Natural Stone Countertop Care
The Dos and Don’ts of Your Natural Stone Countertops
DO NOT LEAVE oils (i.e. cooking oils, bottled oils bacon grease, peanut butter, mayonnaise, basically anything with an oil base, etc.) and acidic foods (i.e. lemon, oranges, etc.) on your stone for a long period of time. It can penetrate into your stone and leave darkened areas. Acidic substances can discolor some stone. Marble can lose its factory shine, for instance.
Clean up after using the above items. Use a mixture of soap and water to clean. Do not use any commercial cleaners which you need to dilute with water. For stains, mix baking soda and water, rub it very lightly onto the spot, then wipe it off with a clean rag.
Buff the counter with a very fine dry steel wool to get rid of stubborn stains on the stone.
Granite can withstand hot items. Placing hot plates out of the oven or stove on your counters will not damage the stone.
You must clean your counters thoroughly before sealing them. After that, you must seal them only once a year. Never seal your polished countertops with a water based sealer (white in color). Water based sealers are not as effective on polished surfaces. Water based sealers are better in a honed or natural stone because they will bring out the color.
Never use Scotch Brite, "SOS" pads or anything else highly abrasive to clean your countertops.
The shine of your stone is as good as it can be. Do not buy any products claiming to be a stone wax.
Never stand on your countertops.
Never slide aluminum pots across your stone. It can leave metal skid marks.