No doubt, trying to get rid of certain stains, debris, and dirt buildups at home can be extremely hard. And no matter how much you try to clean, dirt and germs still find their way into your house, and there is nothing you can do to stop that.
Especially if you have toddlers or pets in your home.
So, you might have asked yourself a couple of times while cleaning if you can add vinegar to your steam mop to get rid of resistant stains.
Or have you not?
Well, the good news is:
You are not alone. Several people have asked this same question, and the answer is yes.
Vinegar is a natural and environmental-friendly cleaning agent suitable for removing stains, grease, grime, and dirt. Besides cleaning, it is also an excellent sanitizing agent for eliminating germs.
That's not all.
It is cheap and can be easily prepared at home for use on almost all surfaces. So, you can add a vinegar solution to your shark steam mop to clean your carpets and vinyl, tiled, or linoleum floors.
However, there is a limitation to this:
Vinegar is not suitable for cleaning hardwood floors, except the floors are sealed. This is because it can destroy the chemical finish on the floors. The chemical finish is the upper layer of a hardwood floor. It helps to retain the gloss and protect the wood from damage.
If you clean a hardwood floor with a vinegar solution, vinegar, being acidic, can react with the finish and damage the surface. This will cause the wood to decay, lose its luster, swell, and eventually get destroyed.
So, to avoid this, you should stick to using a non-acidic solution to clean your hardwood floors.
But, if you wish to clean your hardwood floor with a vinegar solution, you have to seal the floor first. Then, the floor can be safe for cleaning. You can use waxes and resins as sealants.
Step By Step Guide
How To Clean Tiled Floors Using Vinegar:
- Prepare the vinegar solution.
- Sweep the floor or use a vacuum cleaner to remove the debris and dust.
- Add the vinegar solution to your shark steam mop and start cleaning the floor.
- Leave the floor to air dry or dry with a clean towel.
How To Clean Carpets Using Vinegar:
- Prepare the vinegar solution.
- Dissolve a small amount of bicarbonate soda in the vinegar solution and add to your shark steam mop.
- Clean your carpet thoroughly.
How To Clean Vinyl Floors Using Vinegar:
- Prepare the vinegar solution and add to the steam mop.
- Sweep the floor or use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dirt and debris.
- Clean with your shark steam mop.
What Concentration Of Vinegar Should You Use?
Are you confused about how much vinegar you should add to your steam mop? Or how to prepare the vinegar solution? Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Mix 2 cups of alcohol, 2 cups of vinegar (white or apple cider), and 2 cups of water in a bowl.
- Add three drops of your dishwashing soap to the above mixture.
- Combine the vinegar mix well and pour into the water tank in your steam mop.
- Start cleaning the surfaces using your shark steam mop.
While preparing the vinegar mixture, be careful not to use a high concentration of vinegar that can damage your steam mop. Vinegar is an acidic solution and can damage your steam mop if it is not properly diluted.
Why Should You Consider Vinegar as A Cleaning Agent?
Vinegar is a mildly acidic solution - containing about 4 to 7% of acetic acid. Acetic acid, also called ethanoic acid, is a common ingredient in household cleaning agents. It can be included in the form of vinegar or as an ingredient itself. Apart from water, acetic acid is a principal constituent of vinegar. It is responsible for its acidity, sour taste, and pungent smell.
Why does this matter?
The acidic nature of vinegar makes it a potent cleansing agent. It can remove tough stains, grease, and dirt that other cleaning agents can't eliminate. In addition, it is effective in cleaning floors and removing resistant stains.
Not only that, it can be used to clean toilets, bathtubs, kitchen countertops, showers, and appliances like microwaves, dishwashers.
It is also a good disinfectant. Its acidic content makes it helpful in sanitizing surfaces and destroying germs and microbes like E. coli bacteria and salmonella.
Vinegar is a good deodorant as well. It helps to remove foul odors from floors and surfaces. If you are not comfortable with its smell, you can add citrus peels or essential oils like lavender oil, peppermint oil to the vinegar solution. Or, you can open the windows and doors to let natural air into the house.
And the best part of this?
Vinegar is cheap and non-toxic. Despite it being a versatile cleaner, vinegar is affordable compared to other household cleaning agents. It is also harmless and environmentally friendly. So you can use it without any fear of environmental hazards.
Conclusion:
You don't need to break a bank to get your home clean and disinfected. Vinegar is an excellent alternative to expensive, harsh, and non-eco-friendly bleaches and chemicals. In addition, it has been proven to effectively eliminate persistent stains, dirt buildups, and odors from different surfaces.
Its acidity also makes it effective in destroying germs and sterilizing surfaces. However, it is not a certified disinfectant as it is not 100% effective against all germs. Still, it can disinfect your house to a certain extent.
You can also increase its abrasiveness against surfaces by mixing it with baking soda or salt. This mixture will create a more effective cleaner and stain remover.
The use of vinegar at home is endless. From sprinkling on salads and dishes or using it as a marinade for meats and fishes, cleaning surfaces and floors, and even laundry, its functions cannot be overemphasized.
