A natural all-purpose or kitchen cleaner that actually *works* ?

[bjorker]

Hopefully this isn't a repeat question. I tried searching, but that didn't work too well.

Okay. So I've gone through a number of "natural" cleaners for my kitchen counter, including vinegar, and nothing gets it looking clean. The counters are white and a bit older, but I had this problem in my last house too, and those were newer off-white counters (although the problem was to a lesser extent there). No matter what I do, I have stains on the counter. Even if I clean it off right away and scrub it quite a bit. It's starting to get really bad, which is driving me nuts. When I take the time to clean something, I want it to look clean when I'm done! Getting rid of the germs too, sure, but dangit... sometimes I am concerned with appearances. But only sometimes.

What do you use that works? I don't want to have to go through every product or make up a bunch of different mixes of stuff before I find something that works. Help!

Thanks.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

Get a darker counter top!

But seriously most natural cleaners clean but don't bleach. It sounds like you need some bleaching action. You could try peroxide or a solution of oxyclean. these are not good degreasers though so you might need to do regular soap and water first and then peroxide.

What is your countertop made out of? Some things can be sealed once you get them clean so they are less likely to stain.

[bjorker]

Hmm, I'm not sure what it's made of. I'm not good with these things, but I'll ask dp.
We're in a rental, so I'm not sure what we could do, there. Our landlord is pretty lax and doesn't care much about what we do, so I could probably do some sealant thing if that will do the trick (again, I'm clueless about what I'm talking about here ), but I'm not about to go out and buy a new countertop for a rental. It looked perfectly clean when we got here, so I'm assuming some kind of bleachy product was used on it?

What exactly is oxyclean? I know, I'm so clueless...
I guess I will go look that up.

[jennnk]

we use the trader joe's all-purpose cleaner. it has tea tree oil, clary, sage, and something else in an alcohol base with .0005% dye (it's green). it kills the ants on contact & gets our stovetop shiny white, even after George makes spaghetti & leaves the spilled sauce to harden overnight.

[MommyErin]

I have WHITE FORMICA (eeewww) countertops and I am able to get them stain free with Mrs. Meyer's cleanser. Nothing else I've tried, short of bleach, has worked.

[beanma]

bon-ami works great for me. it's available in regular grocery stores around here. been around for years and years and years. cheap, too. it's a scouring powder like ajax or comet but w/o the bleach and just the scouring part. baking soda might do the job, too, but i like the bon ami and it's about as cheap as baking soda.

oxyclean is just a hyrdogen peroxide based product, btw...

[Barbee]

i love mrs. meyer's too and when i get a stain, i scrub it with some baking soda. i have beige rental formica. yuck!!

[mumkimum]

I've had great luck with bon ami or a regular liquid cleaner with some baking soda sprinkled on a sponge (or brush).

[momto l&a]

Have you tried Holy Cow?

I am using the de-greaser and it really works

Finally some that cleans grease without taking the skin off my fingers.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I just bought a bottle of the seventh generation natural citrus cleaner and degreaser. It worked great on the stove top and cleaned up our scratched up white formica countertop pretty well too.

[bjorker]

Thanks, mamas! The only one of those I've tried is TJ's cleaner, and it no worky either. Actually I may have tried the 7th Gen, too. I think I did. :\
Now I have some direction! And know what to look for. Thanks bunches! If I can get that dang counter looking clean, I will be forever grateful.

[hubris]

I usually only wipe down counters with plain water, soap and water, or vinegar, BUT I also have off-white counters and sometimes they stain. When I really want to get a stain off, I use Barkeeper's Friend. It's powdered oxalic acid, which can be found in natural sources like swiss chard (you can boil chard and use the water for cleaning).

[MommyErin]

Originally Posted by momto l&a

Have you tried Holy Cow?

I am using the de-greaser and it really works

Finally some that cleans grease without taking the skin off my fingers.

Holy Cow rocks! My local grocery store carries it and I use the degreaser and the all-purpose spray. I love them!

[JessicaS]

I love Mrs Meyers, it is wonderful!

When cleaning my stove I use Mrs Meyer's and then sprinkle baking soda over it and it is really easy.

[Phantaja]

When I do my big squeakly clean kitchen routine at night, I sprinkle baking soda on my countertops pour vinegar over that and let the bubbles do their thing while I clean the rest of the kitchen. Then I just go back and wipe with a damp cloth. I don't have a single stain on my icky beige formica.

During the day, I use Meijer Naturals all purpose cleaner. Mostly cause it smells good though.