Natural Stone Countertop Maintenance – C&D Granite

Instructions

Marble, granite, quartz, and soapstone possess unique characteristics and must be cared for differently. For the ease of our customers, C&D Granite has provided these simple countertop cleaning and maintenance guides. When choosing a stone, it is important to consider the extent of cleaning and maintenance needed to maintain the appearance of your stone countertop.

Simple tips to preserve the life of every stone countertop:

• Use coasters under glasses
• Utilize trivets and mats when setting hot objects on your stone counter
• Blot spills with paper towels and avoid wiping/spreading the spill

Caring for your marble bathroom and kitchen countertops is painless and keeps your home looking beautiful. Marble countertops are heavy-duty and durable but are still porous surfaces.

Use mild dish soap and warm water to clean any tougher spills or stains on your marble bathroom or kitchen countertops. Use a soft cloth and avoid excessive amounts of cleaner for the best cleaning results.
Every few months, you should test to see if you need to seal your kitchen and bathroom countertops.

To seal marble countertops or vanity tops:

1. Apply a marble stone sealer to the clean countertop surface.
2. Clean the countertop in smaller sections, and do not over-spray the entire countertop.
3. Let this sealer sit on the countertop for roughly thirty minutes.
4. After half an hour, the final step is to pour a few drops of water on the marble countertop surface and check if the water forms little beads. If the water beads up, you are done!

Keeping your countertop cleaned and polishing it every month should mean that you only need to seal your marble countertop every three to six months.

Never use acidic or harsh cleaners on your marble countertops. Acidic cleaners like lemon juice, Windex, and vinegar are too abrasive. You should not use these cleaners on marble countertop surfaces. Solid surface vanity tops and countertops should never be cleaned with hard pads or utensils that scrape the marble countertop. Instead, use a mild, non-acidic cleaner.

For regular maintenance of your granite countertop surfaces, use a paper towel to clean up any spills or leftover residue as they occur to avoid stains. Also, regularly wash your kitchen granite countertops with warm, soapy water to clear any dirt or cubs from the surface.

For more in-depth cleaning of your solid surface countertop, mix a warm, non-acidic formula made of three-part dish detergent and only one part rubbing alcohol.

Sealing your granite countertops is an added precaution to avoid staining. However, sealing does not make your countertop stain-proof. Still, it adds a layer of protection and makes the stone countertop stain-resistant.

Every few months, you should test to see if you need to seal your kitchen and bathroom countertops.

To seal your granite countertop:

1. Apply a granite stone sealer to the clean countertop surface.
2. Use a non-toxic sealer when applying sealer to food preparation areas.
3. Clean the countertop in smaller sections, and do not over-spray the entire countertop.
4. Let this granite sealer sit on the countertop for roughly thirty minutes.
5. After the thirty-minute wait time, the final step is to pour a few drops of water on the granite countertop surface and see if it forms little beads. If the water beads up, you are done!

Keeping your countertop cleaned and polishing it every month should mean that you only need to seal it once or twice yearly.

Never use harsh or acidic cleaners such as Windex, hydrofluoric acid, vinegar, lemon juice, or ammonia to clean your granite countertop surfaces. Granite countertops are durable but should never be exposed to acidic formulas since they can deteriorate the solid surface. Also, avoid scraping your granite vanity top or countertops, as this could cause damage.

Quartz countertops and vanity tops appear natural but are a mix of quartz stone and synthetic polymer. Cleaning and caring for engineered quartz countertops is easy because the stone does not need polishing.

Regularly clean your quartz kitchen countertops with a warm, wet, soft towel. Use a mild detergent or mild dish soap to clean your quartz bathroom and kitchen counters. Clean any spills or sticky residue as soon as they happen to help avoid staining.

 Clean your quartz stone countertop with a glass or surface cleaner for harder, dried-on spills. If you need to scrape dried-on messes away, use plastic utensils only.

Never use bleach or harsh acidic cleaners on quartz countertops, and avoid using abrasive materials when cleaning. Never use hydrofluoric acid on your countertops, as it attacks the minerals in the stone and can harm your countertop. Do not leave hot pots or pans directly on your quartz kitchen countertop. You should always use a hot pad or trivet when setting anything extremely hot on the surface of your stone countertop.

Soapstone countertops are highly durable and are hard to etch or scratch. This nonporous surface is hard to stain and has a high tolerance for heat. To care for your soapstone countertop, please avoid heavily dropping objects on the surface since these countertops are more likely to dent than get scratches or chips. Also, use a paper towel to clean off spills so the stone keeps its sleek appearance.

Oil your soapstone counters to give them a different appearance than usual. Some customers enjoy the counters’ natural, not oiled appearance, while others like to oil them regularly. Oil your countertops as often as you feel, as this is your preference in the stone’s appearance and does not need to be done frequently.

To oil the countertop, pour mineral oil on the countertop and use dry towels or rags to rub the oil into the surface. Let the oil sit on the soapstone surface for thirty minutes, and then use another dry and clean rag to clean any excess oil.

Not applying mineral oil to your soapstone countertop will result in the surface showing dark spots in certain areas over time. Spots are more noticeable on dark or black soapstone countertops. However, you can easily fix this by oiling the surface if you wish to remove the dark spots.

 We advise you not to use highly acidic cleaners for soapstone countertops. A professional should repair deep scratches or nicks that occur over the life of your countertop.

Ask us about our stone countertops

We provide high-quality marble, soapstone, granite, quartz, and soapstone countertops for your home. Please ask C&D Granite your questions about any of our stone countertops.