Have you ever wondered what happens if you don’t clean granite countertops? Well, plenty of things happen.
One of the things is that when you go for a long time without cleaning your countertops, oil spills, cut fruit, soap, cooking ingredients, and other materials leave stains on the surface.
The stains are often not apparent initially, and when you notice them, it’s often too late to remove them. So you are forced to live with the stain or incur huge bills replacing the countertops.
The other thing that will happen when you don’t clean your countertops is the surfaces become dull. One of the primary reasons homeowners install granite is its shiny, elegant look. When you don’t clean your counters for a long time, they lose their shine and turn to a dull, boring color that isn’t appealing to look at.
The final thing that happens is that you tend to have plenty of bacteria growing on your surfaces. In most cases, the bacteria are harmful to the health, and they pose a significant danger to those suffering from allergies.
How do you clean granite countertops?
To avoid the repercussions of not cleaning the countertops, you should regularly clean the surfaces. And you shouldn’t simply clean them—you should clean them properly.
How do you clean the countertops properly? Here is how to go about it:
Step 1: Squirt dish soap into a soft sponge
You don’t have to be sophisticated for regular cleaning—simple old mild dish soap and water are enough. Wet a sponge with water and squirt some dish soap into its center. Since granite scratches easy, you should use a soft sponge that won’t cause any damage to the surfaces.
After applying soap to the sponge, massage it until you see suds. You should then wring it out to not compromise the absorbent stone. Remember that granite discolors when you expose it to a lot of standing water.
Step 2: Wipe the counters.
After applying the right amount of water and soap on a sponge, the next thing you should do is gently wipe across the entire countertop in small, circular motions.
If you have got dried food on the countertops, apply some elbow grease to remove it. Wipe the entire countertop surface and ensure that it’s spotless.
Step 3: Dry the granite countertop
Once you are done, thoroughly dry the countertop. Doing this not only protects the granite from water damage, but also eliminates streaks and leaves the surface with an eye-catching, irresistible shine.
Things you should know when cleaning granite.
To get the most for your efforts, use the right cleaning products. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t use harsh or abrasive cleaners and sponges. This calls for you to avoid acidic cleaners such as lemon, lime, vinegar, or any product with bleach or ammonia.
This is because these products are too harsh to the countertops and often dull the surfaces, so you don’t get the shine you are looking for at the end.
Use a gentle cloth
As we mentioned above, granite scratches easily, so when you use a tough cloth or sponge, you are bound to scratch the surfaces.
To avoid this, use a nubby washcloth or microfiber. If a piece of cloth or sponge feels rough on your hands, it probably is too tough for your countertops, so you should stay away from it.
Keep the countertops sealed.
You might be wondering how sealing the countertops will give you the best cleaning results, but you should know that when you don’t clean your counters, they easily soak up oils, spills, and stains. As you can tell, this makes your cleaning work easy, and when you are done with cleaning, you often don’t get the shiny countertops you were looking forward to.
To have an easy time, seal your granite kitchen countertops Raleigh. The best way to go about it is to seal the surfaces at installation then once a year thereafter. Use high-quality sealing products and let an experienced professional handle the project for the best outcome.