Depending on where you live, you may to battle hard water stains on your pebble stone shower floor. If you start noticing white spots on your floors, it's time to take action. Spray your pebbles with white vinegar and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then, simply scrub and rinse.
Unfortunately, vinegar is an acidic substance, which means it can cause a chemical reaction on your natural stone surfaces known as etching. Etching is a form of physical damage on a natural stone's surface that appears as a dull mark.
If you are cleaning your natural stone floor or counter top like Marble, Limestone, Granite, Slate, Quartz or Travertine ect. if you use white vinegar on the natural stone it will react with the lime in the stone and etch or take off a layer of the stone and make it look dull and take away the beauty of the stone.
What you should Not Do: Don't use vinegar, lemon juice, or other cleaners containing acids on marble, limestone, travertine, or onyx surfaces. Don't use cleaners that contain acid such as bathroom cleaners, grout cleaners, or tub & tile cleaners. Don't use abrasive cleaners such as dry cleansers or soft cleansers.
Natural stone should be cleaned once a week with a pH-neutral cleaning product like Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. The powerful cleaner dissolves tough soils and buildup without damaging your beautiful stone surfaces, and removes soap scum, body oils and greases, bath oils, soap, and shampoo oils.
Vinegar spells trouble for granite countertops (and any other natural stone countertop). The acid in vinegar wears away at the protective sealant that prevents spills from penetrating the stone and causing permanent stains. In addition, over time vinegar can cause etching in the granite itself.
Clean stone surfaces with warm water and a mild soap such as a clear Dawn Liquid Soap. Do not use products that contain lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing with the soap solution and dry with a soft cloth. Change the rinse water frequently.
Rocks that contain calcium carbonate can erode when they encounter acids, and limestone contains calcium carbonate. Vinegar is acetic acid, and limestone is a base. An acid plus a base causes a chemical reaction. So, vinegar combined with limestone creates a chemical reaction.
Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
Most cleaning experts recommend using a pH-neutral, stone safe cleaner. Spray the product onto the surface and allow some time for it to break down the compounds of the residue. Use a soft cloth or a non-scratch pad to rub and scour the area as it helps to even the surface.
White vinegar spritzed onto the tile will do a great job if you let it work for about 30 minutes and then scrub and rinse. Yes, there may be a slight odor, but your pebble-stone shower floor will look good for years.
If you see a white, powdery residue on your stone, it may be a sign of efflorescence. It's a clear indication of water damage. The sooner you catch it, the fewer repairs you'll have to do.
Due to the fact that vinegar is acidic substance and baking soda is caustic, the result of mixing the two can have an unstable effect on stones that are porous. To provide an example, especially on dark surfaces, this mixture is likely to cause discoloration on the surfaces.
It's possible to clean rocks with vinegar alone by leaving them to soak in a cup of vinegar for 2-3 days. If you find that your stone starts to produce tiny bubbles when you add it to the vinegar, this is probably because it contains calcite.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar
“Combining these two creates peracetic acid or corrosive acid, an irritant that, in high concentrations, can harm the skin, eyes, throat, nose, and lungs,” says Bock.
Getting Rid of the Residue
If you want to attempt to remove product residue or hard water build up yourself, spray the stone with a pH-neutral, stone-safe cleaner and allow ample dwell time to soften the residue. Then using gentle pressure and a white Scotch Brite pad or a Dobie pad, clean the stone.
Can you clean stone floors with vinegar? Although cleaning with vinegar can work on other floor types, it's acidic and will eat away at the surface of your stone flooring. It should be avoided at all costs along with any other acidic solutions containing white vinegar, lemon or ammonia.
The Benefits of Using Vinegar in Laundry
To use it, soak the stained item for at least 30 minutes up to overnight in a solution of white vinegar and 1 Tbsp. liquid laundry detergent before laundering.
Physical Methods: These include brushing and rubbing, wet and dry abrasives or surface dressing. Water based Methods: Such as sponging, water sprays and steam cleaning. Chemical Methods: Are applied as poultices or liquids using organic solvents, acidic or alkaline treatments.
Whilst vinegar will not directly dissolve concrete itself, but it will degrade the cement that binds your concrete slabs or flags together. Extended exposure to vinegar will also cause any polish or sealant on your pavers to erode over time, leading to bleaching, stains and weathering.
Apply a paste of baking soda and water over the stain and leave it for 24 hours. Gently scrub the area and rinse it with plain water. Stains on Sandstone pavers, Travertine floor tiles, and Marble floors can easily be cleaned with a baking soda solution.