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Vinegar vs Citric Acid Wash: Which is Better to Clean Your Water Ionizer?

Vinegar vs Citric Acid Wash: Which is Better to Clean Your Water Ionizer?

Published by Alkaline Water Plus

Vinegar vs Citric Acid Wash: Which is Better to Clean Your Water Ionizer?

Water Ionizers: Vinegar & Citric Acid Washes

Water ionizers will generally last about 20 years if you take care of them properly. If you use hard water with a water ionizer for that many years, though, it’s likely that you’ll need to do at least a few vinegar or citric acid washes in that time. The point of a vinegar or citric acid wash is to remove the built-up scale inside the water lines of the water ionizer. Even with water ionizers that have continuous-cleaning inside the water cell there are other water lines that can get clogged up with scale and cause the water-flow to slow down over time. Over the years I’ve tested and found out the best methods of doing a vinegar wash [or citric acid wash]. You can see more about that on this page: Water Ionizer Use & Care

“What’s the difference between a vinegar wash and a citric acid wash?”

I’ve often wondered, which one is stronger, vinegar or citric acid? So, I conducted a test to find out. I conducted my experiments with eggs. Why use Eggs? Scale is basically hardened calcium deposits inside of water lines. You can’t see inside of water lines, though, so I decided to use egg shells. Egg shells are basically the same substance as scale [hardened calcium]. If you’re going to repeat my experiment for yourself, please make sure you hard-boil the eggs first, so as to not make a mess if they break.

Testing the Difference Between Citric-Acid and Vinegar

What I did to test the difference in strength and effectiveness [for removing scale] was to completely submerge and soak one of the hard-boiled eggs in vinegar and the other in citric acid and compared the results.

Here are the videos.

Results and Comments:

It turns out that, at least in this test, vinegar is the far stronger substance in removing scale or dissolving calcium. 

So, does that mean you should do a vinegar-wash rather than a citric acid wash? Not necessarily. Some water ionizer manufacturers don’t sanction the use of vinegar or a vinegar-wash of their water ionizers. It has to do with how sturdy the padding between the plates inside the water cell is.  You can read more about that here:   Water Ionizer Use & Care

Cathleen Lograsso

Cathleen LoGrasso

My background is in physiology, teaching, nutrition and weight loss. I have raised 5 children who are all grown now. I have a masters degree in education and was a teacher/principal for 24 years. I created Alkaline Water Plus in 2009 to educate people about the benefits of ionized water.

The very best thing I have ever purchased is a WATER IONIZER, and I've been in perfect health ever since I started drinking ionized water 25 years ago! Understanding and knowing how to control and manage my own body's pH and antioxidant levels at the cellular level has made all the difference in the world in my life, my family's lives and in a countless number of my friends and associates over the years.

Cathie LoGrasso Owner, Alkaline Water Plus

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