10 Surprising Things You Shouldn’t Clean with Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is a highly versatile cleaning agent, effective for tasks like washing windows and removing salt stains from shoes. However, its multipurpose nature doesn’t mean it's safe for every surface. Some household items and materials can be harmed by vinegar, which can also react dangerously when combined with chlorine bleach. Although vinegar is budget-friendly and nontoxic, it’s important to know when to avoid using it to prevent damage.

1. Anything That Contains Chlorine Bleach

When chlorine bleach is mixed with vinegar, it results in a chemical reaction that creates toxic chlorine gas. While this rule is a bit of an outlier, it is the most important one—which is why we're putting it first.

2. Marble, Granite, and Other Natural Stone Surfaces

Avoid using white vinegar for cleaning marble, granite, and other natural stones, like slate. This includes countertops, floors, and shower walls with stone finishes, and household goods like tabletops or serving pieces. The acid in vinegar can cause pitting in natural stone.

3. Grout

Unsealed or damaged grout should not be cleaned with vinegar, which can etch or wear grout away over time, causing it to deteriorate. Sealed grout can be cleaned with vinegar, but it's best to avoid it in favor of non-acidic cleaners to avoid weakening it. 

4. Stainless Steel

When it comes to cleaning stainless steel knives, cookware, and household appliances, it's best to skip vinegar in favor of a non-acidic cleaner. Prolonged exposure to the acids in vinegar can cause pitting on stainless steel.

5. Waxed or Unfinished Wood

Cleaning waxed or unfinished wood with full-strength cleaning vinegar can cause discoloration and should be avoided. Instead, use diluted vinegar, or opt for a non-acidic cleaning agent that is safe to use on wood. 

6. Cast Iron

Avoid using white vinegar for cleaning cast iron because it can eat away at the protective layer of seasoning that gives cast iron cookware its non-stick surface. With prolonged exposure, distilled white vinegar can cause pitting in the cast iron itself.

7. Electronics

The screens on televisions, mobile phones, computer monitors, and other electronics should never be cleaned with vinegar or with household cleaning products that contain vinegar, as it will damage the anti-glare coating. 

8. Rubber Gaskets and Hoses

Prolonged or repeated exposure to vinegar can cause rubber parts like gaskets and hoses to disintegrate. Check the manufacturer's instructions before cleaning household appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, or dishwashers with vinegar to be sure that the type of rubber used in those machines can be safely exposed to vinegar.

9. Clothes Iron

A clothes iron is another example of a household item that may or may not be safe to clean with vinegar, depending on its fabrication. Before using vinegar to descale an iron, check the user's manual to be sure it will not cause irreparable damage to the metal components.

10. Pet Messes

Vinegar is not ideal for cleaning up pet messes, especially on soft surfaces like carpeting, upholstered furniture, or mattresses. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the use of vinegar on pet messes is not recommended because "strong chemical odors may encourage your pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that area." Instead, use an enzyme-based cleaning agent to address pet messes.