9 Surprising Things You Should Never Ever Clean Using Vinegar!

Last Updated on January 16, 2020

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Vinegar-based cleaning products (such as cleaning vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar, for example) are a viable option and can be much more affordable than regular cleaning products if you start making your own instead of buying them from the supermarket.

There are dozens of simple homemade cleaners’ recipes that use vinegar as a key ingredient available online, so there is plenty for you to choose from.

Whether you buy a cleaning vinegar package (beware of distilled white vinegar as it contains acetic acid) or you mix the ingredients yourself at home to create an all-natural cleaning product, don’t think that this is some kind of miraculous cleaning solution than can be used in every type of surface and object of your house.

Yes, vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner, but there are some precautions to take and surfaces to avoid when using it. Here’s what you should never ever clean with vinegar!

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1. Screens

Unless you really know what you are doing, you should never use anything other than a dedicated screen cleaning solution or a plain simple microfiber cloth – this last one should always be your first option – on your smartphone screen, computer monitor, and TV.

The vast majority of screens are equipped with a protective coating that makes them (somewhat) water and oil resistant. If you use harsh products (such as rubbing alcohol or household cleaning products in which vinegar cleaning solutions are included), they could wear out this protective coating and even make them more vulnerable to dirtiness and scratches.

However, you can use a very diluted solution of water and white vinegar to get rid of sticky spots on your screens. Just be extremely careful and make sure you use the exact recommended amounts of each ingredient.

2. Waxed furniture

The wax applied to your furniture serves both aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. It gives a shiny finish that is very pleasant to the eye and, at the same time, protects the furniture’s surface from small scratches and stains.

You can probably already tell why vinegar is far from being the best cleaning product to use on your waxed furniture. And yes, you are totally right: the vinegar will erode the wax finish and wash away that glossy look, giving it a dull and washed out appearance and making it more susceptible to scratches.

3. Egg spills

If you ever feel tempted to use the vinegar cleaning solution you have stored under your kitchen countertop to clean the mess you made after dropping an egg, remember this fact: after being mixed with vinegar, the protein enzymes present in the egg spills will quickly coagulate.

This changes its consistency and makes all the mess much harder to clean up, so you might want to use warm water and a tiny bit of soap instead.

4. Hardwood floors

Vinegar can affect your hardwood floor in the same way it affects waxed furniture. Depending on the type of hardwood floor, it may have some kind of protective finish that can wear out after being consecutively cleaned with vinegar over the years. Similarly, using vinegar to clean a stone tile floor is also not a great idea.

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