How to Make Vinegar Cleaning Solution

When mixed at a 1:1 ratio with water, vinegar can become a powerful and eco-friendly cleaning solution that can be used all over your home. With the help of several cleaning experts, we’ll cover how to make your own vinegar cleaning solution, along with how you can start cleaning with vinegar around your home. We’ll also touch on materials and surfaces that shouldn’t be cleaned with vinegar, so you can tidy up safely and efficiently.

How do you make a vinegar cleaning solution?

Mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar cleaner on surfaces in your kitchen, bathroom, and other parts of your home before wiping it away with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Section 1 of 3:

Vinegar Cleaning Solution Recipe

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Mix water and vinegar at a 1:1 ratio in a spray bottle. Grab an empty 16 fl oz (470 mL) glass spray bottle and fill it with 1 c (240 mL) of distilled white vinegar and water each. As a general rule of thumb, stick to a sturdy material like glass rather than plastic when it comes to storing your cleaning mixture.^{[1]
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- Optional: Add 3 drops of tea tree oil and 3 drops of grapefruit essential oil to the vinegar mixture and shake it up really well.^{[2]
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- For a lemon-fresh scent: Rather than using essential oils, make your cleaning solution with lemon rinds. Green cleaning expert Susan Stocker advises “filling a quart-sized glass jar with lemon rinds and covering them with white vinegar. Let the mixture sit for 2 weeks, and then strain the mixture into a glass spray bottle.”
- According to cleaning expert James Sears, you can use apple cider vinegar as the vinegar in the cleaning solution. He notes that you can also fill a spray bottle with ²⁄₃ c (160 mL) of water and ¹⁄₃ c (79 mL) of distilled white vinegar when prepping your cleaning vinegar.
- Tea tree oil is known for its antifungal and disinfectant properties. Other essential oils have notable health benefits: peppermint oil has disinfecting qualities, while lemongrass oil, lemon oil, and orange oil have anti-bacterial benefits.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Clean with Vinegar Solution

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Countertops and kitchen surfaces Spritz your homemade cleaning solution all over the countertop, stovetop, or other dirty surface. Then, wipe the cleaner away with a paper towel or clean rag.^{[4]
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- Warning: Don’t use a vinegar-based cleaner on countertops made of granite, stone, or marble.^{[5]
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Take everything out of your fridge and spritz the shelves and surfaces with your vinegar mixture. Give the solution a few minutes to sit while you clean the removable drawers and trays with warm water and dish soap. Wipe down the vinegar-treated surfaces with a clean rag and let the drawers and shelves dry before putting everything back the way it was before.^{[6]
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Microwave Pour your vinegar mixture into a small bowl until it’s around halfway full. Then, place the bowl in your microwave or conventional oven. Microwave or heat the solution long enough to bring it to a boil (around 4 minutes), letting it cool down a bit before you open the door. Then, wipe down the inner surfaces and turntable to finish cleaning your microwave.^{[7]
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- Alternative: Fill the bowl with water first before stirring in a few large spoonfuls of vinegar.
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Bathroom surfaces Spritz your vinegar cleaning solution on any parts of your bathroom that are looking a little worse for wear, like faucets, handles, toilets, and sinks.^{[8]
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- Don’t use your vinegar mixture on any granite, marble, or stone surfaces.^{[9]
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Spray down your shower walls and doors with your vinegar-water cleaning solution.^{[10]
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Windows Spritz your vinegar-water cleaning solution over your windows and buff it away with a microfiber cloth. If you notice streaks afterward, clean your windows again using a cleaner made with ¹⁄₄ c (59 mL) of vinegar, 2 tsp (9.9 mL) of dish soap, and ¹⁄₂ c (120 mL) of distilled water.^{[11]
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- Prep your vinegar mixture with warm water if you plan on cleaning your windows.
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Carpet stains Spray your vinegar-water mixture over the stain. Then, blot the solution using a paper towel or clean rag to clean away the stain.^{[12]
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- Always use a white vinegar mixture for stain removal to prevent any further discoloration.
Spray down the smelly carpet with your vinegar mixture, and then let it sit indefinitely. Over time, the vinegar will help deodorize your carpet, though you may have to deal with the strong vinegar scent temporarily.^{[13]
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According to brands Acer and Samsung, it’s okay to use a water-vinegar mixture to wipe down and clean stained computer screens. Plain vinegar isn’t a great electronic cleaner, however, and can be especially damaging to touchscreen devices.^{[14]
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Section 3 of 3:

What Not to Clean with Vinegar

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Granite, marble, ceramics, and stone According to Stocker, using vinegar “on marble or stone counters and floors will etch them permanently,” so you definitely don’t want to use it on those surfaces. Vinegar can also make granite look less vibrant, and can degrade ceramic finish and any surrounding grout.^{[15]
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- Look for specialty cleaners labeled as safe for stone, marble, granite, and ceramic surfaces.
“Contrary to popular belief,” Stocker says, “vinegar can be very bad for hardwood floors,” as it can “eat the finish and damage the wood.” Always use a hardwood-safe cleaner when tackling your wood floors (or any other wooden surfaces).^{[16]
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Stick with dish soap and warm water whenever you clean your kitchen knives. Unfortunately, vinegar can degrade the surface and edges of your cutlery, which you definitely don’t want.^{[17]
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Rubber Vinegar breaks down rubber pretty easily, and isn’t a good cleaning option for any items or appliances made with rubber parts, like washing machines. If you’re cleaning something like a blender or coffee machine, only use vinegar to clean the glass/plastic portions—not the rubber components.^{[18]
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Make a Vinegar Cleaning Solution Step 14

Expert Q&A

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Question

What kills the smell of vinegar?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

I'd recommend putting a glass full of coffee grounds on a counter to absorb the smell. The best way is to stop the smell before you use it, though. You can do this by cutting the smell with some lemon or orange added to the vinegar.

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How do you make a cleaning solution with baking soda?

Susan Stocker
Green Cleaning Expert
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Green Cleaning Expert

Expert Answer

I don't really recommend this mix as a cleaning solution. Since vinegar is acidic and baking soda is basic, if you mix them, you'll get water and sodium acetate, which can explode when stored in a bottle. Mixing the two also releases carbon dioxide gas, which can be harmful to you.

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What is the ratio of vinegar to water for cleaning?

Kadi Dulude
House Cleaning Professional
Kadi Dulude is a House Cleaning Professional and the Owner of Wizard of Homes, a New York City-based cleaning company. Kadi has over 10 years of experience and manages a team of over 90 registered cleaning professionals. Her cleaning advice has been featured in Architectural Digest and New York Magazine.

Kadi Dulude

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

To clean floors or other surfaces, you can use 50/50 vinegar and water solution.

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Tips

A vinegar-water mixture may not cut if you’re trying to clean up a greasy mess.^{[19]
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Go to source} Instead, try using 1 c (240 mL) of distilled white vinegar, 1 tbsp (17g) of baking soda, and 1-2 drops of liquid soap to make a natural degreaser.^{[20]
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If you’re dealing with mold spores, cleaning expert Ilya Ornatov recommends “soaking the area in a solution of 2 c (470 mL) vinegar to 1 c (240 mL) water for 30 minutes. Then, wipe clean.”

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Vinegar can also soften clothes naturally, but be mindful of how often you use it in your wash loads. Using vinegar too frequently can damage the rubber components of your washing machine.

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Warnings

If you recently cleaned a surface with bleach, do not clean over it with vinegar. This can create chlorine gas, which is extremely toxic.^{[21]
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