I use a mixture of equal parts vinegar, alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Add 3 drops dishsoap and essential oils (optional) for fragrance. Normally, I spray this on granite and wipe immediately, but when there is a buildup I let it sit for one minute and then polish dry.
Sorry! Wrong! Definitely NO vinegar. Water has no properties to etch granite. That's why it makes a good countertop. Baking soda will not affect granite in any way. It draws out the stain as it dries. Spills on granite should be wiped up immediately. Do a Google search. My information is correct.
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.
If you are trying to remove an old stain, create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water. Then place the paste over the stain, allowing it to function for a few minutes. After that wipe off the baking soda paste. If it is needed you can repeat the procedure until the stain vanishes.
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.
You are right that you don't want vinegar to SIT on granite just as you don't want water to sit on granite. Either one will etch it, but this mixture of water, alcohol, vinegar and dishsoap is very close to neutral. Allowing it to sit for a minute or less will not etch or damage granite. I've used this consistently for years on multi-million dollar homes with no damage or loss of shine. Baking soda is very alkali which also can damage natural stone..... If allowed to sit. Kitchen counters have quite the resilience to brief exposures as they get fruit juices, tomato products, red wine and many other strong substances dropped on them during the normal course of use.
No vinegar, lemon juice, red wine oils, or vinegar near granite. Baking soda may also abade the surface. This is why some people choose to use granite only on an island, and laminate or quartz, elsewhere. All it takes is one careless moment to ruin your granite.
Why take the chance that your granite sealer works sufficiently ? The granite is far too costly to have repaired, particularly for those having designs which mimic running water in various colors. Many granites also contain mica, which is very soft, and prone to flaking.
Some granite companies suggest cleaning their product with distilled water, if you live in an area with hard tap water.
Make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the calcium deposits, let set for 5 min, rinse off with plain water, repeat if needed. Please, no vinegar or acid.
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I use a mixture of equal parts vinegar, alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Add 3 drops dishsoap and essential oils (optional) for fragrance. Normally, I spray this on granite and wipe immediately, but when there is a buildup I let it sit for one minute and then polish dry.
NOT ON GRANITE! Vinegar will etch the 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.
If you are trying to remove an old stain, create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water. Then place the paste over the stain, allowing it to function for a few minutes. After that wipe off the baking soda paste. If it is needed you can repeat the procedure until the stain vanishes.
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.
Eloise,
I'm more inclined to agree with William.
No vinegar, lemon juice, red wine oils, or vinegar near granite. Baking soda may also abade the surface. This is why some people choose to use granite only on an island, and laminate or quartz, elsewhere. All it takes is one careless moment to ruin your granite.
Why take the chance that your granite sealer works sufficiently ? The granite is far too costly to have repaired, particularly for those having designs which mimic running water in various colors. Many granites also contain mica, which is very soft, and prone to flaking.
Some granite companies suggest cleaning their product with distilled water, if you live in an area with hard tap water.
Make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the calcium deposits, let set for 5 min, rinse off with plain water, repeat if needed. Please, no vinegar or acid.