Your kitchen countertop is used to cut vegetables, lay your mail, and pour coffee into a cup. The countertop has a variety of uses, and each use compounds the risk of it being dirtied. So, if you frequently use your countertop (i.e., if you’re a regular person), you need to know how to clean up after yourself. Not doing so may damage the countertop. Here’s how to clean the most common countertop materials.
Marble
Marble offers a timeless aesthetic, but it comes with some downsides. One of those downsides is that it’s a reasonably high-maintenance material. Marble countertops can easily stain, be etched, or be scratched.
Fortunately, they can also just as easily be cleaned. All you’ll need to clean a marble countertop is some non-abrasive soap and warm water. For more stubborn stains (looking at you, red wine), mix water with baking soda to make a cleaning paste. Importantly, avoid acidic cleaners, like lemon juice, as these can damage the marble.
Granite
Unlike marble, granite doesn’t need much maintenance; in fact, it’s only second to quartz in the list of low-maintenance countertop materials.
That’s not to say that you can use any cleaner under the sun; while granite countertops are durable, because granite is porous, liquids can enter and damage it. Non-abrasive dish soap is all you’ll need to clean it, though. You can also use isopropyl alcohol to disinfect the surface.
Quartz
As mentioned above, quartz countertops require little to no maintenance. This refers in particular to engineered quartz, which is made of polymer resins and natural quartz. These countertops are resistant to virtually all kinds of damage.
Despite this, quartz countertops stand to benefit from occasional cleaning. As for granite and marble, mix warm water and non-abrasive dish soap to wipe down the countertop. You can also use a degreaser (don’t use bleach) to wipe off any grease on your counter. Additionally, you can use a scraper or putty knife to scrape off any dried buildup on your countertop. Lastly, like with granite, isopropyl alcohol is an appropriate disinfectant for quartz countertops.
These countertop materials are popular because of their functional and design advantages over virtually all other countertop materials. If you’re looking for kitchen countertops, get in touch with us, at GM Marble & Granite. We provide granite, quartz, and marble installation and fabrication services in Napa, Concord, and the Bay Area. Get in touch, and we’ll enhance your kitchen’s function, design, and value.