Never use white vinegar on 3 areas of your home or risk major damage

White vinegar is a versatile product that can be used for a variety of purposes, from aiding in poaching eggs to removing stains from clothes. For generations, white vinegar has been hailed as one of the top natural cleaning products on the market, thanks to its acidic properties that help to cut through grime and neutralise odours.

A quick browse through cleaning hack pages on social media might lead you to believe that white vinegar is the miracle solution for every stain, spot, or smell in your home. However, according to one cleaning expert, this isn't entirely accurate.

In fact, there are three areas of your home that you should never clean with vinegar.

Madame Sweat, a personal and home hygiene expert, shared a video on Instagram where she explained that if you have certain features in your house, you should never consider cleaning them with white vinegar.

She stated: "I'm a personal hygiene expert, but I'm also here to help you with your home hygiene. Here are three places you should never clean with vinegar."

1. Natural stone

If you have natural stone worktops in your kitchen or other stone features like tables and cabinets, you should never clean them with vinegar - even if you dilute it first.

Madame Sweat advised: "Never ever use even diluted vinegar on natural stone. It's too acidic."

Instead, she suggested using washing up liquid diluted with water and a soft cloth, which should be sufficient to clean any spills and marks from your stone surfaces.

2. Hardwood floors

Hardwood floors are a popular style choice in many homes, but using vinegar to clean them could inadvertently damage the finish. Madame Sweat warned that vinegar can "strip the finish" off the floors and potentially result in warped wood, so it's best to avoid this natural solution.

The expert suggested castile soap as the top natural remedy for hardwood floors. This product is an olive oil-based soap originating from the Castile region of Spain.

It can be rather pricey, with a 100ml bottle costing nearly £5 online, and some 5-litre tubs setting you back between £30 and £50.

If using a natural product isn't your cup of tea, employing a specialised wood floor cleaner with a microfibre mop can be a straightforward and effective method to maintain your hardwood floors.

3. Rubber components

Lastly, Madame Sweat cautioned against using white vinegar on rubber. This includes cleaning your dishwasher or washing machine seals with it, despite its reputation for being able to eliminate any mould that might grow in these areas.

She stated: "It can actually wear down the rubber over time and strip them. If you want to use something to deodorise, just use baking soda."

White vinegar is also frequently mentioned for its capacity to neutralise odours in your towels, gym kit, and other clothing. While this does go into the washing machine, ensure to pour it into the detergent slot so that it doesn't come into contact with the rubber seal around the door.

Commenters on the expert's video thanked her for her guidance, as many revealed they had no idea they were potentially damaging parts of their home by making a simple mistake.

One person said: "This is good to know, thank you."

Another added: "Thank you for saying the dishwasher. It's crazy how many people tell you to dump vinegar in your dishwasher all the time, and appliance companies do not agree."