How to Clean Tile with Vinegar

Co-authored by Michelle Driscoll, MPH

Last Updated: January 17, 2022 References Approved

Vinegar is a natural, effective cleanser for tile. You can clean tile floors, countertops, backsplash, and bathroom surfaces using a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar. Cleaning tile grout is also easy. You can use vinegar alone or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to remove tough stains and grime from grout.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cleaning a Tile Floor

1
Sweep or vacuum the floor. Before cleaning a tile floor with vinegar, you will want to remove all debris from the surface of the floor. Use a broom, dust mop, or vacuum cleaner to remove all loose dirt and debris from the tile floor.^{[1]
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- Vinegar is great for ceramic tile floors. Don't use vinegar on marble or granite. Instead, use a cleanser specifically formulated for these delicate stone types.
2
Mix hot water and vinegar in a bucket. Add equal parts hot water and vinegar to a bucket. The bucket should be large enough to easily rinse and wring out a mop.

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3
Wring out a mop. Place a mop in the bucket of hot water and vinegar. Lift the mop from the bucket and wring it out. Try to wring as much water out of the mop as possible.^{[2]
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4
Mop the floor. Use side-to-side motions to mop the floor. Rinse and wring out the mop frequently while mopping. If you are cleaning a large area, make a fresh batch of hot water and vinegar when you finish mopping half the area.^{[3]
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5
Fill the bucket with clean water. Once you finish mopping the floor with the vinegar solution, you will need to rinse the floor with clean water. Dump the vinegar solution down a drain. Fill the bucket with fresh, hot water.
6
Mop the floor with clean water. Dip the mop in the fresh water, wring it out, and mop the floor using side-to-side motions. Rinse and wring the mop frequently as you mop. If you are mopping a large area, fill the bucket with fresh water after mopping about half of the surface area.
7
Let the floor air-dry. Allow the floor to air dry before you walk on it. This will prevent footprints and debris from sticking to the wet floor. You can also dry the floor with a clean, soft towel if desired.
8
Create a vinegar and baking soda paste to work out tough stains. If there are any stains on the floor, then try mixing a small amount of vinegar into some baking soda to dorm a paste, such as 1 part vinegar to 3 parts baking soda. Apply the paste to the stain with a scrub brush or sponge. Then use a wet paper towel to remove the paste.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning Countertops, Backsplash, and Bathrooms

1
Pour equal parts vinegar and water into a spray bottle. You can make as little or as much vinegar cleaning solution as you desire. Pour the vinegar and water into a spray bottle.^{[4]
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2
Add lemon or essential oils. You can add fragrance to your vinegar cleaning solution with lemon or essential oils. Try adding the juice of ½ a lemon, or 15 drops of an essential oil like lavender or peppermint.
3
Shake to combine. Once you’ve added all the ingredients to the spray bottle, screw the nozzle on the bottle. Then shake the bottle to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
4
Spray the tile with the solution. Spray the tile thoroughly with the vinegar cleaning solution. Make sure you saturate the tile surface with the solution.
5
Allow the solution to sit. Once you spray the tile surface with vinegar cleaning solution, allow the solution to penetrate the grime on the tile. Let the solution sit on the tile for 1-5 minutes, depending on the level of grime you need to remove.^{[5]
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6
Rinse with water. After you allow the vinegar cleaning solution to sit on the tile surface, rinse the surface with clean water. You can pour water directly on the tile surface, or you can wipe the tile surface down with a clean, wet cloth.
7
Use a vinegar and baking soda paste to work out any tough stains. If there are still visible stains on the surface, then make a paste using baking soda and vinegar. Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part vinegar to form the paste. Then apply the paste to the stain with a sponge and work it around using firm pressure. Use a wet paper towel to remove the leftover paste after you are done.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cleaning Grout

1
Pour vinegar along tile edges. Vinegar can effectively clean grout when applied at full strength or when diluted with water. Carefully pour vinegar along the edges of the tile, allowing it to soak into the grout.
2
Let the vinegar sit for 10 minutes. After you pour the vinegar along the tiled edges, allow the vinegar to soak into the grout. Letting the vinegar sit for 10 minutes will help loosen debris and stains.
3
Scrub the grout with a toothbrush. After you allow the vinegar to soak into the grout for 10 minutes, scrub the grout using small, circular motions. An old toothbrush works best, but you can also use a small cleaning brush.
4
Rinse with clean water. When you finish scrubbing the grout, you will want to rinse away the remaining vinegar from the tile and grout. You can pour clean water over the tile, or you can wipe with a clean, wet cloth.
5
Use vinegar and baking soda for a deeper clean. Add a small amount of vinegar to baking soda. Add just enough vinegar so that the two ingredients form a paste. Use a toothbrush to scrub the grout with the paste. Rinse with clean water when finished, making sure you remove any residue from the mixture.^{[6]
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