How to Maintain Your Granite Countertops

Natural stone like granite offers unparalleled beauty for your kitchen or bath. If you’ve made the investment in granite countertops, you’ll want to protect that investment and keep them looking beautiful. Here are our tips to best maintain granite countertops:

Sealing

Granite can be a porous stone, meaning that liquids and other contaminants can enter the pores in the stone and cause stains and damage. It’s important to note that only 10-20% of granite counters require sealing. In most cases, it’s best to keep the stone natural. If your countertop requires sealing, this should be done upon installation and then resealed every three to five years.

Cleaning

Use a mild soap and water to clean your granite countertops. While granite is very durable, it’s not advisable to use harsh or acidic cleansers or highly abrasive cleansers or cleaning implements. For spills, be sure to blot, rather than wipe the spill and to clean with soap and water after the spill is soaked up.

Heat

Granite is highly heat resistant, but we still recommend that you use hot pads, trivets, etc. when placing hot pots and pans onto the counter surface.

Stains

Depending on the type and severity of the stain, you may be able to remove stains from your countertop.

Type of stain: Organic (food, coffee, wine, etc.)
Treatment: 12% Hydrogen peroxide + few drops of ammonia

Type of stain: Oil/grease (cosmetics, cooking oils, etc.)
Treatment: Household cleanser + mineral spirits/detergent/acetone

Type of stain: Metal (rust)
Treatment: Poultice

Type of stain: Ink
Treatment: Bleach/peroxide (for light stones) or paint thinner/acetone (for dark stones)

For large or difficult to remove stains, or unidentifiable stains, it may be best to call in a granite professional to treat and remove the stain.

Cracks, Chips, and Damage

If your countertop gets chipped, cracked, or suffers other damage, such as separation from the sink or dishwasher, be sure to contact a professional to have it repaired. Leaving issues unattended can cause further damage, which may end up being irreparable and resulting in the need for replacement.

If you’ve never had granite countertops, you may have heard from others that they require a lot of maintenance. That just isn’t true! Granite is durable, high-performance stone that requires a low level of care and maintenance to keep it looking good. If you follow the simple care tips above, you can keep your counters beautiful, without much extra work.

Interested in new granite countertops? Kowalski Granite and Quartz is here to help! Contact us today for more information.