Can white vinegar remove formaldehyde by wiping furniture?

Formaldehyde is a gas that affects our health. It mainly appears in new furniture or newly renovated homes. Long-term exposure to formaldehyde is seriously harmful to our body. Some people say that white vinegar can remove formaldehyde, and that applying white vinegar on newly purchased furniture can remove the formaldehyde on it. Is it really as they say? Let's find out through the following article.

Can white vinegar remove formaldehyde?

Yes, but it depends on the situation.

White vinegar can remove formaldehyde because vinegar can react with formaldehyde at a chemical level to produce other non-toxic substances, thus achieving the effect of removing formaldehyde. However, in a renovated room, formaldehyde is in a free state. At this time, simply pouring vinegar into a cup and placing it in the room will be ineffective, because liquid vinegar will not react with gaseous formaldehyde and will not achieve the effect of removing formaldehyde.

Vinegar can absorb formaldehyde only if both vinegar and formaldehyde are in liquid form and a reaction occurs when they are mixed and heated. The probability of reaction under normal temperature and gaseous conditions is very low, but its negligible effect on free formaldehyde may be stronger than that of fruits, tea leaves, and activated carbon (however, by the same token, simply leaving fruit or activated carbon will not remove formaldehyde).

Evaluation of common methods of removing formaldehyde

Plant formaldehyde removal

Under the action of sunlight, green plants can absorb carbon dioxide in the air and produce oxygen, achieving the effect of fresh air. This leads people to mistakenly believe that plants can also remove formaldehyde. In fact, formaldehyde will react with the proteins, nucleic acids and lipids of plants, damaging plant cells, and in severe cases may cause plant death. In an environment containing a large amount of formaldehyde, plants themselves can hardly protect themselves, let alone help humans remove formaldehyde.

Activated carbon to remove formaldehyde

In recent years, activated carbon has often been seen on TV programs and in advertisements, and merchants claim that activated carbon has a strong ability to absorb formaldehyde. There are indeed many tiny pores in activated carbon, through which formaldehyde can pass smoothly. Activated carbon easily becomes saturated with formaldehyde and is difficult to reuse. Even when exposed to the scorching sun, there is no guarantee that all the absorbed formaldehyde will evaporate, making it difficult to reuse. Activated carbon has very limited formaldehyde absorption capacity, so be sure to replace it frequently.

Vinegar removes formaldehyde

There is a popular method of using vinegar to remove formaldehyde. It is said that vinegar can react with formaldehyde. Is this true? Whether it is aged vinegar or white vinegar, their main active ingredient is acetic acid (also known as acetic acid), which is an important oxygen-containing derivative of hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, acetic acid does not react with formaldehyde. Because vinegar has a strong, pungent sour smell that can mask the smell of formaldehyde, people mistakenly believe that vinegar removes formaldehyde. In fact, the formaldehyde has not decreased and still exists in the indoor air, but its smell is more difficult for people to detect.

Grapefruit peel and pineapple peel to remove formaldehyde

Both grapefruit peel and pineapple peel have their own unique fruity aroma, which is rich, long-lasting and refreshing. In particular, grapefruit peel can be used to make people's favorite honey grapefruit tea, making it a symbol of health. In fact, the reason why they can remove formaldehyde in folk rumors is the same as that of vinegar. Grapefruit peels and pineapple peels cannot remove formaldehyde, they just mask the smell of formaldehyde with their own smell. Although grapefruit peel cannot remove formaldehyde, it has the effect of refreshing the air and repelling mosquitoes, so it is beneficial to keep a piece of grapefruit peel at home.