A few weeks back, my 10 year old daughter decided it would be a great idea to put up several stickers outside her room door. Surprise, surprise, exactly a week later she decided those stickers looked lame and just had to go.
Unfortunately for me though, she removed the stickers using her nails and left massive glue marks on the doors. In fact, some of the white paper from the stickers were still on the door along with terrible glue stains.
It was such an eyesore and I decided to try and remove the sticker stains myself. What surprised me was absolutely nothing I tried actually worked. I even tried the hair dryer idea that I read online and that did nothing. Using the standard cleaning solutions at home also did not remove any of the glue stains.
That is when someone suggested to me to use white or distilled vinegar from my kitchen for the stains. At first I was a bit afraid of the vinegar spoiling the door paint but using just a bit of it on a cotton and rubbing it on the stains worked like some real magic. All glue stains were out in less than two minutes. I couldn’t believe it and since then, I have been obsessively researching about using vinegar for all stubborn household cleaning jobs.
Why Vinegar Works on Stains?
Vinegar is such an effective cleaning product simply because it is an acid. Of course it is an acid that can be consumed by humans in small quantities and hence not harsh on your house furniture, fixtures or fabric.
According to Scientific American, the acid from vinegar adds a chemical charge to the molecules of a stain that in turn get pulled to the positive and negative charges of water. There are some more scientific reasons for vinegar being so effective on stains which I will not get into complete detail over here. Just know that vinegar’s acidic properties make it one of the best and cheap cleaning products that you will find in your house.
Which Types of Vinegar is Most Effective on Stains?
Even though there are many types of vinegars whose properties are pretty much the same, the best vinegar to use for cleaning purposes is the standard white distilled vinegar.
In some places, it is also known as white synthetic vinegar.
Ideally you should not use other types of vinegar like apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar etc as those could end up causing a different kind of stain and have a distinct smell as well.
How to Use Vinegar for Stain Removal or General Cleaning?
There are two ways you can use vinegar for both stain removal and general cleaning.
1) Put a bit of vinegar directly on a cotton ball and gently rub the area in and around the stain. For glue marks, you may have to apply a bit of pressure.
You can keep pouring the vinegar bit by bit on cotton balls and rubbing the area of the stain till it is completely clean.
Note this technique works best if you are removing stains and not cleaning windows, bathroom tiles etc.
2) The other method is to mix equal parts of vinegar and clean water in any spray bottle you have in the house.
Mix it well and then spray on the area you want to clean. Then take a clean cloth and rub over the area to get a nice smooth spotless finish.
This technique works well with furniture, bathroom tiles, glass windows or any place where you need to clean a larger area.
What Types of Stains Can Be Cleaned by Vinegar?
Ideas for when to use vinegar for your household cleaning jobs.
1) Glue stains from stickers etc.
You can use vinegar directly on those nasty glue stains left over by all kinds of stickers. Vinegar is especially useful when you have stubborn barcodes stuck to brand new plates and other kitchen items.
2) Tea or coffee stains
Tea or coffee stains can be quite a handful even for the best detergents. Vinegar can be used to slowly remove these stains from your clothing, fabric on sofas etc.
3) Stains from car seats
Stains in car seats, especially fabric car seats are a pain. You can spray vinegar and water mixture over your car seats and then after a few minutes scrub the area with a clean cloth to remove any stains in your car.
4) Removing moulds from bathroom tiles
Moulds are a real nightmare for all. I personally have had to deal with this menace in my bathroom. Vinegar really helped in getting rid of moulds from tiles, bathtub and even the sink. Best part about using vinegar is that it reduces the formation of new moulds over time in your bathroom.
5) Window cleaning
If you want a nice spotless shining window, simply spray vinegar and water mixture on the glass and clean normally with a cloth. Vinegar will remove dust, stains, prints etc that glass pick up over time.
6) Sofa cleaning or removing any kind of stains from sofas
Just like you would clean your car seat, you can use vinegar and water mixture to keep your sofas neat and tidy. Spraying vinegar mixture on sofa seats will slowly get stains out of the fabric and give it a spotless look.
7) Removing food stains from clothing
Again, just like tea or coffee stains, you can remove other food stains as well using vinegar from your clothing. The best example that comes to mind is ketchup stains as those used to be all over my daughter’s clothes pretty much on a daily basis.
8) Flooring and Kitchen Sink
Using vinegar and water mixture, you can clean flooring all across your house including the kitchen. Vinegar can be especially used for bathroom and kitchen sinks.
Precautions to take when using vinegar for household cleaning
Overall, vinegar is quite a safe ingredient to use for your household cleaning. Especially white distilled vinegar. Since it is safe for human consumption, it is usually gentle on the objects around your house.
However, considering vinegar is an acid, it is always best to apply a little bit first to check if there is any kind of reaction. If you feel there is discoloration in your fabric or anything else, then you may stop using it.
Also note that vinegar will have its own distinct smell and hence maybe you should not use it if you find the fragrance too strong for you or any household member.
Final Thoughts
For me, discovering vinegar as a cleaning agent has been a real blessing. I have used it for some time now on various objects in my house. From cleaning my daughter’s glue mess to removing moulds from my bathroom tiles.
Best part about vinegar is that most of us would have white vinegar in our kitchen already. So if there was a sudden incident or you have a stubborn stain that just won’t budge, now you know where to turn to any time of the day.