Cleaning expert shares 3 areas of your home to never clean with white vinegar
White vinegar is often touted as a natural cleaning product that can tackle any task, but according to a cleaning expert, there are three areas of your home you shouldn't use it on
White vinegar is a versatile product that can be used for everything from helping to poach eggs to removing stains from clothes. For generations, white vinegar has been touted as one of the best natural cleaning products on the market, thanks to its acidic properties that help to cut through grime and neutralise odours.
A quick scroll through cleaning hack pages on social media will have you believing that white vinegar is the miracle cure for every stain, spot, or smell in your home. But according to one cleaning expert, that's not entirely true. In fact, there are three areas of your home that you should never touch with vinegar.
Madame Sweat, a personal and home hygiene expert, shared a video on Instagram in which she explained that if you have certain features in your house, you should never consider cleaning them with white vinegar.
She said: "I'm a personal hygiene expert, but I'm also here to help you with your home hygiene. Here are three places you should never clean with vinegar."
1. Natural stone
If you have natural stone worktops in your kitchen or other stone features like tables and cabinets, you should never clean them with vinegar - even if you dilute it first.
Madame Sweat said: "Never ever use even diluted vinegar on natural stone. It's too acidic."
Instead, she recommended using washing up liquid diluted with water and a soft cloth, which should be enough to clean any spills and marks from your stone surfaces.
2. Hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are a sought-after style choice in many homes, but using vinegar to clean them may unknowingly damage the finish. Madame Sweat claimed that vinegar can "strip the finish" off the floors and could leave you with warped wood, so it's best to steer clear of the natural solution.
The expert recommended castile soap as the best natural remedy for hardwood floors. The product is an olive oil-based soap that originates from the Castile region of Spain. It can be quite expensive, with a 100ml bottle priced at almost £5 online, and some 5-litre tubs setting you back £30 to £50.
If using a natural product isn't your perogative, using a specialised wood floor cleaner with a microfibre mop can be a simple and effective way to take care of your hardwood floors.
3. Rubber components
Lastly, Madame Sweat warned people against using white vinegar on rubber. This includes using it to clean your dishwasher or washing machine seals, although it is often touted as being able to cut through any mould that might grow in the area.
She said: "It can actually wear down the rubber over time and strip them. If you want to use something to deodorise, just use baking soda."
White vinegar is also often talked about for its ability to neutralise odours in your towels, gym gear, and other clothing. While this does go in the washing machine, be sure to pour it into the detergent slot so that it doesn't come into contact with the rubber seal around the door.
Commenters on the expert's video thanked her for her advice, as many said they had no idea they were potentially damaging parts of their home by making a simple mistake.
One person said: "This is good to know, thank you."
Another added: "Thank you for saying the dishwasher. It's crazy how many people tell you to dump vinegar in your dishwasher all the time, and appliance companies do not agree."