Much of the work to make your stone countertops retain their shine won’t even require picking up a sponge. But it will mean keeping an eye out for ways to protect your countertop surfaces. Like your beloved dining room table, it’s best to keep moisture and heat from making direct contact with your stone countertops. Use coasters for mugs, glasses, bottles and cans. The condensation that leaves an unattractive ring on wood can leave water stains on a granite counter if left for too long, particularly if the granite isn’t sealed.
To keep your granite beautiful for the long term, try to avoid most of the household cleaners you’d use elsewhere in the house, like bleach, glass cleaners, grout cleaners or bathroom surface cleaners. Many of these cleaners contain acids and abrasives, which can eat away at granite sealer, and make your countertops vulnerable to staining.
If you’re storing cooking oils on your kitchen granite countertops, or liquid toiletries, there might be overlooked leaks that could damage your countertops. By storing your go-to cooking oils in a cupboard, or slipping a tray under your liquid dispensers in the bathroom, you can save yourself time and money when it comes to future granite cleaning.
When it comes to heat, granite is pretty sturdy, but putting trivets under pots, pans and teapots will keep the heat from becoming too much for granite. And use a cutting board for food prep. It’s as much for the safety of your granite as it is your knives. Cutting on granite can dull your knives, in addition to scratching the stone.
If there are any spills on your counter, immediate cleanup should nip any would-be stains in the bud. Preventative measures to keep your countertops clean helps keep your countertops shining. Using stone polish, such as the one offered by Rock Doctor, is essential. A good stone polish will lend your countertops a bit of water resistance, and any carnauba wax in your stone polish will help fill any of the tiny cracks in your stone countertop surfaces. By filling in those little dings and cracks, stone polish or sealer gives your countertop a more seamless, shining appearance without any distracting dull spots. Make sure your stone polish doesn’t contain any acidic ingredients, and remember to follow the directions on the can. Between minding your countertops during food prep, and a weekly wipe down with some stone polish, you’ll keep your countertops shining for years to come. Though using a good stone polish on your countertops is a weekly task, daily countertop cleaning is going to help that stone polish shine stay fresh. The same things to keep in mind about a good stone polish’s ingredients are the same thing to look for in your granite cleaner. Cleaning your countertops with a cleaner suitable for granite will keep from accidentally undoing the gorgeous shine left by your stone polish.
This article was brought to you by Rock Doctor, which offers a line of specially-formulated stone cleaner, stone polish, and stone sealer products. Rock Doctor stone care products can be purchased through a number of fine retail stores, including Wal-Mart, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ace Hardware, Do it Best Hardware, Hy-Vee, and Wegmans.
