Natural stone worktops give your home a stunning appearance and give your kitchen and bathroom a premium feel. However, many homeowners believe caring for natural stone is difficult and time-consuming. Natural stone is one of the greatest materials for countertops since it is extremely resilient and therefore less likely to be harmed by stains and scratches. They are also incredibly simple to maintain, which is something that many homeowners want.
It makes logical that homeowners frequently don’t want a time-consuming cleaning schedule! The greatest method to guarantee that you will keep up with cleaning and maintenance is to keep things as easy as you can. Choosing a countertop material that is less expensive upfront can end up costing you more in the long run in repairs and replacements. Natural stone countertops are the best option because they require little upkeep and last for years.
Contrarily, countertops made of marble, granite, quartz, and travertine are simple to maintain and can last a long time with adequate maintenance. To prevent damage, it is crucial to learn how to properly care for the natural stone you chose for your home. Here are some suggestions to keep your natural stone countertop in good condition.
1. To Prevent Stains, Seal Your Stone
Since most natural stone is porous, spilled food, liquids, and other items can leave stains on it. To avoid stains, the majority of natural stone counters should be carefully sealed and resealed as necessary. Here is a useful test to determine whether sealing is required for your countertops. A small amount of water should be applied to the areas that are used the most, and it should be wiped away after a few minutes.
If the area where the water was having a dark stain, it needs to be sealed because the stone absorbed the moisture. You can seal your stone yourself, but you might prefer to have a stone care professional do it so that the sealing is done correctly and all excess sealer is completely removed, which could dull or otherwise harm your stone’s aesthetic.
2. Only Clean Using Products That Are Safe For Stones
You should use a pH-neutral cleaner made especially for natural stone for routine cleaning. And, God forbid, never follow useless advice like cleaning your stone with vinegar and water. Stay away from any abrasive or acidic cleaning. Depending on the components in the soap, even washing your natural stone with dish soap and water can leave a filmy deposit and even cause discoloration. Glass cleaning can be much worse because it might eventually make the polish less shiny. By the way, be careful not to overspray glass cleaner while cleaning mirrors above delicate vanity tops.
3. Prevent Damage
Use coasters under glasses and clean up spills as soon as they happen since calcite-based stone, such as your onyx bar top and marble vanities, is sensitive to acidic spills. Avoid placing perfumes and cosmetics on fragile vanity tops; instead, use a nice tray to display them. There is no denying that granite is durable, but exercise moderate caution. The majority of natural granite can withstand heat but doesn’t take unwarranted risks. Place trivets beneath hot pans. reduce exposure to direct sunlight. Some stones may become dulled or tarnished when exposed to UV radiation. More so than the stone itself, this is a result of the fillers used on some stones. Although there are precautionary measures that can be taken, in most cases limiting direct exposure should be adequate.
4. Request Assistance When Needed
You must have a clean, polish, and seal service performed on your countertops every so often by your stone restoration professional. The nice thing about natural stone is that, in the hands of a skilled stone restoration contractor, it can be mended, honed, polished, and restored to as good as new if it becomes etched, dull, scraped, or otherwise damaged.
