How to Clean Every Part of Your Home With Vinegar

By
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette 2018
Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 04/26/23
Reviewed by
Rhea Mehta
Dr. Rhea Mehta, PhD
Reviewed by Rhea Mehta

Rhea Mehta, PhD, is an award-winning toxicologist who has worked to empower people to lead healthier lives, starting in their homes, for over a decade. Rhea holds a PhD in Toxicology, with over 15 scientific publications, and a certificate in integrative health coaching. 

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Vinegar with Cleaning Supplies

Helin Loik-Tomson / Getty Images

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 5 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 5 mins - 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $5-10

Instead of shopping in a store's cleaning products aisle, you can save money and do a great job cleaning your home with just distilled white vinegar or cleaning vinegar. Distilled white vinegar contains around five percent acetic acid and 95% water. Cleaning vinegar contains around six percent acetic acid, making it 20% stronger than white distilled vinegar for tackling cleaning chores.

You may want to buy several bottles because this list shows how you can use vinegar to clean every part of your home.

Before You Begin

Even though vinegar is great for cleaning, there are a few things that should not be cleaned with vinegar:

  • Do not use a vinegar solution if you have a natural stone shower surround or floor, as the acid can etch and permanently damage the stone.
  • Do not use it on marble countertops or unsealed granite.
  • Overuse of vinegar can dull the finish on hardwood floors.
  • Do not spray vinegar on computer screens or any electronic device.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • 1 Spray bottle
  • 2 to 4 Microfiber cloths
  • 1 Nylon-bristled scrub brush

Materials

  • 1 bottle Distilled white vinegar or cleaning vinegar
  • Water
  • 1 box Baking soda
  • 1 bottle Dishwashing liquid

Instructions

How to Clean Your Kitchen With Vinegar

  1. Clear your kitchen drain

    • Pour one quart of boiling water into the drain.
    • Add 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar.
    • Wait until the foaming stops and flush the drain with more hot water.

  2. Clear your microwave

  3. Keep stainless steel appliances streak free

    • Fill a new spray bottle with undiluted distilled white vinegar and label it clearly.
    • Fill a second bottle with plain water and label it, as well.
    • Spray the vinegar on the stainless steel appliance, rub away streaks with a microfiber cloth, rinse with water, and dry well.

  4. Descale your coffee makers

    Use vinegar to descale coffee makers and tea kettles.

  5. Remove stains from silicone bakeware

    • Get rid of stains on silicone bakeware by soaking the pieces in a sink with 50/50 hot water and distilled vinegar, just enough to cover the pieces.
    • Let them soak for an hour in the mixture and then rinse.

  6. Freshen and clean your smell dishwasher

    Just place a small bowl of vinegar on the top rack, run a wash cycle, and sprinkle in some baking soda during the rinse cycle to clean a dishwasher.

How to Clean Your Bathroom With Vinegar

  1. Clean your soap-scum-covered shower curtain.

    To remove soap scum from plastic shower curtains, mix equal parts vinegar and cool water and submerge the vinyl for an overnight soak and then wash as usual.

  2. Unclog your showerhead.

    Fix sputtering showerheads by using vinegar to cut through the mineral deposits that are clogging the water jets.

  3. Make your toilet bowl sparkle

    • Vinegar can help clean your toilet by adding one cup to the bowl and letting it sit overnight.
    • The next morning, sprinkle in some with baking soda, scrub well, and flush.
    • Dampen a microfiber cloth with vinegar to wipe down the seat, lid, and outside of the toilet.

  4. Tackle bathtub grime and soap scrum on showers, sinks, and countertops

    • To remove soap scum and grime from ceramic tile or fiberglass fixtures, fill a spray bottle with two parts distilled white vinegar, one part dishwashing liquid, and two parts water.
    • Spray the dirty surfaces and allow the mixture to work for five minutes before scrubbing with a nylon-bristled brush and wiping clean with a microfiber cloth.

  5. Get rid of water spots on glass shower doors

    • To remove water spots on glass shower doors, pour one cup of distilled white vinegar into a microwaveable bowl and heat for 30 to 45 seconds.
    • Pour the warm vinegar into a spray bottle and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
    • Spray the doors and allow it to work for five minutes before sponging away.
    • Rinse the doors and dry them with a microfiber cloth.

How to Clean Your Flooring With Vinegar

  1. Remove carpet stains

    • Treat carpet stains with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, and two cups of warm water.
    • Apply the solution with a microfiber cloth to the carpet working from the outside edges of the stain toward the center while rubbing gently.
    • Let the solution remain on the carpet for at least 10 minutes.
    • Blot away the solution and the stain with a dry cloth until the stain disappears.

  2. Clean ceramic tile and luxury vinyl plank floors

    • The acid in vinegar will help cut through grease and grime on non-porous floors like ceramic tile and LVP.
    • Mix one cup of distilled white vinegar per gallon of warm water to leave floors clean and shiny.
    • For really dirty floors, add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.

  3. Use as a final rinse on your carpet

    After cleaning your carpet with a rented machine or your carpet cleaner, run a "rinse cycle" using 1/2 cup of vinegar per gallon of water. The vinegar will help lift any soapy residue left in the fibers so the carpet will stay clean longer.

How to Clean Your Laundry With Vinegar

  1. Remove strong orders

    • To get washable clothes smelling fresh, fill the washer with hot water, add 2 cups of distilled white vinegar, and run a complete wash cycle.
    • Run a second complete cycle with detergent added.

  2. Whiten dingy socks

    • The mild acetic acid in vinegar acts as a whitener and brightener for gray, dingy clothes. 
    • To get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again, add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water.
    • Heat to boiling, and add the dingy items. Allow them to soak overnight, and then launder as usual.
    • This method should only be used on 100 percent cotton fabric.

  3. Soften fabrics naturally

    To help remove detergent residue that can leave clothes scratchy, add 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle. If you like a light scent, add a couple of drops of essential oil like lavender to the bottle of vinegar.

How to Make Homemade Air Freshener With Vinegar