Vinegar and other acidic cleaners can stain them, etch the surface, and end up ruining their appearance, so steer clear of vinegar when you're cleaning them. This goes for all tiles made from cement or natural stone, including quartz, travertine, granite, marble, limestone, and slate tiles.
Vinegar is an outstanding non-toxic cleaner, but it is not perfect for every type of surface. If you have natural stone tiles (like travertine), it's better to stay away from vinegar. It could easily remove the sealants and even discolor or etch the stone!
Using Vinegar on grout can also cause the grout to breakdown overtime. And, that strong acid could damage the finish on the tile too. Making the sheen on the tile look different and uneven.
You can safely use vinegar to clean ceramic or porcelain tiles, whether they are glazed or unglazed.
Spray the floor with the Dawn and vinegar mixture. Use the mop and gently scrub the tile. For stuck-on areas or to spot clean, use a soft bristle brush and scrub the area. After scrubbing the entire floor, rinse the mop.
Shower Walls
Dawn dish soap and vinegar – Mix equal parts of vinegar and blue Dawn dish soap into a spray bottle. Run the shower for a few minutes on hot to heat up the shower space. Spray to coat the surface of the shower walls evenly with the mixture. Let sit for 5 minutes then use a damp cleaning rag to wipe away.
Grout that hasn't been sealed, needs to be resealed, or is in poor shape should not be cleaned with vinegar. The vinegar penetrates into the pores of the grout, further weakening the material. Over time, vinegar will deteriorate the condition of the grout by etching or wearing it away.
Because of its acidity, vinegar makes an excellent natural tile cleaner. A vinegar cleaning solution will eat away at grime caught in the cracks and prevent bacteria build up. This cleaning solution is easy to make, completely natural, and will leave your tile floor streak-free and shiny.
Remove Stains from Glazed Porcelain Tiles
You can use a commercial product safe for glazed porcelain tiles or use white vinegar. Use a warm-water wash with vinegar at half strength to remove the stain completely. Mop the area and allow it to sit for ten minutes, and then rinse with a clean warm water bath.
When it comes to cleaning stone, concrete, and ceramic tile floors, leave the vinegar under the sink. Just like with stone countertops, the acid in vinegar will strip away the protective sealant from stone tiles, making them look dull and leaving the surface vulnerable to etching and pitting.
For stubborn shower stains, soap scum and grime, mix one cup of warm water, two cups of white vinegar and one teaspoon of a vegetable-based dishwashing soap in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the shower walls, let it work for 15 minutes and use a sponge to scrub off scum and grime.
While white vinegar is best known for its culinary uses, it can work wonders in the bathroom. Praised for its powerful acetic acid solution, vinegar helps to dissolve mineral deposit, bacteria, dirt, grease and grime.
The Rejuvenate No Scrub Soap Scum Remover is our top choice for glass shower doors thanks to its bleach-free, fragrance-free, and non-abrasive formula that leaves a streak-free finish and gets rid of soap scum and hard water stains on contact.
All you need to do is mix equal parts white vinegar and dishwashing soap in a spray bottle. That's it! You have a homemade cleaner. Now you can spray the shower tiles with the cleaning solution and leave them for one hour.
Porcelain. Porcelain is one of the most popular choices for tiling shares due to its versatility and affordability. You can find glazed, unpolished, and textured porcelain tiles. For easy cleaning, we recommend a large glazed tile that makes this already durable material stronger and less porous.
You can also use white vinegar for chemical-free grout cleaning. Simply pour vinegar from the bottle into the cap and pour it over the dirty grout lines. Allow the lemon juice or vinegar to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, scrub with a small brush or old toothbrush.
Avoid Vinegar and Baking Soda
Alkaline cleaners are a better choice than vinegar or baking soda because grout contains cementitious mortar that can be dissolved by acidic cleaners, including vinegar. Vinegar and other acids are also a bad idea for stone tile because the acid can etch the stone.
Bleach. Bleach is the most effective method for removing mold from shower grout.
Spray all over the tub and shower and let it sit for a few minutes to a few hours, depending how challenging the job is. Scrub if you need to, but the scum should rub right off. Don't worry about the strong vinegar smell. You will be pleasantly surprised it smells more like Dawn than vinegar!
Shower Tile
Begin by pre-treating the surfaces with a water-vinegar solution. Then use a baking soda paste and scrub with a stiff bristle brush. Once you've loosened up the dirt on the tiles, you can use scouring pads to scrub the surface clean.
“Vinegar is a good cleaner because it's acidic, but when you add dishwashing liquid/dish soap to it (which is a base or neutral) - you neutralise the vinegar. You take away the very thing that makes it work well. “The dishwashing liquid works that well on its own. Adding the vinegar is a pointless step.”