Tips for Effectively and Safely Cleaning Your Countertops

The Kitchen Master

The Kitchen Master specializes in custom kitchen countertops that will provide durability and aesthetically pleasing style to your home for many years. Because a lot of time and thought go into the selecting, designing, and constructing of new countertops, it’s very important to take care of them appropriately. Different materials require different means of cleaning, and below we’ve laid out the best methods for keeping your countertops in great shape, no matter the kind you have installed in your home.

Marble & Granite Countertops

Cleaning: Cleaning these types of surfaces is relatively easy as you can simply concoct a solution of warm water and mild dish soap, wiping the counter dry with a non-abrasive microfiber towel.

Removing Stains: Marble is very porous and may stain easily. Make a paste with baking soda and water for oil-based stains or hydrogen peroxide for water-based stains, apply it to the stained areas and wrap the paste in plastic, and let it sit overnight or a few days. Afterwards, rinse it off and wipe it dry. A spot test is recommended to ensure the paste won’t negatively affect your specific countertop.

Sealing: Have granite surfaces re-sealed once a year and marble every few months.

Wood/Butcher Block Countertops

Cleaning: Wood countertops can be easily maintained by using a non-abrasive cleaner, warm water and soap, or distilled white vinegar to remove any germs. Stuck-on food and other items can be gently removed with a spatula or something similar.

Removing Stains: Use a lemon and sprinkle some salt directly over the stain, rinsing it off with a vinegar and water solution.

Sealing: Considering wood and butcher block countertops tend to easily warp and crack, they should be re-sealed monthly or quarterly with a food-grade oil or wax to prevent them from drying out.

Laminate Countertops

Cleaning: Laminate it a relatively low-maintenance option to consider. Avoid abrasive solutions or tools, like steel wool, and stick to water and a mild detergent, wiping it dry once clean.

Removing Stains: Make a paste from baking soda and water and leave it on the stain for roughly 5 minutes, gently wiping it off afterwards.

Sealing: No sealing necessary!

Quartz & Engineered Countertops

Cleaning: As is common with many other types of countertops, these can efficiently be cleaned with warm water and a mild dish detergent.

Removing Stains: Although these are mostly stain-resistant, a glass cleaner and gentle sponge can be used to remove any present stains that won’t budge.

Sealing: Luckily, these surfaces don’t require a seal and will still look flawless for many years.

Stainless Steel Countertops

Cleaning: Arguably one of the easiest countertop materials to maintain, stainless steel only requires a wipe down with water and soap. Streaks can be buffed out with a microfiber towel and stainless steel-specific cleaner. Avoid abrasive tools as they can scratch the surface.

Removing Stains: Using a soft cloth with a solution made of dish soap or lemon juice and baking soda is effective at removing stains, although stainless steel (as the name suggests) is less prone to staining than other materials.

Sealing: While stainless steel doesn’t need to be sealed, it benefits from a good polishing on occasion. You can do so by rubbing a microfiber cloth over a stainless steel polish.

Soapstone Countertops

Cleaning: Soapstone is rather low-maintenance and can be cleaned with virtually any multipurpose cleaner, so long as it’s non-abrasive.

Removing Stains: As soapstone is a nonporous material, it fortunately doesn’t scratch or stain easily. Stains can also be removed with a multipurpose cleaner, or you can use sandpaper that’s no rougher than 80 grit to buff out stains, finishing the process with mineral oil.

Sealing: With this material, the choice of whether or not to seal it depends solely on how you want your countertops to age. You can either use mineral oil that will eventually darken the material, or you can leave it alone to see how it changes over time.