Marble, Granite, and Other Natural Stone Surfaces The acid in vinegar can cause pitting in natural stone.
The plastic and glass surfaces on most small kitchen appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, and toasters, are safe to clean with vinegar, but you want to avoid any rubber parts or metal that vinegar can corrode. This includes stainless steel.
Surfaces that Should Not Be Cleaned with Vinegar
hardwood floors, wood furniture, and other word surfaces – due to its acidic nature, vinegar can damage hardwood floor finishes, causing them to look dingy. Use either a cleaner specifically made for hardwood floors or a mix of soap and water.
It's also important to mix vinegar with other ingredients carefully. “Never mix vinegar with other cleaning products like bleach or ammonia or those 'blue' window cleaning products [like Windex], because they can create dangerous chlorine gas,” Gayman says.
Vinegar is a solid workhorse when it comes to cleaning. However, it is acidic and can cause damage to some surfaces, including when it's used for cleaning floors. Avoid using vinegar on these 12 surfaces and items in the home.
Vinegar can effectively remove corrosion from many types of metals, including steel and iron. However, it's important to remember that not all metals react equally well with acidic solutions like vinegar; aluminium should be scrubbed with baking soda instead for best results.
Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
Vinegar + Water is the safest combo for cleaning. If you're facing a tough spot while you mop, sprinkle a little bit of dry baking soda onto the area and scrub at it by hand. Undiluted vinegar will have some reactions to the baking soda, though not enough to cause an issue. Never add vinegar to your steam mop.
Conclusion: Vinegar can indeed damage your stainless steel surfaces if precautions aren't taken during its use.
Clean off general surface dirt with vinegar. White vinegar or apple cider vinegar (without the mother) cuts through grime. It's an excellent option to spiff up your vinyl floor without chemicals. Vinegar is also great for removing any floor stickiness.
While vinegar can make for an excellent carpet cleaner, you can't just dump it on and wipe it up like an industrial cleaner. With vinegar, finesse is critical or you may end up damaging your carpet fibers. As with any cleaner, it's important to test the vinegar on a hidden area before using it to clean the carpet.
Important: Vinegar is safe to use on windows and mirrors, but it can damage other materials due to acidity. Never use a vinegar cleaning solution on electronics (including on their glass screens). Don't use vinegar on granite or marble countertops or stone tile; instead, opt for a gentle Castile soap.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”
1. Water + Vinegar. The classic household hero, white vinegar, strikes again. One common ratio is half a cup of white vinegar per gallon of water, though other sources recommend equal parts of each—the decision will hinge on how your specific floor material handles the acid in vinegar.
Your bathroom's or kitchen's tiled floors will love a vinegar wash. Put half a cup of vinegar into one gallon of warm water, and away you go. Swish, swish, swish away all the germs, dirt, and grime. Proper dilution is definitely key here.
“Of course, vinegar does eliminate some things, but it's important to note it's not a complete solution to disinfectant. It is only 90% effective against bacteria and around 80 percent effective against viruses and mold or mildew. Bleach, however, eliminates 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, and mold or mildew.
The set time for vinegar can be up to 30 minutes. For example, to clean the insides of food-stained pots and pans, soak them in a mixture of one-half cup of white vinegar diluted with one gallon of water for 30 minutes.
You can use vinegar in the laundry to eliminate soap residue. This works to keep your darks looking dark, and it's super easy. In the washing machine, add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, and the soap dissolves. When hand-washing, add a few tablespoons to help dissolve soap residue.
Vinegar's hearty acidic properties break down grease and grime, but when you're using it in your dishwasher you've got to be careful. Vinegar's pH measures around 2.0, which isn't too much higher than that of sulfuric acid, which is super corrosive and generally damages practically everything it touches.
It's white vinegar that can help keep everything hygienically clean – the key is to dilute it with water and any other natural extracts or essential oils to add a lovely scent. 'Vinegar is made from acetic acid,' says Lucy Searle, Global Editor in Chief for Homes & Gardens.