How to Use All-Purpose Home Cleaner

All-purpose cleaner is a household staple for good reason: it can take care of a huge variety of messes on virtually every surface of your home. You don’t have to rely on harsh chemicals in plastic bottles to get the easy, effective home-cleaning power of a cleaning spray. We put together this guide of how-tos and FAQs to help you switch to our All-Purpose Home Cleaner Refill Tablets!

How to use All-Purpose Home Cleaner

Our easy-to-use All-Purpose Home Cleaner uses concentrated soap refill tablets formulated to dissolve in water to make an effective cleaning spray.

For best results, follow these steps:

1. Use All-Purpose Home Cleaner with a reusable spray bottle
2. Remove the sprayer attachment from the bottle
3. Add one concentrated soap tablet
4. Fill the bottle with warm water
5. Screw the sprayer attachment back onto the bottle
6. Let the tablet fully dissolve
7. Spray All-Purpose Home Cleaner on compatible surfaces
8. Wipe surfaces until clean and fully dry for a streak-free finish

We’ll walk through each of these steps in more detail.

Use All-Purpose Home Cleaner with a reusable spray bottle

Our concentrated cleaning refill tablets are designed to eliminate single-use plastic by refilling reusable spray bottles. We offer different buying options depending on your needs:

• Starter kit: Includes a reusable glass spray bottle pre-loaded with a tablet, plus an additional 3-pack of refills.
• 3-pack refills: Includes three refill tablets to use with a bottle you already have.

If you don’t have a reusable bottle already, we recommend starting with our kit for the best value. Otherwise, you can save money by buying just the refill tablets.

If you’re using a bottle you have at home, we recommend a 16 oz. bottle to get the right concentration of soap. We prefer glass bottles to reduce plastic production and minimize the risk of contaminants leaching into the cleaner.

Remove the sprayer attachment from the bottle

Hold the bottle in one hand and use the other hand to gently twist the neck of the sprayer attachment counterclockwise. Once loosened, lift the sprayer attachment and set it aside.

Add one tablet and fill the bottle with warm water

Add a single tablet to the bottle. The tablets are pre-measured for 16 oz. bottles, so there’s no need to measure. If you just received an All-Purpose Home Cleaner bottle from us, it will already have a tablet in it.

Fill the bottle mostly full with warm water from the faucet. Do not use very hot or boiling water.

If you’re using a larger or smaller bottle, you can cut the tablets in half and add either half a tablet for smaller bottles or one and a half tablets for larger bottles. Keep in mind that each tablet is intended to make about 16 oz. of liquid cleaner, so your solution may be slightly more or less concentrated. Another option is to measure the water and add about 8 oz. for every half tablet you use.

Replace the sprayer attachment back onto the bottle

Place the sprayer attachment back onto the neck of the bottle and screw it on. Make sure that the screw-on ring is attached tightly to the bottle to ensure that liquid does not leak when you tip the bottle. The sprayer head is designed to swivel freely, so turning it should not screw or unscrew the attachment.

Let the tablet fully dissolve

It will take some time for the tablet to dissolve fully and create the cleaning solution. Warm water should help speed up the process. As the tablet dissolves, you will see liquid soap suspended in the water. Shake the bottle gently to integrate the soap before use.

If you go a few weeks between uses, the solution may separate. Simply give the bottle a gentle shake to mix it up before cleaning. After adding water, use bottle contents within six months. Since our All Purpose Home Cleaner does not contain any added preservatives, we recommend dumping the unused product after six months, then rinsing out the bottle, and starting with a new refill tablet.

Spray All-Purpose Home Cleaner directly onto the surface

A major advantage of cleaning spray is that it’s super easy to apply the cleaner directly to whatever surface you want to clean. Our sprayers have two settings: mist and stream. The mist mode creates a wider spray that’s useful for covering large areas. The stream setting is narrower and can be used to direct spray to smaller crevices.

Our All-Purpose Home Cleaner can be used to clean nearly every surface in your home. Here are some common household surfaces you can clean with it:

• Glass windows, mirrors, stovetops, and tabletops
• Stone (including marble, granite, and quartz) countertops and floors
• Wood (including natural, sealed, and finished) floors, cabinets, baseboards, and furniture
• Plastic appliances, furniture, fixtures, laminates, acrylics, headlights, car interiors, and more
• Stainless steel appliances, sinks, and cookware
• Porcelain and ceramic tubs, toilets, and sinks
• Tiles and grout
• Painted walls

We always recommend testing any treated, antique, or otherwise delicate surface in an inconspicuous area before cleaning fully. Our soap-based cleaner is gentle and non-abrasive, but certain stains and finishes may be removed by soap and friction. You can also research how different finishes may react to soap with a pH of 9–10.

Here is a complete list of surfaces you can clean with our products.

Wipe the surface until clean and fully dry for a streak-free finish

Use a clean towel or cloth to wipe down the surface. The soap loosens and grabs onto dirt and stains. Wiping absorbs the soapy water and adds friction to help remove dirt. It also spreads the soap around the surface to reach any areas that weren’t directly sprayed.

For really stubborn messes, you can apply more cleaner and use a cloth or broth to scrub until the dirt is removed.

Be sure to wipe the surface until clean and fully dry for a streak-free finish. Streaks, water spots, and residue may appear if the product is not sufficiently wiped from the surface after use. 

How to clean floors with All-Purpose Home Cleaner

All-Purpose Home Cleaner is great for cleaning floors. Instead of mixing a spray solution, you can mix a liquid solution in a bucket for mopping. Follow these steps:

1. Create a liquid solution by mixing All-Purpose Home Cleaner with warm water
2. Use the solution to mop floors
3. Wipe floors until clean and dry for a streak-free finish

Create a liquid solution by mixing All-Purpose Home Cleaner with warm water

We recommend using half a tablet for each gallon of water. You can cut tablets in half with a knife or scissors. If you’re not sure how much water your bucket holds, check the bucket itself or search online for the capacity. Mix only as much solution as you need for the task at hand. Mopping solutions collect dirt, so it’s better to mix a new solution each time.

Fill a mop bucket with the appropriate amount of water and tablets, then let the soap dissolve into the water. Use a mop to mix the soap and water before mopping.

Use the solution to mop floors

This all-purpose cleaner solution works great on any moppable surface. That includes hardwood, stone, tile, and laminate floors. Do not use it to mop carpet or other fabric surfaces. As always, we recommend testing any treated or otherwise delicate flooring in an inconspicuous area before cleaning fully.

Rinse and wipe floors thoroughly for a streak-free finish

Mop your floors thoroughly with the cleaner, then wring out the mop and go over the wet surfaces again to remove any excess water. Soapy water that remains on the floor may create streaks when dried. If that happens, you can mop the floors again with just water or use a damp rag to wipe away any streaks.

Use All-Purpose Home Cleaner with Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub for a complete cleaning solution

Our Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub pairs perfectly with our all-purpose cleaner. This cleaning powder includes baking soda, a mild abrasive that’s super effective on durable hard surfaces like tubs, tiles, grout, and stovetops. Use it when you need extra cleaning power for tough messes like oil stains on the stove or hard water stains in the toilet bowl.

For more information, check out our How to Use Gentle Home Cleaning Scrub guide.

Do not use All-Purpose Home Cleaner to disinfect or sanitize surfaces

Our All-Purpose Home Cleaner is a cleaning product, not a sanitizer or disinfectant. In most cases, cleaning is enough to maintain a safe and healthy home, and you only need to disinfect when someone is sick in your home.

If you need to disinfect your home, you should always clean first to remove the majority of germs, then disinfect. Germs can hide in dirt, so it’s important to remove any impurities first. That’s where our cleaning products come in. 

After cleaning, use an EPA-registered disinfectant or follow the CDC guidelines for safely disinfecting with bleach.

How to store All-Purpose Home Cleaner

All-Purpose Cleaner refills come in a small paperboard box, which can be used to store tablets before use. They will keep best when stored in a cool, dry place like a linen closet. The tablets do not expire.

You can store any mixed spray solution in the bottle for up to 6 months. Since our All Purpose Home Cleaner does not contain any added preservatives, we recommend dumping the unused product after six months, then rinsing out the bottle, and starting with a new refill tablet.

If you mix a bucket solution for mopping, you should dump the dirty mop water in a sink or drain when you’re finished.

How to recycle or compost All-Purpose Home Cleaner packaging

Our All-Purpose Home Cleaner is meant to refill reusable spray bottles, so you only have to buy the bottle once and refill it with tablets. If the plastic sprayer breaks, you can discard it and order a replacement sprayer to use with the same bottle. Plastic recycling is highly ineffective and hazardous, so we do not recommend recycling sprayers. Using the sprayer for as long as it works is the best way to reduce plastic waste.

The same goes for the glass bottle: reuse is the most effective way to reduce waste. If you no longer want the bottle, you can recycle it as advised by your local recycling service. Clear glass used for containers, bottles, and jars is highly recyclable.

When you finish a box of refills, you can simply fold up the box and recycle it. Paper is a highly recyclable material accepted by recycling services in most communities. Wet, greasy, or food-stained paper cannot be recycled, so if your box has gotten particularly soiled you may not be able to recycle it.

Our paperboard packaging is also at-home compostable! For best results, cut or tear up the box into tiny pieces, keep your compost pile moist and turn it regularly, and be sure to maintain a balance of brown and green waste.

Frequently asked questions about using All-Purpose Home Cleaner

What surfaces can I clean with All-Purpose Home Cleaner?

All-Purpose Home Cleaner can be used to clean nearly every surface in your home, including glass, stone, wood, plastic, metal, porcelain, ceramics, tile, grout, and most floors and walls. We always recommend testing any treated or otherwise delicate surface in an inconspicuous area before cleaning fully. Our soap-based cleaner is gentle and non-abrasive, but certain stains and finishes may be removed by soap and friction. Find a complete list of surfaces you can clean with our products.

Does All-Purpose Home Cleaner contain harsh chemicals?

No! Our All-Purpose Home Cleaner is made with organic coconut oil-based soap. It is free of bleach, chlorine, dyes, preservatives, and other harsh chemicals commonly used in home cleaners. All our products are MADE SAFE® certified, meaning they meet the strictest ingredient screening requirement in the industry.

Can I use All-Purpose Home Cleaner with a septic tank?

Yes! There are no ingredients in our All-Purpose Home Cleaner that would interfere with the normal operation of your septic tank. We use all biodegradable ingredients and no antimicrobials that could kill off the bacteria in the tank. All of our products are septic-safe except for Oxygen Brightener, which includes oxidizers that kill bacteria.

Is All-Purpose Home Cleaner safe for use on baby items?

Yes, All-Purpose Home Cleaner can be used to clean baby items, but it should be thoroughly rinsed off of the items before you use them. Our products are recommended by the MADE SAFE® Healthy Pregnancy Guide.

Is All-Purpose Home Cleaner safe for use on pet items?

Yes, All-Purpose Home Cleaner can be used to clean pet items, but it should be thoroughly rinsed off of the items before you use them. The unscented formula is ideal for dogs and other pets that are sensitive to scents and some essential oils.

Does All-Purpose Home Cleaner contain preservatives?

No! Our preservative-free All-Purpose Home Cleaner does not expire and is naturally shelf-stable. Preservatives are “natural or synthetic compounds that help slow or prevent bacterial growth in a wide range of products, including foods, medicines, and personal care products.” Bacterial growth is common in products with water as a primary ingredient, such as liquids and gels. All of our products are concentrated dry powders or solid soaps that do not require added preservatives.

Do All-Purpose Home Cleaner tablets expire?

No! All-Purpose Home Cleaner tablets are naturally shelf-stable without the need for preservatives. You can store them in the box for as long as you need. However, you should use any cleaning solution you make within 6 months of mixing to avoid bacterial growth. If you don’t use a batch of liquid cleaner within 6 months, we recommend dumping it out, rinsing out the bottle, and making a new solution.