6 Things You Should Never Use to Clean Stone Countertops (Unless You Want to Ruin Them)

When it comes time to clean the stone countertops in your kitchen and bathroom, it’s best to take a simple route. Stone-safe products or a mix of warm water with mild dish soap will get the job done safely and successfully, Sofia Martinez, a cleaning expert and the founder and CEO of Sparkly Maid Austin, explains.

That said, it’s often tempting to reach for other sprays and materials around your home that might seem like they’d be ultra effective at combatting dirt and stains. In reality, many of these items will cause more harm than good, pro cleaners share.

Below, they outline six things that you should never use to clean your stone countertops and why they’re so dangerous.

Lemon-Scented Wipes

Using lemon-scented wipes on your kitchen countertop may seem like a great idea, particularly in the warmer months of the year, when the scent of lemon is extra fresh-seeming and seasonal.

However, Elizabeth Shields, the operations manager of Super Cleaning Service Louisville, cautions against doing so due to the citric acid that such wipes contain.

“It will start eating away the sealant and once that goes, the stone underneath becomes vulnerable,” she says.

The key giveaway here is if you start to notice hazy, cloudy spots on your countertops, which indicate that damage is already underway.

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Essential Oils

Shields and Martinez both highlight essential oils as being a major no-no when it comes time to clean stone countertops.

“They get tossed into a lot of DIY sprays, but they don’t belong on stone,” Shields says, noting that essential oils are particularly dangerous for unsealed surfaces and can leave dark splotches on your countertops.

Even in instances where your stone is sealed, using essential oils can result in a glossy film just attracts dust, which can result in you cleaning way more than you signed up for, Shields says.

Magic Erasers

Magic Erasers are affordable and make it easy to remove scuffs from walls and furniture, but they’re not a good match for your countertops, according to Shields, who explains that they’re too abrasive for stone.

“Unlike a regular cleaner that dissolves dirt, this one will scrub it away physically,” she says.

In addition to helping to get rid of marks, your Magic Erasers will also wear down the sealant and polish that is protecting your counters.

Dish Soap With Degreasers

Keep the dish soap by the kitchen sink where it belongs and do not use it when it’s time to clean your stone countertops—it isn’t a good match with the delicate sealant that covers them, Shields says. The consequences of reaching for it can be quite severe.

“If that barrier gets damaged, it will be vulnerable to anything, even dullness from plain tap water,” Shields says.

Glass Cleaner

At first glance, glass cleaner may appear to do an amazing job at rescuing your stone countertops, notes Martinez.

While it’s full of shine, glass cleaner is best used on mirrors and windows, and that’s all, due to the ammonia that it contains, which is harmful to the sealant on your countertops. The end result when you use it is a streaky and/or rough surface, which certainly isn’t ideal.

All-Purpose Spray

Martinez recommends being cautious when reaching for other cleaners, such as all-purpose spray, as well.

“If the label on the bottle does not guarantee that it is safe for natural stone, then it is not worth finding out,” she says.

This is due to the fact that cleaners of this nature may contain acids or degreasers that are not safe for sealant. Again, this is where a simple mixture of soap and water truly is the best solution for tackling your stone countertops.