Looking for a natural, homemade all purpose cleaner that’s safe for granite and other stone surfaces? You’ve come to the right place. I have used this DIY all purpose cleaner on the countertops in my kitchen and bathrooms for years. Recently, I started adding a little concentrated natural cleaner so it can be made without vinegar; making it safe for use on all types of stone.
For years, I have used a simple mixture of vinegar, water, and essential oils to clean every non-porous surface in my home. The issue with this combination is it cannot be used on granite or natural stone due to the acidic nature of vinegar.
Several years ago, I learned about Sal Suds, which is a concentrated cleaner made with plant-based surfactants and essential oils; and without synthetic dyes or fragrances. Adding a little of this cleaner to the recipe means you can make an all purpose cleaner without vinegar; as Sal Suds is safe to use on natural stone.
What You Need to Make Homemade All Purpose Cleaner
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Ingredients Needed to Make DIY All Purpose Cleaner
- Distilled Water– When making your own cleaning recipes, it is always best to use distilled water as it does not contain the impurities found in tap water. This reduces the chance of bacteria growth in your cleaning solution.
- Sal Suds– Sal Suds is “a concentrated hard-surface all-purpose cleaner. It is made with plant-based surfactants and natural fir needle and spruce essential oils… without any synthetic dyes or fragrances.” (Source) The Environmental Working Group gives Sal Suds an A rating.
- Lemon Essential Oil– (Optional) (Not sure where to buy essential oils? Check out this post.)
- Pine Essential Oil– (Optional)
Supplies Needed to Make A Natural All Purpose Cleaner
- Two Cup Liquid Measuring Cup
- Amber Glass Spray Bottle– Some essential oils will eat away at plastic, so using a glass spray bottle will prevent this from happening. Amber or Cobalt colored bottles are best to reduce the likelihood of light affecting the potency of the essential oils.
How to Make DIY All Purpose Cleaner Without Vinegar
Start by adding 1/2 Tablespoon (or 1 1/2 teaspoons) of Sal Suds to a two-cup liquid measuring cup.
Next, add in 5 drops of lemon essential oil, along with 5 drops of pine essential oil and stir it into the Sal Suds.
Once the essential oils are thoroughly mixed into the Sal Suds, add 2 cups distilled water to the mixture and give it a stir.
Once everything is thoroughly mixed, pour the solution into an amber glass spray bottle.
Prior to using this all purpose cleaner, give it a little shake to combine any ingredients that may have separated, then spray onto countertops (or other non-porous surfaces) and wipe with a wet sponge or cleaning cloth.
Common Questions About Natural DIY All Purpose Cleaners
Can This All Purpose Cleaner Be Used on Granite and Other Natural Stone Surfaces?
Yes! This DIY All Purpose Cleaner is safe on granite and other natural stone surfaces. While many homemade cleaners use vinegar (an acid that can etch natural stone), this recipe only uses Sal Suds, which is alkaline and, therefore, safe to use on all types of stone. (Source)
Can This Homemade All Purpose Cleaner Be Used As A Disinfectant?
In order for a cleaner to be classified as a “disinfectant” it needs to be registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This all purpose cleaner recipe is simply a household cleaner, not a disinfectant. If you are looking for a natural disinfectant, I highly recommend Force of Nature cleaner. It is made with vinegar, salt, and water and is registered with the EPA as a hospital-grade disinfectant. You can find my review of Force of Nature cleaner here, along with a discount code if you’d like to give it a try.
Can I Use Castile Soap Instead of Sal Suds in this DIY All Purpose Cleaner Recipe?
Perhaps, but I wouldn’t recommend it. While Castile Soap can be used to clean, but it isn’t made to be a household cleaner like Sal Suds. I love using Castile Soap in beauty recipes (like my foaming hand soap), but for cleaning, I always go with Sal Suds.
Do I Have to Use Essential Oils in This All Purpose Cleaner?
Nope! Adding essential oils is completely optional. I add lemon essential oil because it’s a great natural degreaser, and pine essential oil to give this cleaner a little boost. You can certainly omit the essential oils all-together, or substitute different essential oils if you choose.
What Else Can I Do With Sal Suds?
If you are on the fence about buying Sal Suds, because (let’s be honest) this recipe only calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons, here are a few other ways I have used Sal Suds in my home.
Natural Homemade All Purpose Cleaner
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp Sal Suds
- 5 Drops Lemon Essential Oil Optional
- 5 Drops Pine Essential Oil Optional
- 2 Cups Distilled Water
Supplies
- Two Cup Glass Liquid Measuring Cup
- 16 oz. Spray Bottle Amber or Cobalt Color Recommended
Instructions
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons of Sal Suds to a 2 cup glass liquid measuring cup
- Add 5 drops of lemon essential oil along with 5 drop of pine essential oil. Stir.
- Add 2 cups distilled water. Stir.
- Pour into a glass spray bottle.
- To Use: Give the bottle a little shake prior to using and spray non-porous surfaces with the all purpose cleaner. Wipe with a clean wet sponge or cleaning cloth.
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I live all your DIY cleaning supplies. I am looking for something to use on floors, all tile. I have been using store bought products. I am wanting something more natural.
Here is a link to the DIY floor cleaner recipe I use:
https://www.lemonslavenderandlaundry.com/cleaning-tip-tuesday-diy-floor-cleaner-for-linoleum-and-tile/
Does it work on tile floors?
You can use this on tile as long as it is not natural stone (vinegar with etch it). Otherwise, I do have a recipe for floor cleaner that you can find here:
https://www.lemonslavenderandlaundry.com/cleaning-tip-tuesday-diy-floor-cleaner-for-linoleum-and-tile/
Hi! im interested in doing this at home. Is there a way I can print that label? its super cute!!! love it
Thanks
Mariana
You can find the labels here to print for yourself 🙂 https://www.lemonslavenderandlaundry.com/free-printables/
How can I get that cute label?
You can find them on my “Free Printables” page here 🙂 :
https://www.lemonslavenderandlaundry.com/free-printables/
where is a good place to get the essential oils? Thanks ab
It is SO interesting that you ask this question. I have been doing A LOT of research on this lately, and while I’d love to give you an answer, I haven’t had a lot of experience with essential oils yet… just starting out. I did order the Young Living starter kit so I could at least try some out, but I plan to try a couple other brands as well. I am actually hoping to share my results and favorite brand after I have a chance to compare. While I think Young Living has good oils, I am also going to look at Rocky Mountain Oils/Native American Nutritionals (these two companies are now combined into one) and, perhaps, Mountain Rose Oils. I know you can get Rocky Mountain Oils on Amazon if you don’t want to spend a lot on a starter kit elsewhere. Hope that helps for now. I should have a much better answer in the future.
I forgot to state this: Because I have Amazon Prime shipping is fast and free, but if you don’t have that and want to try the Rocky Mountain Oil, they offer free shipping when you order directly from their site as well. I actually emailed them today because many of their oils are out of stock right now. They let me know that with Christmas, their stock is lower, but should be back up within the next couple weeks.
I’ve been using Essential Oils for about 4 or 5 years and they have replace nearly every chemical in my house (OTC meds, cleaning solutions, wellness products, air fresheners, etc). I was started of with Young Living when my oldest came down with the flu and never strayed from there. I cannot say enough good things about Young Living. They are 100% pure therapeutic grade oils, and are actually only 1 of 2 company’s where you can buy EO’s for internal use. They have a Seed to Seal process that ensures the purest grade of essential oils and 3rd party inspected. 1 bottle can last me anywhere from 3 months to 2 years depending on frequency of use. Shelf life for the oils is 2-5 years depending on the oil, and they don’t necessarily spoil, just the potencey decreases overtime. I use nearly every oil in the started kit on a daily basis and have slowly expanded my oils outside of the started kit. I use them on my kids, my husband, my pets, around the house, at work. I gift Thieves to my kids’ teachers every year for Christmas and Joy to celebrate the end of the school year. There are so many benefits to essential oils that I could go on for days. To buy Young Living oils, you can just go on their website and find a distributor in your area. Most distributors are individuals, but I have noticed Young Living popping up on pharmacy’s around my area. I have done tons of research on EO’s over the last 4-5 years and am happy to answer any questions. I will warn you though, I am biased in that I will only promote Young Living oils.