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Saturday 11 May 2013

How to Clean Granite Countertops

Cleaning and maintenance of granite countertops are very important to keep its original look.  And the cleaning is much easier when compared with other stones. Make sure you clean granite countertops daily or weekly once so that it sparkles.

Cleaning solution

For daily cleaning of the countertop, dust the surface with a sponge or soft cloth like microfiber and wash or wipe with warm water. After washing make sure the countertops are dried completely to avoid water spots. You can also use soft tissues instead of cloth. Do not use vinegar or any chemical or acid used in the bathroom for cleaning countertops as it will damage the surface of the granite stone. This depends on the type of granite. You can use liquid detergent once in a week for cleaning the countertop. You can also choose a good stone cleaner without any chemical for cleaning.

Removing Stains
Granite slabs usually doesn’t stain very easily. If something spills on the countertop, the first thing to do is wipe it off immediately to avoid spreading of the spill. The best way to remove a stain is to use a home made poultice. A poultice is nothing but a combination of an absorbent material and a chemical. The absorbent material may be a talc powder or flour. The chemical to be used depends on the type of stain. For oil stains, pure acetone is used. For coffee or tea stains, hydrogen peroxide can be used. For metal stains like rust or corrostion, a white powder named iron–out can be used.

Mix the absorbent and the chemical to create a paste with the consistency of a peanut butter and apply the paste on the stained area. The paste should overlap the stain about ½  an inch and the thickness of the paste layer should be 1/4th of an inch. Use a plastic wrap to cover the whole area and allow the paste to completely dry. Normally it may take 24 hours or sometimes more than that. After the paste is dried completely, wipe the paste completely with a scraper or cloth and wash it like the normal way. Much like with the color of vinyl siding, stains on a granite counter can show up more or less depending on their color. Darker colors are always better at hiding stains.






Polishing
Even though there are many polishing solutions available in the market for polishing the granite counter tops, you can use natural methods and ingredients for cleaning. Take one part of baking soda and mix it with three parts of water. Add few drops of liquid dishwashing soap to it and store this in a bottle. Whenever you want to clean the countertop, just spray the solution on the surface, spread it evenly along the whole surface, leave it for few minutes and wipe cleanly with a soft cloth. Instead of baking soda,rubbing alcohol can also be used.

Things to avoid
Prevention is better than cure and we can take some precautions to keep the granite countertops clean and beautiful. Avoid cutting vegetables or fruits directly on the countertop even though it won’t scratch easily. Do not put any heavy items on the edge of the countertops to prevent it from getting damaged. Avoid any cleaning product with acid, vinegar or any kind of chemical.

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