just have to order some standard bricks to augment it.

Thank you again for the suggestions.

[Hey Jude]

I've come upon this topic late in the game, when you already have your solutions (bleach notwithstanding) In my household we are members of Costco and buy their Kirkland Signature Household Surface Wipes which kill 99.9% of all bacteria including c-diff, flu etc. in 15 seconds. These are standard in my household and have replaced bleach solutions and other Lysol brand etc. disinfecting wipes. Back in 2007 when I contracted c-diff through the overuse of antibiotics, these were the ONLY wipes which eliminated the infection from surfaces so not one other person contracted the highly-communicable disease. My sister sent 2 cases of these to me and we have been using them ever since. They clean all toys, table/counters/bathroom/kitchen fixtures and a myriad of other surfaces too numerous to mention by name. They are very moist and would do the trick as well if you are ever looking for a superb wipe to eradicate germs. Having a granddaughter in kindergarten has exposed my home to thousands of germs/viruses which we wouldn't have come in contact with. They are a staple in first-aid kits, and in our emergency preparedness kit as well. They go with us in the car, and are out in the garage...they are wonderful for playground equipment and they dry in 15 seconds. I've used them on my skin after insect bites when "AfterBite" isn't available. I highly recommend them if you have someone you know who is a Costco member. They run about $10 for a package of 3. If I was cleaning Legos, I would have put them in the sink with dish soap, let them soak and then used the wipes to "dry" them.