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Vinegar and baking soda: a cleaning hack or just a bunch of fizz?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-kilah-599082">Nathan Kilah</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a> Vinegar and baking soda are staples in the kitchen. Many of us have combined them in childhood scientific experiments: think fizzy volcanoes and geysers. But people also frequently mix vinegar and baking soda to produce a reportedly effective household cleaner. Unfortunately, the chemistry behind the bubbly reaction doesn’t support the cleaning hype. The fizzy action is essentially <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-surprising-things-about-placebos-everyone-should-know-220829">a visual “placebo</a>”, formed by the combination of an acid and a base. So, how does it work, and is it worth using these chemicals for cleaning? To understand all this, it helps to know a little more about chemistry. <h2>What’s an acid?</h2> Foods with a sour taste typically contain acids. These include citric acid in lemon juice, malic acid in apples, lactic acid in yoghurt and <a href="https://theconversation.com/kitchen-science-everything-you-eat-is-made-of-chemicals-56583">phosphoric acids in soft drinks</a>. Most vinegars contain around 4–10% acetic acid, the rest is water and small amounts of flavour chemicals. There are other naturally occurring acids, such as formic acid in ant bites and hydrochloric acid in our stomachs. Industrially, sulfuric acid is used in mineral processing, nitric acid for <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-the-chemical-that-exploded-in-beirut-143979">fertiliser manufacturing</a> and the highly potent hydrofluoric acid is used to etch glass. All of these acids share similar properties. They can all release hydrogen ions (positively charged atoms) into water. Depending on their potency, acids can also dissolve minerals and metals through various chemical reactions. This is why vinegar is an excellent cleaner for showers or kettles – it can react with and dissolve mineral deposits like limescale. Other common acidic cleaning ingredients are oxalic acid, used for revitalising timber decks, hydrochloric acid in concrete and masonry cleaners, and sulfamic acid in potent toilet cleaners. <h2>What’s a base?</h2> In chemistry, bases – the opposite of acids in many ways – can bind, rather than release hydrogen ions. This can help lift and dissolve insoluble grime into water. Bases can also break apart fat molecules. Baking soda (also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or bicarb) is a relatively weak base. Stronger common bases include sodium carbonate (washing soda), sodium hydroxide (lye) and ammonia. <a href="https://theconversation.com/spill-at-a-nuclear-facility-shows-potential-burn-risks-from-a-household-chemical-112763">Sodium hydroxide</a> is a potent drain cleaner – its strong base properties can dissolve fats and hair. This allows blockages to be broken down and easily flushed away. <h2>Mixing a base and an acid</h2> Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes an immediate chemical reaction. This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part. The amount of carbon dioxide gas that is produced from baking soda is remarkable – one tablespoon (around 18 grams) can release over <a href="https://www.chemedx.org/JCESoft/jcesoftSubscriber/CCA/CCA8/MAIN/8/06/2/4/movie.html">five litres of gas</a>! But only if you add enough acid. Reactions in chemistry often use equal quantities of chemical reagents. A perfect balance of acetic acid and baking soda would give you just water, carbon dioxide and sodium acetate. But the majority of vinegar and bicarb cleaner recipes use a large excess of one or the other components. An example from TikTok for a DIY oven cleaner calls for one and a half cups of baking soda and one quarter cup of vinegar. Crunching the numbers behind the chemical reaction shows that after the fizz subsides, over 99% of the added baking soda remains. So the active cleaning agent here is actually the baking soda (and the “elbow grease” of scrubbing). Ovens can be cleaned much more rigorously with stronger, sodium hydroxide based cleaners (although these are also more caustic). Many modern ovens also have a self-cleaning feature, so read your product manual before reaching for a chemical cleaner of any sort. <h2>What about the sodium acetate?</h2> Devotees of vinegar and baking soda mixtures might be wondering if the product of the fizzy reaction, sodium acetate, is the undercover cleaning agent. Unfortunately, sodium acetate is an even weaker base than baking soda, so it doesn’t do much to clean the surface you’re trying to scrub. Sodium acetate is used in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vABpel-11Nc">crystallisation-based heating packs</a> and as a concrete sealant, but not typically as a cleaner. Fun fact: sodium acetate can be combined with acetic acid to make a crystalline <a href="https://theconversation.com/busting-the-myth-that-all-food-additives-are-bad-a-quick-guide-for-label-readers-82883">food additive</a> called sodium diacetate. These crystals give the vinegar flavour to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0hEutu_goY">salt and vinegar chips</a> without making them soggy. <h2>Sorry to burst your bubbles</h2> There are a few rare cases where mixing vinegar and baking soda may be useful for cleaning. This is where the bubbling has a mechanical effect, such as in a blocked drain. But in most cases you’ll want to use either vinegar or baking soda by itself, depending on what you’re trying to clean. It will be less <a href="https://theconversation.com/visually-striking-science-experiments-at-school-can-be-fun-inspiring-and-safe-banning-is-not-the-answer-195362">visually exciting</a>, but it should get the job done. Lastly, remember that mixing cleaning chemicals at home can be risky. Always carefully read the product label and directions before engaging in DIY concoctions. And, to be extra sure, you can find out more safety information by reading the product’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-tiktok-trend-has-people-drinking-toxic-borax-an-expert-explains-the-risks-and-how-to-read-product-labels-210278">safety data sheet</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225177/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-kilah-599082">Nathan Kilah</a>, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/vinegar-and-baking-soda-a-cleaning-hack-or-just-a-bunch-of-fizz-225177">original article</a>.

Home & Garden

How ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables could tackle food waste and solve supermarket supply shortages

The world is facing a significant food waste problem, with <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/i4068e/i4068e.pdf">up to half of all fruit and vegetables</a> lost somewhere along the agricultural food chain. Globally, around <a href="https://www.fao.org/3/ca6030en/ca6030en.pdf">14% of food produced</a> is lost after harvesting but before it reaches shops and supermarkets. Alongside food prices (66%), food waste is a concern for 60% of people that participated in a <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/research/food-and-you-2/food-and-you-2-wave-5">recent survey</a> published by the UK Food Standards Agency. <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">Other research</a> suggests that as much as 25% of apples, 20% of onions and 13% of potatoes grown in the UK are destroyed because they don’t look right. This means that producers’ efforts to meet stringent specifications from buyers can lead to <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenvfru/429/429.pdf">perfectly edible produce being discarded</a> before it even leaves the farm – simply because of how it looks. Aside from the ongoing environmental implications of this food waste, UK shoppers currently face <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/04/food-tsar-blames-shortages-on-uks-weird-supermarket-culture">produce rationing in some supermarkets</a> due to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/28/british-supermarkets-are-rationing-fruit-and-vegetables-amid-shortages.html">shortages of items like tomatoes, cucumbers and raspberries</a>. Any solutions that increase locally grown produce on shop shelves could improve the availability of fresh food, particularly in urban areas. When imperfect fruit and vegetables don’t make it to supermarket shelves, it can be due to <a href="https://cases.open.ubc.ca/insistence-on-cosmetically-perfect-fruits-vegetables/">cosmetic standards</a>. Supermarkets and consumers often prefer produce of a fairly standard size that’s free of blemishes, scars and other imperfections. This means fruit and vegetables that are misshapen, discoloured, or even too small or too large, are rejected before they make it to supermarket shelves. In recent years there has been a growing trend of selling such “ugly” fruit and vegetables, both by <a href="https://my.morrisons.com/wonky-fruit-veg/">major</a> <a href="https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/content/sustainability/food-waste">supermarket</a> <a href="https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2021/wonky-veg-5th-anniversary/">chains</a>, as well as <a href="https://wonkyvegboxes.co.uk/">speciality</a> <a href="https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?exp=plans_rollback">retailers</a> that sell <a href="https://www.oddbox.co.uk/">boxes</a> of <a href="https://etepetete-bio.de/">wonky produce</a>. And research has shown that 87% of people say they would <a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/fruit-and-veg/nearly-90-of-consumers-would-eat-wonky-fruit-and-veg-according-to-new-survey/670155.article">eat wonky fruit and vegetables if they were available</a>. But other research indicates consumers can still be picky and difficult to predict. One study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329316302002?via%3Dihub">showed</a> consumers are likely to throw away an apple with a spot, but would eat a bent cucumber. <h2>Getting ugly produce into baskets</h2> So how can producers and retailers boost the amount of non-standard fruit and veg that not only reaches our shelves, but also our plates? <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377221723000668">Our recent research</a> suggests a separate channel for selling ugly produce would increase profits for growers, lower prices for consumers and boost overall demand for produce. For growers, a dedicated channel – either independent or set up by a supermarket – to supply wonky fruit and veg creates a new line of business. For retailers, this provides an opportunity for further revenue over and above current sales of standard produce to shops. When selling both types of product to a single retailer, the ugly items might be undervalued compared with the standard-looking products. Our research also shows that selling the ugly produce through a dedicated channel is likely to increase total demand for fruit and vegetables, while also decreasing on-farm loss. Having two parallel channels for selling produce (the main one and the dedicated “ugly” channel) would increase competition. This benefits shoppers by lowering prices for regular and ugly produce, versus selling both types of products alongside each other in one shop. On the other hand, the growing market for ugly fruit and vegetables could be an economic threat to traditional retailers. It encourages new entrants into the market and could also limit the availability of “regular” produce because growers could become less stringent about ensuring produce meets traditional cosmetic standards. But there is a way for traditional retailers to add ugly produce into their product offerings alongside other produce without affecting their profits. By building on existing consumer awareness of the environmental benefits of ugly food, they could also compete in this growing segment. This would benefit their bottom lines and help consumer acceptance of misshapen fruit and vegetables, possibly leading to less food waste and shortages like those UK shoppers are experiencing right now. Boosting demand for imperfect fruit and vegetables across the supply chain will require all participants to get involved – from grower to seller. Here are some steps the various parties could take: <h2>1. Educating consumers</h2> Education about the environmental and economic impact of food waste could happen through marketing campaigns, in-store displays and even social media. <h2>2. Reducing cosmetic standards</h2> Supermarkets and other major food retailers could revise their cosmetic standards to accept a wider range of produce, including imperfect fruit and vegetables. This would help reduce food waste by making sure more produce is able to be sold. <h2>3. Direct sales</h2> Farmers and growers could sell non-standard produce directly to consumers through farmers’ markets or subscription services. This allows consumers to purchase fresh, locally grown produce that might not meet cosmetic standards for supermarkets but that is just as nutritionally beneficial. <h2>4. Food donations</h2> Supermarkets and growers could donate produce rejected for how it looks to food banks, shelters and other organisations that serve those in need. This would help reduce food waste while also providing healthy food to those who might not otherwise have access to it. <h2>5. Value-added products</h2> Produce that doesn’t meet cosmetic standards could also be used to create other products such as soups, sauces and juices. In addition to reducing food waste, this would create new revenue streams for growers and retailers. <h2>6. Food composting</h2> Anything that cannot be sold or otherwise used should be composted. This would help reduce food waste while also creating nutrient-rich soil for future crops. By implementing these solutions, the supply chain can reduce the amount of ugly or imperfect fruit and vegetables that are wasted, while also providing consumers with healthy, affordable produce, even in times of supply chain shortages. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ugly-fruit-and-vegetables-could-tackle-food-waste-and-solve-supermarket-supply-shortages-201216" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Food & Wine

Inside Brady Bunch star Barry Williams’ $10 million Malibu beach house

The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams has listed his 2808-square-foot Malibu beach house in the US for $US6.375 million ($NZD9.3 million), as he plans to part ways with his lavish abode. Located in a gated community, the three-bedroom, four-bathroom home comes complete with magnificent ocean views and also features an expansive outdoor deck to enjoy those summer nights on the beach. The open floor plan is surrounded with a wall of windows, bringing in plenty of natural light and fresh air. Also included is an extravagant stone fireplace and a spacious chef’s kitchen with state-of-the-art steel appliances. <img style="width: 399.13793103448273px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7823639/bb.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/94700db6fd15421ca13a57caa2b58187" /> Heading towards the upstairs area of the home, the master suite comes with two private decks, a number of closets and another fireplace. The beach house is situated in one of only two beachfront streets in Malibu and was predominantly used as a holiday and weekend home for the 64-year-old. Williams, who played the eldest brother Greg Brady in the smash hit sitcom The Brady Bunch, built the house himself in 1974, with his brother Craig lending a helping hand. Scroll through the gallery above to look inside Barry Williams’ Malibu beach house.

What Brady Bunch star Eve Plumb look like now

Most famous for her role in the iconic 1970s sitcom, The Brady Bunch, Eve Plumb played “middle” child, Jan Brady, in the hit series. Here we have a new photo of the actress taken in March this year compared with one of her as Jan Brady taken back in 1971. <img width="500" height="323" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/39341/eve-plumb-in-text_500x323.jpg" alt="Eve Plumb In -text"/> Running from 1969 until 1974, Eve Plumb recently revealed that she hopes that her role on the TV show isn't the only one she’s remembered for. “I’ll always be Jan Brady to so many people,” the now 59-year-old actress told Closer Weekly. “I can’t escape it, but I can do other things,” she added. Having recently starred as Mrs. Murdock in Grease Live! opposite Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens, Plumb admits that while she found success as a child star, adulthood proved difficult for the entertainer. “I had so much success as a child,” she explains. “But once you age out of being the cute kid, then what? If you’re not ready for it, it can be very difficult.” Over the years since The Brady Brunch stopped filming, Eve admits that she still gets recognised as Jan Brady at auditions. “If it gets me in the door [for jobs], then fine!” she said. “If you’re surprised to learn I can do other things, then great! I will audition for anything! Whatever comes my way!”.

Iconic Days of Our Lives character returning to show

Days of Our Lives is set to welcome back one of its most iconic characters, with the announcement that Alison Sweeney would be reprising the role of Sami Brady for two months of production. <img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/35540/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (200)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> “From my end, it takes a little bit of logistics with projects I’m working on,” she explained to Soap Opera Digest. “And unfortunately, this year’s been hard for me because of my knee injury, so I had to push some stuff back. So, I figured out a schedule, blocked out some time that I had available, and we figured it out!” The 40-year-old made her debut on the long-running drama in 1987, before becoming a series regular in 1993 for nearly 1,800 episodes across 21 years. During her absence, Sweeney enjoyed an eight-year stint as host of The Biggest Loser. Are you looking forward to seeing Sami Brady return to Salem? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

The strange thing you never noticed about the Brady Bunch bathroom

If you’re like us and spent much of your childhood watching The Brady Bunch, you’ll know the bathroom played a prominent role in the TV show. It was a symbol of the blended family, an important resource that caused many of the family squabbles but was ultimately shared harmoniously. So it was with disbelief that it was revealed to us that the Brady family never had a toilet! And no, it’s not that they forgot or didn’t care about realism. When The Brady Bunch first aired in the seventies, networks considered it extremely crude and crass to show a toilet bowl on the silver screen, so they simple did without. Only a glimpse of the toilet’s tank was ever shown. Oh, how things have changed on TV… Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/06/kids-shows-from-the-50s/" target="_self">Best kids’ TV shows from the 50s</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/06/shocking-facts-about-tv-shows/">10 shocking facts you didn’t know about your favourite TV shows</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2016/06/the-waltons-where-are-they-now/">The Waltons: where are they today?</a>

News

Where they are now: The Brady Bunch

It’s hard to believe that it has been 42 years since The Brady Bunch ended its popular five-year series. Re-runs pop up quite regularly, making it a hit again with a new generation of fans. Since the family bid farewell in 1974, the majority of the cast has appeared in various TV programs and films, though some have chosen to remain out of the spotlight. Here we catch up with the cast of the much-loved blended family and see how they are doing. Scroll through the gallery above for images. Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) Henderson has appeared on the US version of Dancing with the Stars and also hosted a daily chat show called The Florence Henderson Show on Retirement Living TV. She has four kids and her second husband passed away in 2002. Robert Reed (Mike Brady) Sadly Reed passed away in 1992 of HIV and colon cancer. After playing the lovable dad on The Brady Bunch, Reed starred in TV movies, some series and some on-stage productions. He is most known for the popular mini-series Roots. Barry Williams (Greg Brady) Williams has chosen to work on many projects since the show wrapped, but he is most known for his 1992 New York Times best-selling autobiography Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg. He starred in some fairly cheesy films and has also hosted a 70’s popular culture quiz show. He has one child and has been married twice. Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) McCormick battled with drugs in her post-Brady days, but has managed to turn things around. She has been popular in the US reality TV circuit, losing 34 pounds on Celebrity Fit Club. She also worked as the spokeswoman for Children International. Interestingly she was a contestant on another reality show called Gone Country, where she competed to be a country singer. In 2008 she released her autobiography Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice. She is married with a daughter. Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) Another actor keen on the reality TV scene, Knight was a participant in a VH1 reality series called The Surreal Life. On the show he met and began dating another housemate (and America's Next Top Model winner) Adrianne Curry. As a couple they made a spin-off series, entitled My Fair Brady, thought they ended up divorcing in 2011. Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) One of the cast members who stayed out of the spotlight for the most part, Plumb has declined to take part in Brady family reunions and TV appearances. She has been involved in two stage productions in New York, and has also had success as a painter. She has been married since 1995. Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady) The youngest of the boys, Lookinland was most recently involved in an episode of the Stephen King 1994 miniseries "The Stand," and has not done much other acting. He was in the news in 1997 when he was arrested for driving under the influence. He is married with two sons. Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) Olsen had a 2009 coffee-table book entitled Love to Love You Bradys which is devoted to the less than popular Brady Bunch Variety Hour. She has also been successful in the art world and is an animal-rights activist. She has been married twice and has one son. Ann B. Davis (Alice) The kind-hearted housekeeper to the Brady’s, Davis did some theatre work in the 90’s before retiring from the acting world. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 88. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2015/11/dr-quinn-cast-now/">What the cast of Dr Quinn look like now</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2015/11/netflix-knows-when-you-get-hooked-to-a-tv-show/">The weird fact that Netflix knows about you</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/tv/2015/11/netflix-hacks/">6 Netflix hacks you need to know</a>

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