How do you remove stains from granite countertops?

Marble, granite, and stone do NOT like having acidic (ie: citrus-based) cleaners used on them. Citrus or vinegar will actually cause “etching” on granite countertops. Not a good thing. Granite countertops also don’t like it when you use something like Windex on them because it strips the “seal” off of the stone. *****Apparently there are some very nice countertop/granite cleaners out there that do a great job…but $7.00 for a 12-ounce bottle? YOU can do better than that! :-) ***** After researching several homemade options out there…I discovered they all had the same basic ingredients…just in varying amounts. Some had a LOT of alcohol in them…some very little. I think the following “recipe” has a good balance of the ingredients, based on the information I read. ***** Homemade Granite Cleaner, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol (or cheap vodka), 3 drops of Dawn or other dish soap (Castile soap would also be a good alternative if you prefer), Water, 5-10 drops essential oil (optional – to help mask the alcohol smell). ***** Put the rubbing alcohol or vodka into a 16 oz spray bottle. Add the dish soap, essential oil and fill up the rest of the bottle with water.

Now give it a few shakes….THEN give it a try! It should give your countertops a nice, clean shine. Works on appliances too! All at a FRACTION of the price of the store-bought stuff.

Stay away from Acid products- check out this Discussion on hometalk, you'll get great ideas http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/house/q-how-do-i-clean-my-granite-or-marble-countertops-inthe-bathroom-2462378

There are products through Amazon that are especially for stains set in your granite. I had an oil stain on my granite and it was removed by a granite specialist with a product like Dupont Stonetech Professional Oil Stain Remover. It was on the stain for 2 days and when I removed it, the stain was gone. It was a wonderful feeling since my counter top was only a few days since being installed.

You can remove stains from granite and marble counter tops by mixing flour and water in to a paste ( think old fashioned paper mache paste) cover stain with paste and plastic wrap. Leaf on for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, clean thoroughly and reseal. NEVER, NEVER use any cleaners on granite countertops that contains bleach or ammonia.

I make a wet paste of water and Oxy. Leave it sit on the stain for a couple hours. This has always worked for me. A paste of baking soda works well, too.

I make up a solution of vinegar, water, 70% rubbing alcohol, and a squirt of blue dawn in a spray bottle. I use this on windows, granite countertops. Works great!