Where to Buy White Vinegar in Bulk In The UK For Cleaning
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Looking to buy white vinegar in bulk for making cleaning products? Here are my top places to shop for this green cleaning staple.
Let’s talk vinegar – specifically, where to buy white vinegar in bulk for all your cleaning needs. You see, I go through a lot of white vinegar in our house. And, no, it’s not just because I love chips!
It’s more because scientists have warned that conventional cleaning products could be as bad for your lungs as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. I’m also keen to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in my home.
As such, I’m really big on making my own natural cleaning products with simple yet effective non-toxic ingredients. Vinegar is a key component in my natural cleaning arsenal, so I do buy a lot of it.
The Problem With Shopping Locally For White Vinegar
When it comes to shopping for cleaning ingredients I’d normally always recommend shopping locally. And indeed, glass bottles of white vinegar can be picked up relatively cheaply from many supermarkets or corner shops. Around here, it’s about £1 for 500 ml of vinegar.
And what I love is that these 500 ml glass vinegar bottles are very useful. Simply pop a spray nozzle on the bottle once you’re done and you’ve got an instant eco-friendly cleaning bottle.
The thing is, when you’re using vinegar in relatively higher quantities, the price soon adds up. Shop assistants also give you funny looks when you start buying five bottles of vinegar in one transaction. Voice of experience here.
Frustratingly, some supermarkets (cough, Sainsbury’s) have also started packaging their small bottles of vinegar in plastic bottles, instead of glass.
Buying vinegar in bulk helps save plastic, as less plastic goes into making a bulk bottle than the equivalent amount of small bottles. Buying in bulk is also less carbon-intensive. Fewer deliveries are required, making it a more efficient way to shop.
Where to Buy White Vinegar in Bulk
To save money, and plastic, and to save blushes, instead, I buy my white vinegar in bulk online and get it delivered straight to my door.
Looking to buy vinegar in bulk too? I have found the best places to purchase white vinegar in bulk. Let me share my secrets with you:
eBay
eBay is by far the cheapest place I’ve found to buy white vinegar in bulk sizes.
20 litres of vinegar often comes in around the £20 mark with free postage. That’s around £1 per litre. Compared to the £2 a litre when buying the glass bottles, that’s a whopping saving of 50% per litre.
Worried about storing 20 litres of vinegar? Worry not, the vinegar arrives in four 5-litre cartons. These are a lot more manageable to handle and store than one 20-litre container.
To make life easier I decant the vinegar into a glass bottle (an empty gin bottle!) to make it even easier to pour.
Do note that the price of vinegar tends to fluctuate on eBay. Do check here to see the current going rate.
Amazon
Alternatively, Amazon is another place to check. Whilst Amazon is not my preferred place to shop, for numerous ethical reasons, Amazon does stock white vinegar in bulk.
If Amazon is the best option for you, then you can again pick up 20 litres relatively cheaply. Again, this is split into four 5-litre cartons for easy storage. Like eBay, the price of vinegar tends to fluctuate, so do check to see what the current going rate is.
Miniml
If you would prefer to buy your white vinegar from somewhere more ethical and eco-friendly, then Miniml is my top recommendation.
This British-made vinegar comes in single 5-litre containers or a single 20-litre container.
It’s a little more expensive than other retailers (20 litres works out at just under £30). However, the big plus point is that when your carton is empty, you can send it back to Miniml. This will then be cleaned and re-used – helping to reduce plastic waste.
💷Get 10% off all cleaning and laundry products by using the code CLEAN10 at the checkout.
What’s the Shelf Life of Bulk White Vinegar?
Unopened bottles of bulk vinegar will last for around 2 years. Once opened, the vinegar will last for around 6 months.
I’ve never had a problem using up vinegar within 6 months, as I have a ton of uses around the house for vinegar. I’ve listed some of my favourite uses below – from cleaning to laundry, to even in the garden – to help you avoid waste.
If your vinegar hasn’t been used up in 6 months then as with any best-before dates do exercise common sense. If it looks off or smells off, then it’s probably off. And if not, it’s probably safe to use, particularly if you are just using vinegar for cleaning.
What Can You Use White Vinegar For?
White vinegar has a myriad of uses around the home and in the garden. Here are some of my favourite white vinegar uses:
- See here for how to make infused vinegar for cleaning with
- Or visit here for how to make your own fabric conditioner
- Alternatively, find out how to make homemade weedkiller
- Here’s how I make natural cleaning sprays using vinegar
Want to know more? Check out my full guide on everything you need to know about cleaning with white vinegar.
Please note – don’t use vinegar on granite, stone, marble, quartz, or similar surfaces, as it can damage the stone. This DIY cleaning spray is better suited for those types of surfaces.
What About British-Made Vinegar in Bulk?
I get the occasional email asking me why I’m not promoting British-made vinegar. Both Golden Swan vinegar (the brand most commonly available on eBay and Amazon) and Miniml’s vinegar are produced in the UK. This makes both a great choice for supporting British-made produce.
Can I Buy Bulk Vinegar Without The Plastic?
It is frustrating not being able to buy white vinegar in bulk without the plastic. The thing is that it’s simply not practical to transport vinegar in large glass bottles. Doing so would prohibitively push the price of this cheap and eco-friendly staple up. And vinegar can’t be stored in metal, as vinegar is corrosive, so plastic it is.
However, if you’re looking to cut down on your plastic waste, then the other option would be to visit your local zero-waste shop if you have one nearby. Here you’ll be able to fill up on vinegar, using your own container.
Have you found white vinegar cheaper anywhere else? Do let me know – I love a good deal on vinegar! Some people get excited by sales on clothes or TVs. Not me, no, I get excited by sales on vinegar…!
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Hi Wendy, in really enjoying your blog and an now following your on Instagram.
Please could you post a link for your book and also do you make a recipe for laundry washing as an alternative to supermarket powder?
Desperate to help the planet!!
Thank you so much Jemma! This is my book – Fresh Clean Home – and it does have a laundry powder recipe. Enjoy!!
For minimal wastage (= less environmental impact) and convenience (= less storage space), I make white vinegar from acetic acid glacial. 70 ml of acetic acid topped up with water to one litre of water makes standard strength white vinegar
Thanks for the useful tip Charles!
Vinegar has a shelf life of over 18months. So buying in bulk should not be a problem. Even when you have opened the bottle it will still last for over 18 months. Promoting eco cleaning is great. I am going further down that route so please don’t encourage people to throw out their opened bottles after a few months. We make Fruit Vinegars and give the bottles 3 years just to assist retailers in rotating their stock. Our Vintage Vinegars are 14 years old.
What you’re doing & recommending is great. However, please try not to recommend Amazon because, if any of us have concerns for our environment & Ecology, as well as our fellow human beings in society then, please stop using Amazon. They are destroying the planet & small businesses. Their business model is brutal. Please, find it out for yourself as, I do not wish to preach: It is well documented online.
Hello wendy,
I’m wanting to change to natural cleaning products but have not managed to white vinegar as cheap as you have managed. Cheapest is 5 L for £5. I’m just wondering if your original information is a few years old now.
I’m looking forward to reading more of your cleaning advice.
Best wishes,
Pauline
Hi Pauline, demand seems to have pushed prices up!
hi
Cleaning vinegar is so much cheaper in Holland about £1-10 for 5 liters and with a acid value of 9
why is this so?
Sorry David, I’m not sure, but if you find out then do let me know why!
I’m buying white vinegar from vinegarshop.co.uk for 3 years so far they have got very strong 20% vinegar available.I usually dilute it down.
I buy this vinegar for household cleaning purposes.
I pour it into an empty spray bottle and use it to dissolve the limescale around sinks/taps/shower heads- also good on kettles/windows.
I usually spray liberally around affected areas and leaves overnight- brilliant results the following morning.
My partner complains that the house smells a bit like a ‘chippy’- but I would rather use this once in a while than toxic cleaners
Strong, so strong it will make your eyes water – the way vinegar used to be. Think it’s double the “strength” of that found in supermarkets. Great for pickling, cleaning glass and killing weeds!
This is how vinegar used to be! Old pickling recipes require 10% strength, but you can normally only get 5% on Ebay.
This vinegar is very strong 20% with so many uses. It is true. Vinegar has at least 101 uses. From food preparation to cleaning. No home should be without it.
Thank you Heather, I just bought some :)
“Glass Bottle” is a very loose description. Is it the one in the picture? Is there a particular size? I understand that 5l in glass would be prohibitive, but still want to do my bit.
Hi Aeryn, I just decant my vinegar into any glass bottle I have – I often use it neat as a fabric conditioner and also a rinse aid in the dishwasher (although you can add essential oils). I tend to reuse a lot of bottles. If you’re buying vinegar in a glass bottle they are sold in 500 ml sizes.
Hello,
I would like to know if you sell white vinegar in quantities such as 5 gallons, 20 gallons and 55 gallons?
If so, what would be the prices and can you please quote me on any shipping costs at the below mentioned address?
Thank you for your time.
This is really great to know, but in my journey to be more eco-friendly my main focus is not to use more plastic. Any thoughts on where I can purchase in more eco packaging than plastic containers?
I haven’t found anywhere that packages in glass in bulk sizes I’m afraid.
Please note that particular brand of vinegar may no longer be as good as it used to. Lots of reports of watered down (and worse) in recent supplies. Not sure where to go now … anyone else recommend a top quality brand? I’d rather pay more if quality is there.
I hate the thought of a plastic bottle and just wish there were more refill stations for greener cleaning
You can get 20l (plastic bottles) at amazon: https://amzn.to/2LrkHkU
“Glass bottles of white vinegar can be picked up relatively cheaply from the supermarket or corner shop.”
…but Sainsbury’s response to all the recent publicity about the plastics problem is to say “Up yours, eco-people” and replace the glass bottles that their cheap own-label 568ml white vinegar (half the price of Sarson’s) has come in for as long as I can remember with plastic bottles instead.
Oh well, that’s another one added to my “Scum of the earth, not shopping there any more” list.
Does anyone here know where I can buy 10 or 20 litres of white vinegar in a glass bottle? Or be able to get a container refilled? I dont want to have 4 5l plastic containers after I have finished with the vinegar without being able to refill them. Any thoughts or solutions appreciated.
Alex
Did you find anything on this?
A few years ago you could buy 5 litre containers of white vinegar in supermarkets. Now when you ask the response is blank or you are directed to small bottles of malt vinegar. Why? Is this the result of pressure from overpriced branded cleaning products?
I think a combination of branded cleaning products, and fewer people using vinegar around the home. Hopefully more people will start using it but small steps!
Thank you for converting me to white vinegar and my first 5 litre purchase (from a green cleaning ingredients supplier) did not last long! I then decided to buy in bulk from Ebay (20 litres) and must say that it has a very strong odour. It’s used daily in my home-made shower cleaner and, despite increasing the quantity of essential oils, the vinegar odour remains quite overpowering.
Pre-ordered your new book and am very much looking forward to reading it.
Hey Elaine, I had the same problem with my home-made shower spray so I switched to a vinegar free version that is in the book! Vinegar dries without an odour, which is good when you can spray and wipe, but I think when you use it on a wet shower it takes too long to dry and the smell is too over-powering. If you want to keep using vinegar for your shower spray then you could try infusing the vinegar with citrus fruit peelings or herbs or lavender (I grow these in the garden to save buying herbs) – it does help with the odour! There’s more about it here: http://moralfibres.co.uk/infused-vinegar-cleaning/ :)
I use leftover lemon to clean my shower, I literally just take the lemon half after I’ve used it and wipe down the shower to freshen it up.
Good tip! I use mine to clean sinks – sprinkle some salt and scrub away!
I think you’re spot on Wendy with it taking too long to dry so thanks for your infusing tip and link, definitely worth a try.
The post person will be delivering my copy of your book on Wednesday apparently and am very curious to find out about your vinegar-free recipe!
My pleasure Elaine! Ooh, enjoy the book!!
I get my 5 ltrs of white vinegar from my local corner shop. I pop in and ask him to get it and next time he is in the cash and carry he picks some up and then rings me. I get it for just under £4 , not quite as good as yours, but I also want to keep this shop open, so 2 birds with one stone.