Is It Safe To Clean Laminate Floors With Vinegar?

Long-lasting flooring that stands up to the daily wear and tear of the average household is a common goal. As a result, laminate flooring is becoming a popular option for homeowners.

You might feel tempted to reach for chemical cleaners that promise to make your floors look like new. But, cleaning laminate floors with vinegar may be the best option for this type of flooring.

If you have questions such as…

Does vinegar ruin laminate floors?

Or

Can you clean laminate floors with vinegar?

I’m glad you are here… I’ll show you why vinegar is the best cleaner for laminate than any commercial floor cleaners.

By the end of this post, you’ll learn

• The benefits of vinegar as a cleaner.
• The right kind of vinegar to use on laminate floors.
• How to make your own DIY floor cleaner using vinegar and other natural ingredients.
• And the correct way to clean laminate floors with vinegar without damaging the surface.

Sounds interesting? Keep reading…

For those in a hurry.

The quick answer is, vinegar is a natural cleaner that’s free of harsh chemicals.

Vinegar is safe to use on almost any surface in your home, including laminate floors. A simple dilution with warm water makes it suitable for a variety of surfaces.

Why Use Vinegar for Cleaning Laminate Floors?

You might not have realized how useful vinegar is for cleaning. Beyond being a common household ingredient, vinegar works brilliantly on laminate floors.

Being a powerful and natural ingredient, it may even overshadow the cleaning benefits of chemical cleaners.

Here are a few benefits you can expect when you switch to vinegar as your primary cleaner:

Multi-Purpose Cleaning

Vinegar is something you can use to clean almost any surface in your home. Toilets, mirrors, and door handles are a few examples.

By keeping it on hand, you can cut out some other cleaners from your routine.

You can also free up space in your cleaning cabinets.

Lower Cleaning Costs

You can also enjoy spending less on cleaning products.

Vinegar is incredibly affordable, and a gallon jug can go a long way in your home.

Safe For The Family

Vinegar is a natural ingredient that’s safe to use around kids and pets. So, you won’t have to worry about it being on your floor.

Easy To Use

Cleaning laminate floors with vinegar is as simple as diluting vinegar with some warm water and using a microfiber mop to scrub.

Powerful Cleaning

Vinegar has naturally acidic properties. This makes it gentle on your floors but tough on germs, grease, and other contaminants.

Related: Can you use a steam mop to sanitize laminate floors?

The below video stars professional cleaner Rachel Yatuzis. It mentions a few benefits of using vinegar on laminate flooring. The video also discusses how to make a solution that’s right for your floor.

What Kind of Vinegar Do You Use to Clean Laminate Floors?

There are several kinds of vinegar on the market. For cleaning, I recommend either distilled white vinegar or cleaning vinegar.

White or Distilled White Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar, like this one from Heinz, is the technical name for typical household vinegar. You probably have in your pantry! This vinegar comes from fermenting distilled alcohol. It tends to go through a heftier purification process than regular white vinegar.

White vinegar is usually a little more acidic than distilled white vinegar. This gives it a stronger smell and cleaning ability than distilled white vinegar.

Both kinds of vinegar are adequate for cooking and cleaning. But, distilled white vinegar is usually more available and more affordable.

Cleaning Vinegar

Cleaning vinegar, like Heinz cleaning vinegar, is a type of vinegar for cleaning. Some homeowners prefer it over white or distilled vinegar for cleaning. It has a high acid level of about 6%. Regular vinegar is usually about 5% acidic. Some say that cleaning vinegar goes to work a little harder on surfaces they want to clean.

Generally, white or distilled white vinegar works well for everyday cleaning tasks. Cleaning vinegar may be able to tackle tougher messes.

Cleaning vinegar is usually more expensive per ounce, though. This is something to consider when purchasing the right vinegar for your needs.

How to Clean Laminate Floors with Vinegar?

Cleaning laminate floors with vinegar is simple and cost-effective. Use it daily or a few times a week to keep your floors free of grime and everyday buildup.

The following video from professional cleaner Rachel Yatuzis demonstrates how to use vinegar to clean your floors.

Here are a few more tips to help you get the job done:

Diluting Vinegar

You can use full-strength vinegar for some cleaning projects in your home. But it’s best to dilute its natural acidity a bit before using it on your floors. You can always check with your flooring manufacturer to learn if this step is necessary.

There are no perfect measurements of vinegar and water you need to mix together. For simplicity, pour one cup of vinegar into a standard 32-ounce spray bottle. Then, fill the rest of the bottle with warm water. Or, fill a bucket about ¼ of the way with vinegar and the rest with warm water.

For tough messes, you can add a bit of extra vinegar to the solution.

DIY Homemade Cleaner Recipes

Some homemade cleaner recipes include vinegar as a cleaning agent. These DIY cleaner recipes can be excellent options for more natural, affordable floor cleaning:

A simple, easy, and cheap natural cleaner recipe.

Other vinegar based cleaning recipes.

1. DIY laminate floor cleaner with essential oils
2. Laminate floor cleaner with dish soap and rubbing alcohol

Using the Cleaner

Regardless of the DIY cleaner that you choose to use on your laminate floors, you can clean your floors the same way:

1. Mix your ingredients into a bucket if you have a lot of flooring to clean or a spray bottle for spot treatment.
2. Sweep the floors with a vacuum to remove any dust and crumbs.
3. Spray the solution over a section of the floor and use a mop to clean it. Or, dip the mop into the bucket to clean an area of flooring.
4. Keep people and pets away from the cleaned sections for about 15 minutes while the floor dries.

Also Read: How to clean laminate floors without leaving streaks.

Conclusion

Vinegar is a natural ingredient that’s perfect for cleaning several surfaces in your home, including laminate floors. You can get your laminate flooring sparkly clean with vinegar. And, you won’t have to worry about putting chemicals and artificial scents into your home.

We recommend Heinz Distilled White Vinegar for laminate floor cleaning. This is just as good for cleaning as it is cooking, making it an affordable solution to keep in your home.

Do you have any questions or comments about using vinegar to clean laminate floors? Please leave us a comment below.