7 Surprising Things You Should Never Clean With Vinegar
Ah, vinegar. Known to many homeowners as the Holy Grail of cleaning. A substance that no mess stands a chance against, a force so strong that it’s seem like the answer to every cleaning conundrum. And while that is true in most cases, and it’s one of our favorite cleaning solutions, in some using vinegar can cause way more damage than good. This multipurpose cleaner is usually eco-friendly, safe, and affordable, however not even those factors are worth ruining some of your most precious surfaces. Here are some things you should never clean with vinegar.
A substance that no mess stands a chance against
Things You Should Never Clean With Vinegar
It’s time to save yourself from some cleaning regrets. Learning what you can’t use vinegar on will help save you some headaches down the line. There are a ton of common surfaces, furniture, and items that can be completely ruined by vinegar. And most of them aren’t really easy to replace. So, let’s take a look what we should keep our cleaning miracle solution from.
It’s time to save yourself from some cleaning regrets
#Wooden Flooring
Your beautiful wooden flooring can get a real beating from vinegar. Many flooring manufacturers warn against using this magical liquid when it comes to cleaning your hardwood floors. Even using diluted vinegar can dissolve the beautiful finish that protects the wood. Consequently, this leaves your floors looking scratched, cloudy, and dull. This is also the case for wooden furniture. It’s best to skip vinegar in general for anything that may have a wax finish. Stick to cleaners and products that are specifically made for wooden flooring or furniture.
Your beautiful wooden flooring can get a real beating from vinegar
#Knives
Your stainless steel knives don’t stand a chance against vinegar. And tools that have exposed edges, such as kitchen knives, are very susceptible to damage. Just like with the wooden flooring, vinegar can also damage the finish on knives. This leaves the edges pitted. You should also avoid using vinegar on copper and aluminum as well, not just stainless steel. Your best option here is to use plain old dishwashing soap and some warm water.
Your stainless steel knives don’t stand a chance against vinegar
#Electronic Screens
Yes, while vinegar diluted with some water can leave windows streak-free. And while you may think this will be the case with your electronic screens as well, that is far from the truth. There is a right way to clean your monitors and screens, but this is not it. Using vinegar on your computer, phone, TV, or tablet screen will damage it’s anti-glare properties and can even make the screen less responsive. This is something you definitely don’t want.
Using vinegar on your screens will damage them
#Marble and Granite Counters
Using vinegar on both marble and granite counters can cause huge problems. This acidic cleaner will ruin the shiny and smooth surface and etch the granite spot. Consequently, leaving a discolored and dull spot. Using dishwashing soap, rubbing alcohol and water is a much better solution when it comes to deep cleaning your counters.
Using vinegar on both marble and granite counters can cause huge problems
#Clothing Iron
Someone got the great idea to fill their clothing iron with some vinegar to clean it out from scale. However, this can irreparably damage it, rather than clean it. While some manufactures share it’s fine to use vinegar to get rid of scale, this doesn’t apply to the majority of irons. So, make sure to always check the manual before testing this, as the acid will damage its metal components. If you want to avoid scale build up in general, try to use only distilled water and empty out the iron after use.
Make sure to always check the manual before testing this method
#Mirrors
This may also seem like an object that would only benefit from vinegar, but that isn’t really true. Vinegar, alongside other types of acid can seep behind the glass of the mirror and ruin the metal beneath, which actually gives the mirror its reflective qualities. Overtime this will leave your mirrors with dark streaks and spots, especially around the edges. This will just make the mirror useless over time. When it comes to cleaning mirrors, it’s best to avoid a lot of moisture and to spray the cleaning solution on the cloth rather than straight on the glass.
Vinegar can seep behind the glass of the mirror and ruin it
#Tiles
When you are rushing to treat a spill on your beautiful ceramic or stone floor tiles, forget about the vinegar and rather reach for some warm water and dish soap. While you won’t notice an immediate change if you clean your tiles with vinegar, you will after a while. On ceramic tiles, the vinegar will eat into the grout, as well as dissolve the finish on the tiles. When it comes to stone floor tiles, the acidity in vinegar leaves etches and dulls the stone. Repairing or replacing your tiles isn’t very affordable, so, it’s best to avoid cleaning tiles with vinegar.
Forget about the vinegar and rather reach for some warm water and dish soap
These were things you should never clean with vinegar. We hope you found this article useful and that we saved some of your items at home from utter destruction!
These were things you should never clean with vinegar
Sources:
- Consumer Reports ©
- Bob Vila ©
- Real Simple ©
- Reader’s Digest ©
- CNET ©
- Tom’s Guide ©
