5 instances where vinegar is NOT the answer

TGIVF!

It's the first Vinegar Friday of September... how did that happen? Wasn't it just June??

Kids are back to school and the stores are full of fall and Halloween decor. Many have replaced their patio furniture with brightly lit Christmas trees. #notreadyforthisyet

While Halloween is a fun time for many, it is also a time for mischief for some. Tossing eggs at cars and homes is their definition of fun. I'll never get it. Do you?

Photo courtesy of Circe Denyer

So with egg-throwing season right around the corner, I thought I'd start off the unofficial first VF of the fall (it is still summer for a few weeks, after all) by sharing 5 ways vinegar is not a good choice for cleaning, starting with...

1. Eggs

If you're like me, your first thought when you discover an egg-drenched car or front door (after some choice words/mental images) is to reach for your jug of vinegar. STOP! Unless you want an even stickier, gooier, more difficult to clean mess, you want to skip that choice. When vinegar mixes with proteins, like eggs, it coagulates and creates stuff nightmares are made of. Ooooo.... scary. How appropriate for Halloween!

2. Pots and Pans (of the aluminum or cast iron persuation)

When scrubbing your enamel or stainless cookware, vinegar is just fine. But doing the same to your aluminum or cast iron pans is not. Why? Because mixing acidic vinegar with aluminum or cast iron will cause corrosion and damage the surface of your cookware. Of course, many people are avoiding aluminum these days, due to the possible link to Alzheimer's disease, but it seems that cast iron has never been so popular. I love mine -- what about you?

Image courtesy of Alex Borland

3. Natural Stone Tiles and Countertops

We don't have stone countertops or floors in my home, so wiping down the floors and counters can be done safely with plain white vinegar. That's not the case in my daughters' homes, although they generally rely on Norwex Envirocloths to do the job. If you have concrete, limestone, travertine, granite, or marble surfaces, do not use vinegar on them, unless, of course, you actually like pitting. Keep in mind, vinegar will eat away any sealants, so be prepared for staining down the road. 

4. Waxed surfaces

If your goal is to remove wax, by all means, reach for the vinegar. But if you want to preserve your shiny waxed surface, avoid vinegar at all costs. Otherwise, you'll end up with a sheen that is as dull as unsharpened eyeliner pencil. 

Photo courtesy of CC0 Community

5. Phone or laptop screen

The monitors and screens on our electronic devices are covered with a thin layer of oleophobic coating. This limits the amount of fingerprints/smudges smearing up the screens. We like that, no? If you wipe the screens with vinegar, you pretty much destroy this coating and you're left with... well, let's just say you'll wish you hadn't.

While I tout the benefits of vinegar here and in my book, VINEGAR FRIDAYS, there are times when vinegar is the last thing you want to use. Hopefully, this post will save you some headaches. Now if only I could create an invisible shield to protect you from those flying eggs.

Keeping it green with vinegar, but not always,