The short and sweet answer is no. It’s unwise to place hot things directly on the countertops. This is because the resin on the countertops isn’t as heat resistant as natural stone. Due to this, placing a hot item such as a hot pan will scorch the surfaces, leaving a permanent spot of discoloration, and you don’t want this, do you?
To ensure that your quartz countertops don’t have any damage, you should protect them from harm. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to go about it. These ways include:
Always use potholders and trivets
Potholders are made from cloth or silicon squares, allowing you to grab the hot handles of your pots, so you have an easy time moving your pots from the stove. You can also slip the potholders underneath your hot pot, which comes in handy to protect the counter or table surface.
On the other hand, a trivet is designed for the countertop or table. Trivets are usually thicker or more rigid than potholders and can be quite decorative.
To ensure that you never place the hot pot directly on the countertop, keep the trivets or potholders strategically in an area you can easily reach.
Whether you are interested in trivets or potholders, ensure that you go for high-quality ones that will withstand the test of time.
Lay out the heat mats and towels
Heat mats are similar to trivets but are made from materials such as bamboo rolls, wood blocks, hand towels, and even silicon mats.
When handling hot pans, heat mats create a safe counter space where you can set the pans without worrying about damaged countertops.
Again, like the trivets, get high-quality thick heat mats that protect your surfaces.
Protect your curling iron
Have you installed quartz countertops in your bathroom? You should be cautious of the curling irons and straightening plates as, like hot pans, they can damage your countertops.
When any hot part of the hair tools comes in contact with your countertops, it’s bound to leave unsightly scorch marks, and you don’t want this on your surfaces, do you?
Have spoon rests to ensure that your countertops never get damaged by the hot hair straightening tools. You can also have a stylish trivet-like mat in your bathroom where you place your curling iron.
Make use of coasters.
Rarely will tea and coffee mugs burn through your quartz countertops, but you shouldn’t take the risk as there have been cases where the countertops have been damaged by the repeated placement of hot tea cups on the countertops.
To protect your countertops, always place coasters on the surfaces that will protect the countertops from burning.
Use serving dishes
When serving food, always use serving dishes. While the bottoms of these dishes will get warm, they won’t be dangerously hot that they damage the countertops.
Other tricks to protect your countertops
Besides preventing hot items from landing on your countertops, you can do plenty of other things to keep your countertops looking great. Some of these things include:
Don’t let spills dry on the countertops
You can’t stay away from spills on your kitchen and bathroom countertops, but you should always ensure that they don’t dry on your counters.
When you are tired, it’s tempting to want to finish your meal and wipe the spills later, but you shouldn’t do this as the spills usually dry on surfaces that are hard to remove.
To avoid this, always move with haste and get rid of the spills as soon as they happen.
To prevent spills from coming about in the first place, be cautious of the liquids you handle around your countertops. Keep soda, coffee, wine, and even cooking oils from your counters as a rule of thumb.
Clean the countertops properly
How you clean the countertops comes in handy in determining how your countertops look. To maintain a clean look of your quartz kitchen countertops Durham, clean your surfaces using warm, soapy water.
You should avoid highly alkaline products such as acidic cleaners, degreasers, and glass cleaners, as they are too tough and tend to harm your counters.