Vinegar Bad For Hardwood Floors

Since vinegar is acidic it can have the negative effect of damaging the finish on your floor leaving floors looking dull or cloudy.

Vinegar bad for hardwood floors.

Just don t use vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors. Vinegar is an acidic substance and over time can eat away or deteriorate the finish on a hardwood floor. Using vinegar to clean hardwood floors is an inexpensive non toxic option for polyurethane finished wood flooring. The same effect is possible when using ammonia abrasive cleaning agents and alkaline based products.

White vinegar is ideal for cleaning wood floors. When cleaning with vinegar the solution created is made up of mostly water. But also like vinegar ammonia is bad news for your hardwood floors. It s like kryptonite for superman.

It s important to remember that when you clean your hardwood floors you aren t actually cleaning the wood you are cleaning the chemical finish on the wood. Remove all the furniture or objects from the floor to create adequate space for effective cleaning. To clean your hardwood floors using vinegar follow these simple steps. In fact vinegar is great for cleaning bathrooms kitchens and other areas in your home.

The main problem is that often people make mistakes by using too much water. Again this is fine for most general cleaning but when cleaning floors excess water should be avoided since it can lead to moisture damage. For hardwood floors water is anathema. You may be inclined to use furniture waxes and oils on the floor to restore the sheen but this not advisable.

Too many people don t really know how to clean wood floors with vinegar properly and that causes damage to wood floors. Vacuuming or sweeping removes all dust particles lint hair and debris that can scratch. Vinegar is acidic and it can strip away all types of finishes on wood floors. If you need to clean your wood floors and don t have either one of these types of vinegar on hand you can use apple cider vinegar as an alternative.

Unlike vinegar however ammonia is a base with a ph around 11 similar to household bleach. You can also buy cleaning vinegar 14. Using vinegar and water as a homemade hardwood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your hardwood floor. Because it s not a neutral ph it can be harsh on the finish causing discoloration over time.

But they do warn against the use of water and vinegar for hardwood floors. When used correctly vinegar breaks down the grime and dirt on your finish and leaves it clean and streak free.