How to Use Castile, Dish Soaps and Vinegar

A customer came into the shop last week and asked for an all-purpose cleaner refill. I hesitated because most household surfaces can be cleaned with castile soap, dish soap, or vinegar, but each has its own strengths and tradeoffs. So I answered with another question: what were they going to use it for? Because they said porcelain and tile, I recommended cleaning vinegar. The customer made the purchase, but I felt dissatisfied. There was more I wanted to make sure they knew, like that the vinegar wouldn’t be as effective at cleaning grease and that they should use it carefully on wood, stone, and finished surfaces because vinegar is an acid. For those sensitive materials they should probably use castile soap, and if there’s heavy grease they might prefer dish soap.

Many off-the-shelf multisurface/all-purpose cleaners are basically dish soaps. Mrs. Meyer's, for example, directs users to "spray cleaner on all non-porous surfaces like finished wood and tile floors, countertops, walls, porcelain, bathroom fixtures, sealed stone and granite." Its ingredients that do the cleaning, called surfactants, are decyl glucoside, lauryl glucoside and sodium methyl 2-sulfolaurate (read about them in Mrs. Meyer's ingredients glossary). A mixture of surfactants is common in dish soap formulations, effectively cleaning dirt and oils from most surfaces, though they may irritate sensitive skin and materials. This is why I would guess they specified use on non-porous surfaces.

So while I could recommend dish soap as an all-purpose cleaner, I won't because sometimes castile soap and vinegar are better fits. These three wonderful products form a great team for everyday cleaning. In this post and in the graphic below I’ve tried to summarize the guidance that I use personally. I’d love to hear your suggestions too!

Disclaimer: while the products we offer are gentle and made from natural ingredients, they can damage some sensitive materials. Please do your own research and spot test before treatment. Fullfill is not responsible for any damage or loss. Use vinegar in a well-ventilated area.