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Can You Put Vinegar in a Steam Mop? Answered

Steam mops are amazing for cleaning, polishing, and sanitizing large surface areas. Steam mops usually work on water. This means that you need nothing else except water to be able to produce steam which will be enough for cleaning your floor.

You’ve heard that vinegar helps in cleaning, especially with stubborn stains, and you wonder if you could use it as an addition to the water in your steam mop. So, can you put vinegar in a steam mop? Read on to find out.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam mops are perfectly fine to be used with just heated-up water, however, if you want to remove any deep stains onto your floor or large surface don’t be afraid to use vinegar.
  • Vinegar is completely safe to use for cleaning inside a steam mop.
  • When you’re already planning to use vinegar make sure to use distilled white vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar or apple cider, as they won’t have the same effects.
  • Distilled white vinegar gives the best results.
  • Always make sure you’re not using pure vinegar for cleaning, try to make it a 1:1 water and vinegar solution, and you may also add rubbing alcohol and dish soap.
  • You should avoid cleaning your unsealed hardwood floors, carpets, and rugs with vinegar as they are sensitive and vinegar’s acidic properties could very easily harm the material
  • Don’t use vinegar on floors that already have cracks in them or highly porous areas.

Can Vinegar Be Put in a Steam Mop?

Vinegar can safely be put in a steam mop if you use it as a 1:1 mixture with hot water or you can even add rubbing alcohol or other materials into the mix.

So, the answer is yes, you can put vinegar in a steam mop. Vinegar on its own has a really bad smell, however. So, adding other chemicals into the solution that cancel out that smell might be a good idea.

Usually, the way your steam mop runs is on water. That’s more than enough in cleaning the bacteria on your wooden floor or tiles. The steam produced by this cleaning device doesn’t have any other characteristics, and it is just water.

So, it doesn’t really have any kind of smell. It does remove some of the bacteria, but sometimes you really need to deep clean the large surfaces in your home.

Vinegar helps in doing this. Vinegar is a great substance to use for removing any stubborn stains on your floor. This is possible due to its highly acidic nature.

However, most people don’t really adore the very sharp vinegar smell for that exact reason. This is why adding a drop or two of dish soap can help in canceling out the harsh odor.

This method is great for greatly cleansing your floors. I always use white vinegar when cleaning my floors, so I strongly recommend it to everyone. 

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When Not To Use Vinegar

Obviously, there are instances where vinegar is a big no-no when it comes to cleaning. Even if it’s diluted in a mixture, don’t use vinegar on unsealed hardwood floors, carpets, or any large surfaces that are porous and sensitive to moisture or heat.

How to Safely Use Vinegar

Vinegar is a great stain remover. Its most popular usage is window cleaning, taking the place of our widely-beloved Windex spray. Vinegar doesn’t really impact glass in any significant way, whereas some other materials do.

To safely be able to use vinegar effectively, we have to know where we can and cannot use it. The most important thing is that we should never use vinegar as a cleaning product on its own.

It’s not only best but necessary to dilute the vinegar in a 1:1 solution or at least partly with hot water or in a mixture with water, rubbing alcohol, or dish soap.

Vinegar can be safely used for non-porous materials such as tiles and floors. However, looking at the types of floors it can’t be used on, we can conclude that vinegar has its very specific usage.

It can’t be used on unsealed hardwood floors, any porous surface, carpets or rugs, or any other material or surface that shouldn’t be exposed to heat and moisture. This also includes marble and brick.

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How to Put Vinegar in Your Steam Mop

Use white vinegar

Make sure to use white vinegar when cleaning as it gets the best effects. Don’t under any circumstance use it undiluted.

Make sure you’re using distilled white vinegar instead of any other types such as balsamic, or apple cider vinegar because they will not give you the same results.

Step 1

I like putting 2 cups of water, distilled white vinegar, and rubbing alcohol as a mixture in a bowl.

Step 2

Add 2 drops of dishwasher soap to the solution of water, vinegar, and alcohol.

Step 3

After you have collected all of the ingredients and they are in the same bowl, mix them all up together and put the water, vinegar, and alcohol solution into your steamer mop.

Step 4

Turn your device on with the solution placed inside its water tank. After your steamer mop is on, you can let it steam up and start using it safely on surfaces that are heat and moisture-resistant.

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Final Words

So, can you put vinegar in a steam mop? We’ve come to the conclusion that you can. In fact, it’s a great option for cleaning any type of large surface area that isn’t that sensitive to heat and moisture.

Of course, there are some exceptions to be made which I’ve already listed. Sticking to those rules shouldn’t be a problem. You should never use vinegar on its own in the mop, as this creates toxic fumes and a very bad smell.

The best thing you can do is make a solution of 1:1 water and vinegar and add rubbing alcohol, and dish soap by your own will. When using vinegar you should use distilled white vinegar, instead of balsamic or any other kind of vinegar. Stay safe and amazing at cleaning.