Cleaning With Vinegar: When To Use It And When NOT To

Things you can clean with vinegar include clothes irons, mirrors and glass, and tile floors with sealed grout.

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Cleaning With Vinegar Is A Good Thing… Most Of The Time!

Cleaning with distilled white vinegar makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons, not least of which is that many of us want to avoid exposing ourselves and our families to unnecessarily harsh chemicals from cleaning products. (Accidentally mixing the wrong ingredients can make cleaning especially dangerous!)

Not only is white vinegar a natural and non-toxic antibacterial cleaner, but it’s cheap too—you can get a gallon at most stores for just a few dollars. Plus, cleaning vinegar is highly versatile and can be used on a lot of different surfaces! I often dilute vinegar with water for cleaning tasks all over the house.

But vinegar is not an all-purpose cleaner, and the purpose of this post is to clarify what you should and should not be cleaning with vinegar. I get a lot of questions from readers asking what they can or can’t use cleaning vinegar for, like “Can you use vinegar on wood?”

We’ll start by exploring things you shouldn’t use vinegar to clean and why, along with suggestions of what you could use instead. After that, we’ll go over things you can clean with vinegar (or an abbreviated list, anyway, because an exhaustive list would us take all day!)

Things You SHOULD NEVER Clean With Vinegar

While it’s great for cutting through tough grease, grime, and mineral deposits, distilled vinegar’s acidity can also damage certain surfaces, so it’s important to know what those are. Here are some items and surfaces you never want to clean with vinegar:

Granite, Marble, Or Soapstone Countertops: Using vinegar on natural stones like granite, marble, and soapstone can cause pitting and make them lose their shine. Try my homemade granite cleaner instead.
Kitchen Knives: Avoid cleaning knives with vinegar, as its acidity may cause damage.
Egg-Based Messes: Vinegar can cause the protein in eggs to coagulate into a gluey substance that’s even harder to clean up. Clean up eggs with a damp, soapy washcloth instead.
Clothes Iron: Undiluted vinegar can damage the inner workings of your iron, but a solution of water and vinegar can be used to remove buildup and minerals. (Read my post on how to clean your iron for more info.)
Metal Surfaces: Acidic vinegar can eat through protective layers on metals like aluminum, so avoid letting undiluted vinegar sit for too long on sink faucets, doorknobs, pots, and pans.

Note: Don’t mix vinegar with hydrogen peroxide or put them in the same container. Together, they produce peracetic acid, a corrosive vapor that can irritate the eyes, lungs, and throat.

Clean wood floors and grout with vinegar very cautiously. — As long as you dilute vinegar with water, it is safe for most flooring.

Things You Can CAUTIOUSLY Clean With Vinegar

There are some surfaces you can clean with vinegar, but you should use it sparingly. Porous surfaces like wood, stone, and grout are susceptible to damage from acidic cleaners like vinegar, but it can be used safely by diluting the vinegar with water or other ingredients. For most items, mixing equal parts of vinegar and warm water is generally safe.

These “proceed with caution” items include:

Hardwood floors: You can clean hardwood floors with vinegar as long as it’s properly diluted, but I’d recommend sticking with a cleaning solution that’s formulated for use on hardwood floors instead.
Some wood furniture: Sealed wood can be cleaned with diluted white vinegar, but you should test a hidden spot first. Never use vinegar on raw wood.
Stone floors: Stone floors should not be flooded with any cleaning solution, and some stone can be damaged by acids like distilled vinegar.
Grout: Unsealed grout is porous, which makes it risky to clean with vinegar. If you decide to use a diluted vinegar solution on sealed grout, wipe it up quickly and don’t let it sit and soak in.

Things You SHOULD Clean with Vinegar

While there are a few things you shouldn’t use vinegar on, there are definitely more things that you CAN and SHOULD clean with vinegar. You can save money on store-bought cleaning supplies by using vinegar whenever you can, which will make your other products last longer.

I’ve written about a lot of things you can clean with vinegar over the years, and I’ve listed some of my favorite ones below. Click the links for more details, and happy cleaning! :-)

Dishwasher: Putting a cup of vinegar in the top rack of your dishwasher will help remove hard water buildup and keep your dishwasher performing well.
Washing machine: Putting white distilled vinegar in your washing machine not only helps clear out hard water deposits, bit it can soften your laundry too.
Refrigerator: The disinfectant properties of vinegar make it ideal for cleaning the fridge, and there’s no need to worry about chemical residues near your food!
Stainless steel surfaces: Undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle makes a great cleaner for stainless steel appliances. Just spray it on and wipe with the grain.
Carpet: Pouring white vinegar on pet stains is the first step in my go-to stain removal method for pet stains on carpet.
Toilet bowl: My favorite toilet bowl cleaner contains white vinegar, which helps eliminate mineral deposits and stains that are often to blame for dirty-looking toilets.
Clogged drains: Putting baking soda and undiluted white vinegar down a clogged drain can help clear it out naturally.
Humidifier: Diluted white vinegar helps clean and disinfect your humidifier in one step.
Sticky stuff: If you’re dealing with a sticky mess or adhesive residue, soaking the item in white vinegar will help make it easier to remove.
Windows and mirrors: Combine equal parts white vinegar and water to make a quick and easy DIY glass cleaner!
Shower heads: Pour some white vinegar in a plastic bag, tie it onto your shower head, and leave it overnight to eliminate hard water spots and buildup that can clog up the nozzles.
Toothbrushes and holders: Your toothbrush and toothbrush holder will both benefit from the cleaning and disinfecting power of white vinegar.
Hard water stains: Nothing works better than white vinegar for getting rid of hard water stains on toilets, faucets, dishwashers, etc.
Soap scum: Did I mention that in addition to hard water stains, vinegar (with an assist from a bit of dish soap) can also power through soap scum with ease?
Smelly towels: Adding vinegar to a wash load of smelly towels helps eliminate odors and restore their absorbency.
Mildew and surface mold: Vinegar and tea tree essential oil make a dynamite cleaner for mold and mildew.
Garbage disposals: Freeze vinegar and lemon peels in an ice cube tray, then use them to clean and freshen your garbage disposal.
Coffee makers: Most coffee makers can be cleaned by brewing a solution of water and white vinegar. Brew a few pots of plain water afterward to rinse it.
Suede: Unlike water, white vinegar won’t stain suede, which makes it a great option for cleaning suede shoes, bags, and accessories.
Denim: Prevent dark denim from fading by adding vinegar to your washing machine during the rinse cycle.
Oily skin: White vinegar is one of the star ingredients in my DIY oil-busting facial cleansing pads.
Vinyl car interiors: You can use white vinegar and a few other common ingredients to make a DIY version of Armor All wipes to clean the interior of your car.
Microwaves: Steam clean your microwave by heating a cup of vinegar to eliminate hardened food splatters and bacteria in one fell swoop.
Reusable shopping bags: Keep your reusable shopping bags clean and sanitary with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water.
Yoga mats: You can make an antibacterial cleaning spray for yoga mats using water and vinegar.

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, you don’t have to let that keep you from enjoying the benefits of this low-cost, effective cleaner — learn how to make scented cleaning vinegar!

Cleaning your microwave with vinegar will sanitize it too. — Cleaning with vinegar has the added benefit of sanitizing as well.

BONUS: Does Vinegar Disinfect?

Vinegar is a great choice for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces around your home that are soiled with normal levels of dirt and grime. Vinegar will kill pathogens and certain bacteria, like E.coli, that are commonly found in the home, and is safer than many other cleaning products.

In most cases, a natural antibacterial cleaner like vinegar is enough to sufficiently clean a surface. When you need a deeper clean (like after someone in the house has been sick), a stronger disinfectant can be helpful. Check out my post on the differences between cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing for more information.

What do you clean with vinegar at home?