9 surfaces you should never clean with vinegar

9 surfaces you should never clean with vinegar

Vinegar is a powerhouse when it comes to cleaning.

The pantry staple is cheap and free of nasty chemicals making it a fantastic option for all sorts of cleaning tasks.

It's particularly good when it comes to removing mould and mildew in the home, which is a problem a lot of Aussies are dealing with right now after months of heavy rain.

But before you reach for vinegar to tackle mould or any other chore on your list, be warned the product isn't safe to use on everything. In fact there are some surfaces that vinegar can actually damage.

To help you avoid costly and irreversible mistakes, here are nine surfaces you should avoid using vinegar on:

Screens

Tech devices often come with a protective coating to help protect them from scratches and cracks. Cleaning your phone, tablet and computer screens with vinegar will ruin this protective coating, so stick with a microfibre cloth instead.

According to professional organiser and TikToker Caroline Solomon, vinegar can also destroy the anti-glare coating on your TV. Watch the TikTok video above for more details.

Hardwood floors

Sadly vinegar isn't a great option for mopping your wood floorboards with because the acidic nature of the substance will damage the finish on the floor overtime.

Waxed furniture

Just like hardwood floors, waxed furniture shouldn't be cleaned with vinegar because it can eat away at the wax. This will leave your wood furniture looking dull.

Stone benches and floors

Granite and marble benchtops look stunning and can be expensive, so the last thing you want to do is use something that will deteriorate the finish and that's what vinegar will do.

Unsealed or damaged grout

Vinegar is a popular choice for cleaning the bathroom and often features in DIY sprays. But if the grout between your tiles hasn't been sealed or has cracks and chips, vinegar will wear away the grout.

Cast iron cookware

If your cast iron pans have baked on grease or grime, vinegar shouldn't be your go-to option for cleaning them. "Vinegar causes rusting and removes the seasoning on the surface," Caroline explained in her TikTok video.

Knives

Warm water and soap is the best way to clean knives because vinegar can corrode the metal and dull the blade.

Irons

Vinegar isn't just detrimental to the coating on your iron, using it can effect the metal parts inside. This is regardless of whether you wipe the outside with it or pour it through the water chamber.

Egg mess

If you've dropped an egg on the bench or floor you might want to stick with a wet cloth or paper towel to clean it up. That's because vinegar makes egg coagulate so you'll just be making the mess harder to clean and yuckier to deal with.