Things You Should NOT Clean with Vinegar

Vinegar is a favorite cleaning ingredient, for several reasons! First, it’s natural and non-toxic. You don’t have to worry about strange cleaning chemicals when using vinegar to clean your house! Second, it’s incredibly cheap to buy. You can get a gallon of vinegar at most stores for just a few dollars. And third, it’s really versatile! You can use it to clean all kinds of things.

Vinegar makes a great cleaner because it’s acidic, which helps it to cut through tough grease, grime, and mineral deposits. But vinegar’s acidity can also damage certain surfaces, so it’s important to know which ones to avoid. Here’s a list of items to avoid when cleaning with vinegar, as well as details on what kinds of cleaners you can use instead!

Avoid Cleaning with Vinegar

Granite, marble, and soapstone countertops. Acids don’t mix with natural stones like granite, marble and soapstone. It can cause pitting and make them lose their shine.

Egg-based messes. Vinegar will cause the proteins in the egg to coagulate, creating a gluey substance that is even more impossible to clean up. Use this instead: A damp, soapy washcloth

Clothes iron. Vinegar can actually damage the inner workings of your iron.

Solid wood furniture. It isn’t a good idea to clean wood with pure, undiluted vinegar. In addition to leaving water marks, the acid in the vinegar could “eat” certain kinds of finishes. (However, for polishing wood, a homemade treatment of half olive oil and half white vinegar can buff up stained and oiled wood finishes nicely.)

Use Vinegar Sparingly or in Small Amounts

There are some surfaces you can clean with vinegar, but only sparingly or in small amounts. Porous surfaces like wood, stone, and grout are susceptible to damage from acidic cleaners like vinegar. However, this effect is mitigated if the vinegar is heavily diluted with water or other cleaning ingredients. So use your best judgment when using vinegar to clean the following items…

Hardwood floors
Stone floors
Grout