How do you clean dark granite?

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.

I agree, stay away from acid! Here is a Hometalker who started a similar discussion, to help you out- http://www.hometalk.com/diy/clean/furniture/q-how-to-clean-filmy-black-granite-12630349?expand_all_questions=1

Our granite is uba-tuba green, which looks black with gold and very dark green flecks. I use a flat razor scraper for any spills, then watered down peroxide on the areas that I actually use for food prep that need to be sterilized. Plain water on the rest for daily wiping. We have terribly hard water that leaves streaks and droplet marks if not dried quickly, though. To mitigate this, once a week or so, I spray liberally with Lemon Pledge (you don't have to get the more expensive multi-surface kind). Then I buff it with a microfiber, flannel or t-shirt rag. You'll be able to feel the "drag" on your wet cloth if you aren't doing this often enough. My friend's husband is an installer and he gave this method his seal of approval. He said I could also use watered down bleach, but I have a tendency to spill things :) We have 14 ft. of counters and the kitchen island is 5' x 8 1/2' and I've been treating it like this since we built my dream kitchen 9 years ago and it's still as shiny as ever!

Above tips are very useful and effective. It is worth reading. Although, there are many cleaning products available in the market that consist at least one chemical that can easily damage or etch your granite countertop. Homemade solution is a best way to clean your granite, but care with preventive actions need to taken like wearing gloves while cleaning. Baking soda is an alkaline cleaner, deodorizer and a mild abrasive. It's a very effective way to clean many different surfaces. Don’t use vinegar on any real marble, granite, travertine or other natural stone.

I only use a rubbing acohol and water mixture on my black granite counter top. Spray it on wipe and buff with towel and it looks great.