Basic H2 compared to Vinegar
One of my friends asked me about using white distilled vinegar to clean her house versus Shaklee Basic
H2® Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate. I did the math (see below), and I was surprised to find
that the cheapest vinegar one can buy costs at least 3 times as much as Shaklee Basic H2 for allpurpose cleaning. The savings are even greater when using as a windows/mirrors cleaner. Also, vinegar
may not be the best for some jobs as its acidity could eat away some finishes over time, especially
wood.
As far as price goes, since you dilute Basic H2 depending on the job, it's really inexpensive. A 16oz
bottle of Basic H2 costs members around $12 including 7% tax and shipping (when bundled with other
products to save on shipping). For example,
1) The windows/mirrors solution only uses 1-2 drops of H2 diluted in 16oz water, that costs less than a
penny!
2) The all-purpose solution only uses 1/4 tsp (25 drops) of H2 diluted in 16oz water, that only costs 3 cents! *** A gallon of it would use 2 tsp
in 128oz water, that only costs 25 cents per gallon.
3) The degreaser solution only uses 1.5 tsp of H2 diluted in 16oz water, that only costs 20 cents!
For all-purpose cleaning with vinegar, as well as for cleaning glass, one would use 1 part vinegar to 1 part water, so 1 gallon of cleaning
solution would use 64oz vinegar plus 64oz water. Each gallon-size jug of white vinegar ranges in cost from $1.65-$5 depending on brand. It
would cost $0.80-$2.50 per gallon of diluted vinegar all-purpose cleaning solution (at 1:1 ratio), or 3-10 times the cost of making Shaklee Basic
H2 all-purpose solution, which only costs 25 cents per gallon. For cleaning mirrors and glass the vinegar costs 80 times more than Basic H2
windows solution! One would need 24 1-gallon jugs of White Distilled Vinegar (~$40-$120) to equal the cleaning power of just one 16oz bottle
of concentrated Basic H2 (~$12)!!! Which would you rather buy and carry home?
I found this interesting info: "Vinegar and Water: This system has been used for years and some still stand by its use. However vinegar can be
acidic for floor/furniture/cabinets finishes. Initially, you may not notice the effects, but used consistently over the years it will affect the shine of
your floors and other surfaces. Additionally, using too much water in the actual application always results in problems or ruined wood floors."
Shaklee's Basic H2 is a degreaser and will cut through grease easily, even the grimiest grill.
Conclusion, Shaklee Basic-H2 is cheaper to use than vinegar AND safer to use, as it's not going to ruin your surface finishes over time
like vinegar could. And Basic H2 is unscented, which is a big plus for me. It's a joy to clean my house with Shaklee!
Some useful measurement conversions:
1 bottle of full-strength Basic H2 = 2 cups = 16 oz = 32 tablespoons = 96 teaspoons.
1 cup = 8 oz = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons.
1 gallon = 128 ounces
1 ounce = 2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons.
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.
1 teaspoon = ~100 drops.
1 bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex®*
1 bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 48 gallons of any all-purpose solution.
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