The Best DIY Vinegar Cleaning Solutions To Tackle Every Mess In Your Home

Vinegar is a popular solution for cooking and cleaning ventures. In addition to being a major ingredient in recipes, you can use it as a natural and non-toxic approach to common household messes. It's mildly acidic and mixes well with other solutions, making it the key figure in many DIY cleaning recipes, and you can tackle various issues in your home using vinegar on its own, or paired with other ingredients.

Below are nine vinegar-based cleaning solutions usable on various fixtures and surfaces around your home. Vinegar's cleaning power lies in its acetic acid content, which can react with things like rust, tarnish, and limescale, helping to lift these unsightly deposits. You can also team it up with abrasive ingredients to further enhance its cleaning power. In addition to helping dissolve things like hard water deposits, vinegar's acetic acid has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. This gives it additional sanitizing benefits on top of its ability to cut through certain types of buildup. Read on to learn how vinegar works alongside other compounds and ingredients to clean rooms and objects throughout your home.

Wooden furniture is not something you should be using harsh cleaners on, and it can also be prone to mildew. Whether you've hauled a bookshelf back from an estate sale, only to realize the sides are dotted with mildew, brought something up from the basement, or moved a dresser and found the back sporting a thin gray layer of mold — vinegar can help. Vinegar is less harsh on surfaces than bleach, making it an ideal cleaning agent to use on wooden furniture. The Mississippi State University reports that vinegar, thanks to the acetic acid it contains, can kill up to 82% of mold species. While some mold species can survive in low pH conditions, the majority thrive best in a pH range of 5-6. Distilled vinegar has a pH of roughly 2-3. 

While you can apply vinegar on its own, you also have the option to combine it with a carrier oil. Vegetable oils can condition and add shine to the wood, and they might also help to guard against further mold growth. A 2022 study in the International Journal of Biomaterials showed that olive oil, linseed oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil were all able to materially reduce the amount of mold growth on cedar wood, thanks to their hydrophobic (water-repelling) effects. We would recommend linseed oil or tung oil (which is also renowned for being effective at resisting mold) as they are less likely to go rancid. You can get half a quart of Hope's 100% Pure Tung Oil from Amazon for under $18, and a quart of Sunnyside Corporation Boiled Linseed Oil for under $13.

Start by mixing a 50/50 solution of white distilled vinegar with water. Moisten some kitchen towel or a rag in this and run it over the item to remove the mildew layer. Then, combine equal parts vinegar and either tung oil or linseed oil and apply with a soft cloth. Finally, take a clean cloth and wipe away any excess or further loosened mold spores. While straight vinegar is more effective on mold, vinegar also has the potential to etch and dull wood finishes over time. Because of this, we would not recommend using this recipe as part of routine furniture cleaning.

Various appliances and tools around our homes are made of metal. Even though many of these household items have corrosion-resistant finishes, they can still develop a rusty oxidized top layer over time. The oxidation is caused by oxygen and moisture in the air, and is unavoidable. Fortunately, you can remove surface-level rust from steel using white distilled vinegar. The acetic acid in distilled vinegar causes a neutralizing reaction to occur with the oxidized layer, producing iron acetate and water. This dissolves the rust and lifts it from the surface of the metal.

Removing rust with vinegar is easy, but can take a while. For example, if you have a pair of badly rusted pliers, you'll probably have to soak them in vinegar for up to 24 hours. By then, most of the buildup should be dissolved off the metal. After this you can use a microfiber cloth and hard-bristled brush to flake off any remaining oxidized layers, and restore the tool to working condition. In short, the vinegar soak takes a while to permeate the buildup, and this trick is more practical for smaller items you can fully soak in vinegar. However, there are some hacks for tackling rust around your home and garden with vinegar that can allow you to use it on larger items. For instance, you can soak rags in vinegar and wrap these around, say, a rusted shovel or a wrought iron chair leg. Once you have soaked the rusty item, tool fundis and hobbyist metal workers often advise neutralizing the pH by then rinsing it with a solution of water and baking soda. Simply combine one cup of baking soda with about a gallon of water (or a similar ratio) and submerge your item in it. By doing this, you will neutralize any remaining acidic film that could trigger flash rusting.

Be wary of soaking items with mixed materials. Vinegar's acidic qualities can degrade low-grade stainless steel and break down rubber. It's common for metal tools to have rubber handles, and many appliances are made of stainless steel. Bearing this in mind, ensure you know what type of materials you're working with before attempting to dissolve tarnish or rust with vinegar. Also, vinegar can slowly eat away at metal given enough time, so do not leave small or precious items soaking for an extended time period. 

Ants are drawn to homes even when they're kept spotless, with these little insects seeking out more than just food — they make their way inside in search of moisture and shelter too. Once inside, they leave invisible pheromone trails for the rest of their colony to follow. Most people don't like using chemical-laden pesticides in their homes, and vinegar is a non-toxic kitchen ingredient that will make ants a thing of the past. Most distilled white vinegar solutions are around 5% acetic acid, which is 3% below the EPA's definition of a pesticide. It won't kill ants like stronger pesticides and poisons do, but vinegar will disrupt these pheromone trails, thereby confusing them and helping to stop those persistent "ant highways".

Mix an equal amount of vinegar and water and wet a rag or paper towel with it. Wipe down surfaces with ants to disrupt the trails and deter them. Keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution to slow down a colony. If you want them gone permanently, you'll need to seal gaps in your home or take other actions to attack the colony directly.

The majority of United States water is classified as "hard," making hard water a common household problem. Hard water causes scaling on bathtubs, sinks, and shower faucets. The scaling is a buildup of calcium and magnesium, which, in the presence of bicarbonates (negatively charged ions) in the water, form calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, commonly known as hard water scale or limescale. While this scale is pretty much impossible to get rid of with soap, because it is alkaline, it can be effectively removed with acids, like the acetic acid found in vinegar.

There are multiple ways to use vinegar on a mineral-encrusted faucet. You could put regular distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it over hard water deposits. Let it sit for up to 15 minutes before wiping away. More stubborn hard water stains need a stronger approach. Completely soak a rag in distilled white vinegar and drape it around a scaly faucet or spout. Let it sit for up to an hour before removing the rag and wiping off the excess vinegar and softened mineral buildup with a clean rag or sponge. If you do want to try a scouring pad, use an old one that's already worn down, so it's less abrasive and doesn't scratch the surface.

Keep in mind that limescale will be a recurring issue until you fix the source of this problem and soften hard water. If you own your home and recognize any signs your home would benefit from a water softener, it might be a good long-term investment. It'll filter minerals from your water and slow limescale buildup, reducing how often you need to make vinegar soaks for plumbing fixtures.

Decals and stickers are found everywhere. Good quality adhesive is tricky to remove, whether it's a semi-permanent decal or a temporary furniture price tag. Fortunately, vinegar's acidic qualities break down adhesive sticker residue, sometimes without any other ingredients. 

Soak a rag or sponge in vinegar and press it onto the adhesive you wish to remove, or fully soak the stickered object in a tub full of vinegar. The longer you let it soak, the easier the adhesive will come off. If the decal is resilient even with acetic acid exposure, add hot, soapy water to the mix by combining vinegar with hot water and some dish soap. The only caveat is that vinegar may not be good for the material beneath the adhesive sticker. It's one of the various smart ways to remove sticker residue from clothing made of cotton, linen, polyester, and microfiber fabrics, but be careful using it on sensitive fabrics such as silk or rayon. Avoid using this hack on natural stone countertops, electronics screens, hardwoods, and some aluminum and cast iron materials. Vinegar can be made safe for some of these surfaces, but not in an undiluted form. As always, test a small and inconspicuous spot before you begin to ensure the vinegar doesn't cause any major discoloration or damage.

If your drain is clogged and you haven't poured other harsh chemicals down your pipes yet, try a natural remedy first. When you combine vinegar and baking soda, a chemical reaction occurs that helps to physically dislodge buildup and clogs. These two household staples won't "eat" away the clog like a chemical drain cleaner might, but they also won't corrode your pipes (which can be a possibility with frequent use of drain cleaners), so it's worth trying this trick. Vinegar's low pH can help to break down soap scum and hard water minerals, but it won't do much against food particles, hair, and grease. However, when baking soda (which has a high pH) is added to the mix, it causes a double displacement reaction, forming carbon dioxide gas that vigorously fizzes and bubbles, and this action can help shift drain clogs.

Don't mix baking soda and vinegar ahead of time, since the chemical reaction must occur inside the clogged pipe. Pour a ½ cup or so of baking soda down the drain and add an equal amount of white distilled vinegar afterward. Cover the drain to keep the bubbling contained, and give it a few minutes to loosen the clog. Boil a kettle of water while you wait. Once boiling, pour the hot water down the drain to flush the pipes. You may have to repeat the process couple of times to clear the clog. 

Do not try cleaning methods using other chemicals after you've already attempted using vinegar. Many chemical clog removers contain bleach, which cannot be mixed with vinegar. Accidentally mixing the two could form chlorine gas, which poses a serious risk to you and your household. If the clog simply won't budge, another chemical-free option is to use a drain snake (like MUSMU's Drain Auger Clog Remover Cleaning Tool) to help clear the drain. If this doesn't do the trick, it might be time to call in a professional. 

Have you ever purchased a shiny new stainless steel pot or pan, only to see its surface discolor after being exposed to heat? Known as rainbow stains or heat tint, this discoloration is caused by the chromium content of the metal reacting with oxygen in the air while under high heat, creating an oxidized layer that either looks dark, or reflects light to create mildly rainbow-like colors. Fortunately, vinegar can effectively reverse this unwanted phenomenon, sometimes within minutes. The science behind this hack is similar to how vinegar can dissolve rust. Acetic acid is corrosive and can eat away at metal oxides via a neutralizing reaction that produces salts and water. 

If you're treating the inside of a pot or pan, simply run a little water into it, add the vinegar, and swirl it around. To treat heat tint on the exterior of cookware, you may need to fill a basin with vinegar and water. While this trick can work its magic within minutes, more stubborn layers of oxide that have been "cooked on" over an extended period may need longer contact times with the vinegar. However, before you submerge your prized stainless steel pan in vinegar and head to bed so it can soak overnight be warned that high concentrations of vinegar can etch stainless steel given enough time (one of our editors found this out the hard way after leaving a stainless steel pot sitting in pure vinegar overnight). So, play things safe and try this trick out in the day, so you can monitor the progress on longer soaks, and dilute your vinegar with some water. 

Bathrooms are highly prone to mold and mildew due to the higher levels of moisture and humidity, and the EPA advises against the routine use of bleach for household mold. Fortunately, distilled vinegar is a non-toxic way to keep your bathroom fixtures, floors, shower, and tiles mold- and mildew-free. As mentioned earlier, according to Mississippi State University, vinegar is capable of killing a wide variety of mold species. The acetic acid in distilled vinegar works as a disinfectant, and a 2015 study found that vinegar with at least 4% acetic acid is most effective on certain fungal growths. Based on those reports, undiluted distilled vinegar works as a mild mold treatment. Most white distilled vinegar contains around 5% acetic acid, making it reliably effective as long as you don't mix it with water. Water dilutes the vinegar and its acetic acid content, diminishing its effect on mold.

Put undiluted distilled vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the affected areas, letting it sit for about an hour. The spray should deter mold that isn't present yet. If there's already mold growth, scrub it away using a nylon scrub sponge like PANYEE's All-Purpose Scouring Pad. Feel free to spray the same place every few days to help control the growth. It may be tempting to dowse your entire mold problem in vinegar, but be careful not to use it on materials that are easily damaged by mild acids.

If you're tackling mold on tiles and hard surfaces, regular applications of vinegar should allow you to control the problem. However, mold that has developed in porous materials like drywall is a more serious problem. While vinegar can sometimes penetrate these surfaces, if the mold is widespread or simply keeps coming back, these are signs that it's time to hire a professional to get rid of your mold problem.