What can I clean with white vinegar, and what should I never use it on?

Vinegar is about five per cent acetic acid, which makes it a mild descaler. That single property explains everything it is good at. It has become a general household cleaner in popular usage, which is where the problems start: it is poor at grease, it is not a reliable disinfectant, and on calcium-based stone it causes permanent damage in seconds.

Safety

What you'll need

• White vinegar
• A spray bottle
• Cloths
• Bicarbonate of soda, used separately (optional)

Step by step

1. Use it on limescale and hard water marks.Kettles, shower heads, taps, glass shower screens, the inside of a dishwasher. This is what it is genuinely best at and it is cheaper than any proprietary descaler.
2. Dilute it about half and half for general use.Neat vinegar is not much more effective for most jobs and increases the risk to surfaces. Half and half in a spray bottle covers most tasks.
3. Use it on glass and mirrors.Diluted, applied with a microfibre cloth and buffed dry. It cuts through the film left by other cleaners, which is what causes streaks.
4. Use it in the washing machine rinse.About 60ml in the conditioner drawer removes detergent residue, softens water and reduces static without coating the fibres.
5. Never let it touch natural stone.Marble, limestone, travertine and many granite worktops are calcium-based or have calcium in them. Acid dissolves the polished surface within seconds and the etch is permanent.
6. Keep it off grout and old sealant.Cement grout is alkaline and vinegar erodes it, particularly if it is unsealed or already crumbling.
7. Keep it away from metal that corrodes.Cast iron rusts, aluminium pits and dulls, and it can damage the rubber seals in some appliances if used repeatedly at full strength.
8. Do not rely on it as a disinfectant.It has some effect on some organisms but it is not tested or approved as a disinfectant. For anything that matters — after illness, raw meat, a pet accident — use a proper disinfectant.
9. Do not expect it to cut grease.Grease needs an alkaline degreaser. Vinegar is an acid, so it does the opposite. Washing-up liquid is the correct tool for anything oily.
10. Never combine it with bleach.Vinegar plus any bleach-containing product releases chlorine gas immediately. This includes mould sprays and many bathroom cleaners.

Tips

• Warming vinegar makes it descale considerably faster. Warm, not boiling, and ventilate — the smell is strong.
• The smell disappears completely as it dries. If a room still smells of vinegar an hour later, too much was used or it has not been rinsed.
• Combining vinegar and bicarbonate of soda produces a satisfying fizz and salty water. Use them in separate steps, never together, if you want either to actually work.

Common mistakes

• Using it on a marble or limestone surface — The acid dissolves the calcium carbonate in the stone. It leaves a dull etched patch within seconds that cannot be cleaned off and needs professional repolishing.
• Treating it as a general disinfectant — It is not approved or tested as one, and using it where disinfection genuinely matters — after illness or raw meat — gives false confidence with no protection.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask