Did you know that your granite countertops can be destroyed even by the most mundane things? Here are some of the things that can wreak havoc:
Raw meat
As much as it appears harmless, raw meat can be highly harmful to your countertops. The harm comes when the fluids from the meat seep into the granite layers.
Here bacteria and other microbes grow and not only give your countertops an ugly look, but also easily give you food poisoning.
The situation is even worse when you decide to chop the meat on your countertops. As much as granite appears tough, it’s not immune to knife damage. This means that when you decide to chop the meat directly on the surfaces, you are bound to damage your precious countertops.
Don’t make it a habit to place your raw meat directly on the countertops to protect your surfaces. When you accidentally do it, move with haste to clean and disinfect the surfaces.
As you use disinfectants, be cautious, as you can easily cause more harm than good. As a rule of thumb, don’t use vinegar or bleach solutions as they have been shown to discolor the countertops. In other cases, they have been shown to cause extensive wear and tear.
To protect your surfaces, don’t cut directly on them. Instead, always have a chopping board on hand.
Hot pans
The other thing that will destroy your countertops is a hot pan. As much as granite appears tough, it’s not fireproof.
You might get away with placing hot pans on your countertops a couple of times, but when you repeatedly do it, you stand, causing significant damage to the surfaces.
It’s normal to have accidental slips and place the hot pans on your surfaces, but to stay on the safe side, don’t place hot pans or any other hot item on your surfaces. The right way to go about it is always to have trivets or hot pads on your surfaces.
If you don’t have these, always let the pans and hot pots cool completely before you place them on the countertops.
Food
Yes, you read that right. Food can be harmful to your countertops. A classic example is a red wine. As much as it makes you feel relaxed and happy, red wine is acidic and can be extremely harmful to the countertops when you let them sit for a long time.
The acids in the wine etch the countertop surfaces, degrading the seal and exposing the vulnerable stone underneath. This not only gives your countertops an ugly look but also makes your countertops develop stains that are hard to remove.
To protect your countertops and keep them in perfect shape, ensure that you wipe all the spills as soon as they happen. As mentioned above, don’t use harsh liquids such as vinegar and others as they might cause more problems than were originally there.
Children
You must have visited a friend and found them bathing their child in the kitchen sink. While this looks fun, don’t try it in your kitchen.
This is because doing it puts too much pressure on the countertop sink, putting it at risk of getting damaged.
As much as the sink in your kitchen appears tough, it’s not designed to handle too much weight. This means that placing the baby in the sink increases the chances of it getting damaged.
Regardless of how happy you want to make the baby, don’t bathe them in the sink—use your regular bathing area for this.
The same way you shouldn’t use the kitchen sink for bathing your child is the same way you shouldn’t sit or stand on your countertops.
Most homeowners are guilty of this. They will sit on their countertops while waiting for the food to cook. Others will stand on the surfaces as they reach the top shelf or replace the bulbs.
To protect your granite kitchen countertops Durham, don’t sit or stand on them. Have a chair to sit on while in the kitchen. It’s also wise to have a ladder to step on when looking to replace the bulb or reach the top shelf.
