Kitchen & Healthy Home

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner: A Safe Recipe (And Why It Doesn't Always Work)

Written by Kay Baker, MS, OTR/L — CEO & Co-Founder • Reviewed by Matthew Keasey, Ph.D. — Chief Science Officer • Last reviewed: December 3, 2025

Transparency note: This article cites government sites, standards bodies, and peer-reviewed sources wherever possible. Educational only, not medical or legal advice.

A DIY all purpose cleaner is often seen as the holy grail of simple, non-toxic cleaning. You've seen the videos. A big jug of white vinegar, some water, a few drops of essential oil, and voilà, you have a seemingly perfect, all-natural cleaner for pennies.

The appeal is huge. You know every ingredient, it’s cheap, and you’re not bringing another plastic bottle into your home. We love that spirit. It’s the same impulse that drives everything we do.

So let’s get right to it. Here is the classic, simple recipe that’s a great starting point for any eco-friendly cleaning kit. But stick around, because we need to have an honest chat about what this cleaner can, and, more critically, cannot do.

The Classic (and Safe) Vinegar Cleaner Recipe

• 1 part white vinegar

• 1 part distilled or filtered water

• A few drops of essential oil for scent (lemon or tea tree work well)

Combine it all in a reusable spray bottle, give it a shake, and you're ready to tackle some household messes like streaky windows or soap scum. It's a solid, simple tool to have.

But this is where most online guides stop. And it's where the real talk needs to begin. A vinegar-based cleaner is not the magical, do-everything solution it's made out to be.

The Hard Truth: The Limits of Vinegar

The science is clear: vinegar is an acid (acetic acid, to be precise). That property is what gives it some cleaning power, but it’s also its biggest weakness.

• It Can Damage Your Surfaces. Because it's an acid, you should never use a vinegar solution on natural stone surfaces like granite, marble, or quartzite. Experts from countertop installers to architects warn that the acid will eat into the stone's sealant and can eventually dull or even etch the surface itself realsimple.com. That's a costly mistake born from a cheap cleaner.

• It's Not a Degreaser. Splattered olive oil by the stove? Greasy film on the range hood? Vinegar just isn't built for that. It doesn’t have the chemical properties (called surfactants) to effectively break up and lift oil and grease. You’ll mostly just be smearing the mess around.

• It Is NOT a Disinfectant. This is the most critical point. The U.S. EPA does not register vinegar as a disinfectant. It cannot kill dangerous bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli epa.gov. While it might handle some common germs, it is not a tool you should be relying on to truly sanitize your kitchen surfaces, especially where raw meat has been.

The Better Way: When You Need a True All-Purpose Cleaner

So, what do you do when you need to wipe down your granite island, tackle that greasy stove top, and have confidence that your surfaces are truly clean?

You need a professionally formulated, pH-neutral cleaner.

This isn’t about going back to harsh chemicals. It’s about leveraging smart science to create a product that does what vinegar can't. A true all-purpose cleaner uses:

• Plant-Based Surfactants to actually break down and lift away grease and grime.

• A pH-Neutral Formula that is safe for virtually any sealed surface in your home, including natural stone.

• Chelating Agents that bind to minerals in hard water, preventing spots and film.

It’s about having the right tool for the job. A simple vinegar spray is great for your windows. But for the heart of your home, you need a cleaner you can trust on every surface, for every mess. This is the foundation of a real zero-waste kitchen,  one that is not only sustainable but also genuinely, scientifically clean.

Try a Cleaner That Truly Does It All