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how to clean your house with vinegar
12Feb

A Crash Course In Cleaning With Vinegar

Written by in Cleaning Hacks
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Vinegar is America’s Sweetheart when it comes to natural cleaning products but she has a dark side.  While the list of things you can clean with vinegar is never-ending, you’re probably cleaning with vinegar all wrong.  Discover how to clean with vinegar like a pro once and for all.  

how to clean with vinegar // never clean stone counters with vinegar

1 // Never use vinegar to clean marble, granite, or soapstone surfaces. 

This is because the acid can cause natural stone to pit and lose shine over time.  Basically it’s just a recipe for dullness. If you use vinegar on your stone surfaces, stop now!  

You should also avoid using windex and bleach on your stone counters for this reason as well.  

WHAT YOU SHOULD USE TO CLEAN STONE SURFACES INSTEAD //

Instead, clean marble, granite or soapstone with hot water and dish soap.  For stains, make a paste using baking soda and water. Simple right?  

WANT A 5-STAR CLEANER & POLISH FOR YOUR STONE SURFACES? // Try TriNova Granite Cleaner & Polish 

2 // Avoid cleaning knives with cleaning vinegar. 

Ok so there is a middle ground with this one.  You can clean a rusty knife with vinegar but you can’t let the vinegar sit on the knife for longer than 5-minutes or your knife will be doomed! 

Longer than that, and it’ll start breaking down the iron in the knife.  As an alternative, or after trying with vinegar, you can make a baking soda paste to further remove the rust.  

do not clean egg messes with vinegar

3 // Avoid using cleaning vinegar on any messes that involve eggs

“Cleaning egg messes with vinegar solution is one sure way to make a bad situation worse.  If you’ve ever had to clean up egg, imaging making the whole mess “gluey” – sounds like a nightmare right?  

Instead, go the old fashioned route soap and water.  I once saw a hack about using salt so you may want to try that out – or just make it your life’s mission to never ever spill an egg!  

never use cleaning vinegar on wood furniture

4 // Cleaning vinegar should never be used on solid wood furniture.

Because it can ruin the finish point-blank.  It will literally strip the wax right off – not immediately but over time.   

INSTEAD OF USING VINEGAR TO CLEAN YOUR FURNITURE, TRY THIS INSTEAD //

If you want to wet clean your furniture, use a damp towel and a gentle all-purpose cleaner.  I like to follow behind with a dry microfiber towel to buff the surface dry for an epic shine. 

My Two Favorite Products To Clean Wood Furniture // Better Life Wood Polish + Method All-Purpose Cleaner 

5 // Cleaning vinegar should never ever be used on hardwood floors. 

 As a cleaning business owner, I cannot tell you the number of people that have specifically requested we use vinegar and water on their floors – my heart breaks inside each time.  

Vinegar is acetic.   It is an acid. It breaks down finishes.  If I want to remove a polish or finish from a floor, I may use an acetic product, like vinegar.  

MY RECOMMENDATION FOR CLEANING YOUR FLOORS // 

Spot clean your hardwood floors daily.  That’s you first line of defense. When it’s time to wash them or mop, you can use almost any all-purpose cleaner or hardwood floor cleaner.   The best one to use is simply the one you like.   

The difference between shiny and streaky floors is a mop that’t too wet so just remember you only need a damp mop.  

My Go-To Hardwood Floor Cleaning Products // Method Squirt + Mop + Professional Microfiber Flat Mop

6 // Don’t bother mixing cleaning vinegar with baking soda. 

The fizz you see when you mix vinegar with baking soda is exciting & entertaining- but that’s about it.  Once you mix the two ingredients, they react wildly, you see the fizz, but there isn’t anything else that happens after that.  

When combined, you don’t create a more powerful cleaning solution.  As a matter of fact, all you have is saltwater which isn’t a very effective cleaning solution at all. 

HERE’S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD //

Since both, baking soda and vinegar are amazing cleaners – separately – you can still use them to tackle the same mess, but instead of combining them…

Clean with baking soda, then rinse with vinegar. 

Clean with vinegar and then..there’s probably no need for baking soda. 

When doing laundry, you can use baking soda and a little bit of vinegar.  Do this if you have hard water. To learn more about this you can visit our friends at Little House In The Suburbs. 

7 // When In Doubt, Dilute

After all that, I have to say there are very few things that vinegar will just destroy the minute it comes into contact with it! What a relief right?

Whenever you are cleaning something with vinegar, just remember, you never want to go full-strength! And if you’re following a recipe for a vinegar-based cleaner, always air on the side of caution and dilute.

If you must use vinegar to clean, remember just a little drop of vinegar won’t hurt nobody! *lol

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