Silly question about vinegar!

[treepee]

Hello everyone!!!
SOO very excited to be joining you all on the playa for my FIRST BURN EVER !! However, seeing as this is my first burn ever, I am super stressed about anything and everything I can worry about...ring any bells for anyone??? Anyway, I have a very silly question regarding vinegar....I know that vinegar is one of the few substances that will relieve things such as playa foot, playa hair and if I remember correctly I think vinegar has the ability to also remove playa dust from clothing, tents, pillows, sheets, and the like... That being said I was wondering if there was ANYTHING anyone knows about that gets damaged by vinegar...? Yes? No? When I return home I am planning on throwing vinegar on EVERYTHING, but just figured I should ask if there was anything known to man (or veteran burners)that could be damaged by vinegar. I tried using the search feature to educate myself about this topic, however nothing turned up. Like I said, silly question....hope this doesn't waste anyone's time....
THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!

[JezebelinHell]

It's not going to HURT your tent in a structural integrity sense of the word, but I really really wouldn't recommend using it on anything but yourself. Vinegar smells nasty and that smell is not gonna go away while all your playa stuff is locked in a closet for fifty weeks.

[gyre]

I use it to clean glass.
I wouldn't use too high a concentration of it.
I don't take it to the desert.
I've tried it on clothes with no detectable effect.

[capjbadger]

Vinegar is an acid.
Playa dust is a base.
When you mix an acid and a base you get salt and water.
Lemon juice would work as well.

A friend of mine had a box of baby wipes that she poured a little vinegar into to help cut the dust.
(Do NOT put the wipes in the toilets!!)

Badger

[AntiM]

A half cup to a cup of vinegar diluted in water will cut a lot of playa dust; rinse well to avoid lingering odors. White vinegar is cheaper than lemon juice.

But then, I like the smell of vinegar.

[honeyfire]

White vinegar has the least smell, and isn't gonna stain your stuff.
Some people prefer the smell of apple cider vinegar.
If you handwash anything in vinegar, rinse it really well.
Do bear in mind that vinegar is acid.

Has anyone tried throwing a cup or three of vinegar into the initial fill of water in the washer?

[phil]

This is one of the few times when having been many times may actually lend some support to my opinion:

I've never used vinegar on anything. I've washed all our clothes, sleeping bags, linens, and tent after every Burn, and I've never used vinegar. With the exception of the tent, nothing has any playa powder left on it after running it through the wash like a regular wash day.

(I "wash" the tent and fly by soaking them separately in the tub with a half-cup or so of Lysol concentrate at the recommendation of a tent company - cold water only. My tub isn't big enough to get all the playa powder off, even after a couple of rinsings, so I just let it go. Whatever's left isn't bad enough to keep us from using the tent year round. If you wash your tent, be sure to check your manufacturer's Web site or support people. If you've washed your clothes in a washer, you know how twisted up and spun out your clothes get - this is not good on a tent you expect to remain wind- and waterproof.)

Your mileage will vary.

[Marscrumbs]

I've used white vinagar to wash my feet and hands and I can't say it makes a positive difference. It seem to dry my skin even more. However a spoonful in the washwater and a damp cloth does seem to help wash offust on solid objects. My overipe homemade yogurt does wonders for the skin...latic acid.

[Token]

The whole vinegar alkaline playa thing is such an urban legend.

The Playa dust is about as alkaline as Los Angeles tap water.

Vinegar will only serve as an olfactory adjunct, which after a few days of Burning Man may actually improve some peoples humor...

[heikediguoren]

The whole vinegar alkaline playa thing is such an urban legend.

The Playa dust is about as alkaline as Los Angeles tap water.

This is not correct. The playa is alkaline. It removes the moisture from your skin, which is what causes the painful reaction known as "playa foot." L.A. tapwater does not have this effect.

You can observe the alkalinity if you put a handful of playa dust in a cup and pour some white vinegar over it. The dust will fizz, showing that the vinegar is reacting with the dust. I think the reaction is:

CH3COOH + CaCO3 -> CaCOOH + CO2 + H2O
vinegar + playa -> calcium acetate + carbon dioxide + water

If anyone knows how to balance the reaction, feel free to jump in.

[TomServo]

Learned the vinegar/water tip from a medic on the playa, after I opened my foot on a tent stake buried in playa dust. They washed off my wound and feet with the stuff.

another use for vinegar:
before making menudo, soak the tripe in white vinegar over night. will get rid of the horrible smell that arises when boiling the tripe.

[AntiM]

LA tapwater gives me diarrhea. Just thought I'd share. You're welcome.

My heels dry out and crack in Utah, all year, but winter is the worst. I think it is lack of humidity. Socks and Gold Bond Foot Cream are my friends.

[ZaphodBurner]

Other people's mileage vary, but, vinegar was an -instant- relief for playa foot in my case. Better than water.

As for the other stuff, you can wipe it down with vinegar and then wash it off with soapy water. I don't know that it'll make a difference, but, I tried with a tolex-covered speaker cabinet and it eventually looked like new...

And then the water dried and it looked like it had been to Burning Man. But my feet sure felt good! :>

-c

[Marscrumbs]

Playa dust probably contains more gypsum CaSO4 and Soda Na2Co3 than calcite CaCO3. but I'm just guessing.

Alkaii dust although hypertonic, dry out the skin more by removing protective oils. Much like soap does. Laundry detergent usually contains soda just for this reason.

The whole vinegar alkaline playa thing is such an urban legend.

The Playa dust is about as alkaline as Los Angeles tap water.

This is not correct. The playa is alkaline. It removes the moisture from your skin, which is what causes the painful reaction known as "playa foot." L.A. tapwater does not have this effect.

You can observe the alkalinity if you put a handful of playa dust in a cup and pour some white vinegar over it. The dust will fizz, showing that the vinegar is reacting with the dust. I think the reaction is:

CH3COOH + CaCO3 -> CaCH3COO + CO2 + H2O
(fixed)
vinegar + playa -> calcium acetate + carbon dioxide + water

If anyone knows how to balance the reaction, feel free to jump in.

[BitterDan]

Keep you feet clean, wash with Dr. Bronner's and put on lotion twice a day. You won't have to worry about playa-foot because you'll never get it.

[emotion_sickness]

Maybe i just have hardcore dirty hippie feet...but i wandered around barefoot and in sandals all last year, had my feet coated in playa dust, and no playa foot, just a weird tingling sensation the first day which went away the next day.

my hands, on the other hand took so much abuse from zipping and unzipping a stubborn tent zipper covered in dust that my hands dried out real bad and all around my fingernails became dry and chewed up...looked like frayed rope ends & was very painful. & i tried everything from vinegar to moisturizing lotion, aloe vera to wrapping all my fingertips in band-aids...cleaning them off with vinegar followed by lotion numerous times a day worked best and seemed to get them on their way to recovery by the end of the week.

[BitterDan]

Yeah I get the same thing on my fingers. I always assumed it was because I bite my nails (and cuticles sometimes). I am definitely taking better care of them this year.

[gyre]

I wash the dust off with water whenever possible.
When needed I use a good moisturizer like neutrogena body emulsion unscented.
No issues.
Hands got really torn up the first year w/o a viable tent.
Didn't heal until I used the moisturizer.

[Token]

Playa dust probably contains more gypsum CaSO4 and Soda Na2Co3 than calcite CaCO3. but I'm just guessing.

Alkaii dust although hypertonic, dry out the skin more by removing protective oils. Much like soap does. Laundry detergent usually contains soda just for this reason.

The whole vinegar alkaline playa thing is such an urban legend.

The Playa dust is about as alkaline as Los Angeles tap water.

This is not correct. The playa is alkaline. It removes the moisture from your skin, which is what causes the painful reaction known as "playa foot." L.A. tapwater does not have this effect.

You can observe the alkalinity if you put a handful of playa dust in a cup and pour some white vinegar over it. The dust will fizz, showing that the vinegar is reacting with the dust. I think the reaction is:

CH3COOH + CaCO3 -> CaCH3COO + CO2 + H2O
(fixed)
vinegar + playa -> calcium acetate + carbon dioxide + water

If anyone knows how to balance the reaction, feel free to jump in.

Which is why all of this is Horse Shitâ„¢. The playa is MILDLY alkali, which is to say it qualifies as not being neutral. No worse than allot of tap water out there or soapy spring water at best.

When is the last time playa dust was stinging and foaming your normally acidic eyes?

The fact that it is a DESICCANT is what gives rise to Playa foot and other similar symptoms.

The remedial chemistry does not make a dent into any of the advanced conclusions Burners tend to make about the grandeur of their voyage. Its just a camping trip in the desert. Those of us that live in the desert laugh at all these shenanigans ...

pft!

T

[DoriumLux]

I swear by vinegar. It's uses are innumerable. I'm pretty anti-chemical for when it comes to cleaning products. It's my household cleaner. Besides I'm not big on spending extra money on unnecessary crap. Contrary to popular belief, it does not leave an odor behind after it dries.

Tons of Uses:

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html#1

It's good as a house cleaner (diluted with water). It's good as a "goo gone" substitute or glass cleaner. You can also add Dr. Bronners soap for extra kick.

[Bob]

Vinegar is just one less thing you have to pack, unless you're making salad dressing or pickles from scratch. I only use it on my hands after working with concrete or tile mortar.

Just wash up a couple times a day & apply skin lotion of choice.

[nocturnal_steve]

At Black Rock at the first sign of Playa Foot I ask strangers to pee on my feet. Urine excreted by healthy kidneys is sterile. And on a cold night you can't beat that warm tingling sensation.