When it comes to quick and easy cleaning hacks, vinegar is nearly always involved in the conversation, and while it is a great product for a number of things, it also isn't the best option for many others and can, in fact, cause damage. The acidity can corrode certain materials and surfaces meaning it can sometimes do more harm than good. When it comes to using vinegar as a cleaning solution there are some things you most definitely will want to avoid. According to consumer giant Which? there are eight things in particular that you should keep the vinegar away from when doing any sort of cleaning.
When it comes to cleaning mirrors, you should avoid using anything acidic, from vinegar to lemon juice. This is because the liquid can trickle behind the thin coating and corrode the silver backing that provides mirrors with its shine.
Whilst vinegar is great for getting rid of limescale in kettles, using it to descale your steam iron is a no no. The vinegar can permanately damage the inside of the iron by chipping away at the protective coating thats inside and erod the plastic, rubber, and metal parts of your iron.
Anyone with stone, granite or marble counterstops using vinager to clean the surfaces should stop right now. It wont cause severe damage however, it can eat away at the surface and over time it can cause it to weaken and lose its shine.
Vinegar should also be avoided when it comes to descaling dishwashers or using it as a rinse aid. What might happen instead is that the acid will tarnis the stainless steal inside your dishwasher. Not only that but it can also corrode the door seal, pump and drain pipe which can even go as far as resulting in leaking in the long run.
The vinegar is also bad for the metal dishware and utentsils in the dishwasher as if vinegar mixes with salty residue durig the cycle it can cause discolouration.
Similar to dishwashers, vinegar should also be avoided when cleaning washing machines as the acid can do serious damage to the plastic and rubber parts potentially leading to leaks.
Electronic screens should not come into contact with cloth that has any sort of vinegar on it and the reasoning is plan and simple. The vinegar can strip off the protective coating from TV screens, tablets, and mobiles which is the last thing anyone would want.
When it comes to flooring, some might use vinegar as their go-to. However, even diluted vinegar can eat away at the floorings finish so it is best to completely avoid it.
Frequent use of vinegar to clean knives can eventually leave them dull and damaged, so although some websites might advise soaking knives in vinegar to get rid of any rusting, it should be avoided.
