Due to their tough nature, it’s tempting to want to cut directly on your quartz countertops.
Can you chop on quartz? Yes, you can do it, but you don’t have to. As much as you will find quartz in most commercial kitchens, chefs don’t cut directly on it. In fact, they make it clear that every staff using the kitchen should use a cutting board, even if quartz is known to be highly resistant to scratching.
Even if quartz is tough and scratch-resistant and you won’t immediately notice the scratches when you cut directly on it, when you repeatedly cut on the surfaces, you wear out the seal that quartz surfaces are fabricated with, which means that the food substances start going past the surface and into the core, damaging your precious countertops.
Due to the drawbacks of chopping directly on quartz, you should avoid doing it, at all times.
Other things you shouldn’t do on your quartz countertops
Besides not chopping on quartz, there are plenty of other things you shouldn’t do to keep your surfaces in top shape. These things include:
Don’t chip the corners
While quartz surfaces are highly chip-resistant, they aren’t chip-proof. This means that when you exert enough pressure on them, they are bound to chip away, and you are left with worn-out, ugly countertop surfaces.
To avoid this, take extra caution, especially around the corners, sinks, and dishwashers.
If your kitchen is too busy and you suspect there will be unavoidable chips, install multi-colored surfaces that hide chips more than monotone designs.
Avoid concentrated bleach and cleaners.
Cleaning is one of the excellent ways to keep your countertops in top shape, but you should be cautious of the bleach and cleaner you use as some cleaners contain bleach and other harmful products that can damage your countertops.
In most cases, all you need is soap and water to keep your surfaces in top shape, but if you have to use cleaning products, pay close attention to the contents and ensure that it doesn’t contain any bleach.
You should avoid acidic cleaners the same way you should stay clear of high pH cleaners as they cause the same damage as acidic cleaners.
Avoid writing the countertops.
A clean and well-maintained quartz surface is inviting, and you might be tempted to write on it, but don’t, as writings on the countertops gives them a cheap look. The situation is even worse when you write using permanent markers that won’t come out.
In the event, the kids write or draw on the countertops, move with haste, remove the marks using a dry cloth, and rinse with warm water.
Avoid cooking grease
You will rarely have your quartz countertops in the kitchen, and they go for a long time without getting greased. When grease splashes on your countertops, don’t worry. Instead, simply clean it using soap and water. If this doesn’t remove the grease, use a degreasing product.
To avoid damage, ensure that the product doesn’t have bleach or any other lethal contents that can damage your quartz surfaces.
Don’t keep solvents and chemicals on the countertops
Keep the solvents and powerful chemicals away from your countertops. These include: paint removers, furniture strippers, nail polish remover, oil soaps, bluing, and any other product.
If you have to have these chemicals on the countertops, don’t place them directly there. Instead, have a solid container to hold the products you are sure won’t leak.
Don’t place hot items on the countertops.
Quartz countertops are heat resistant but not heatproof. This means that you might get away with placing hot items directly on the countertops, but when you repeatedly do it, it’s a matter of time before you cause extensive damage.
You shouldn’t place hot items directly on the countertops to avoid this. Instead, have hot mats and trivets in a place where you put the hot items after removing them from the oven. The hot things that shouldn’t come into contact with your quartz kitchen countertops NC are: frying pans, crock pots, griddles, roaster ovens, and heat lamps.