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I was very impressed when shopping for hand soap to discover that they are all marked "flammable"! This of course is because of the alcohol it contains.

If acetic acid were included in the soap in place of the alcohol would it perform as safely and effectively?

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    A quick google search would have told you that vinegar doesn't kill many pathogens such as staph.
    – Carey Gregory
    Apr 21, 2019 at 15:15
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    Then post that as the answer instead of downvoting with a snarky comment. Apr 21, 2019 at 15:56
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    @user1258361 It's not a snarky comment. It's a comment pointing out that the question lacks prior research and is therefore in danger of being closed. And it wasn't my downvote.
    – Carey Gregory
    Apr 21, 2019 at 17:04

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According to this study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10656352

"Alternative"/"natural" cleaning products (vinegar and baking soda) were compared with regular disinfectants and tested against a variety of human pathogens including antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The conclusion found that "a variety of commercial [excluding the natural alternatives] household disinfectants were highly effective against potential bacterial pathogens." Additionally, the natural alternatives were found to have lower effectiveness against bacteria compared to the commercial disinfectants.

So the answer to your question appears to be a solid "No."

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  • One thing I didn't see in the study was whether they tried apple cider vinegar which is a different, biologically produced product with additional acids (malic, others).
    – Ruminator
    Apr 21, 2019 at 16:09

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