How does bicarb and vinegar + cleaning?
I actually worked as a formulations chemist for a large company that makes cleaning products, so I know a great deal about this subject. The vinegar is also known as Acetic Acid, and it aids in stripping oils from a surface, and also helps increase the shine when dealing with metal surfaces, like grills and ovens. The sodium bicarbonate is alkaline and it is the amount of free alkalinity that is produced by the combination of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid that is what makes it an effective cleaner, mainly on surfaces with stuck on grease and fatty materials like grill grates, hibachi grills, ovens, ect. The free alkalinity makes it more corrosive and therefore the corrosivity of the substance is what strips the grease. It is unlike that of a surfactant type of cleaners. A surfactant (most hand soaps are in this class) actually help to reduce surface tension and thus allow for better cleaning because instead of the water beading up on the surface, it is allowed to spread out, much
