How to Clean Granite, and How Often

The most common questions we hear from homeowners is:

"How do I clean my granite? How often should I clean it? How often should it be resealed?"

How to Clean Granite

Granite is actually very simple to care for. The most important thing to remember is that whatever solution is used to clean your stone, it should be rather neutral. This is to keep the sealer from being removed during cleansing, which in turn prevents your granite from being open to attacks such as stains. A mild soapy water will do just the trick to lift oils and dirt off of the average granite countertop without eating away the sealer.

Photo Credit  Dustin Schmieding, Creative Commons

In addition to soapy water, some companies produce fancy cleaners for granite counters that may also appeal to the homeowner.

• Lustro Italiano makes Stone Cleanser Wipes specifically for stone countertops that can be safely used on a daily basis. 
• Ecostone Solutions makes a cleanser called Kleen Stone Plus for granite that has a particularly pleasing odor.

Granite-oriented cleaner will identify themselves as such on the label with the actual word "granite". But again, a mild soapy water solution will always be sufficient to clean granite countertop.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons,http://www.hwchomeworks.com/

How Often to Clean Granite

Cleaning granite countertops on a daily basis with a mild cleanser such as those stated above is a reasonable routine that will prevent build-up. Since the cleanser will be neutral, the sealer shouldn't wear away in less than a year. 

Warning: If harsh cleaning products such as bleach, ammonia, or other products like 409, expect your sealer to wear away quickly. When the sealer goes, your stone is open and more prone to soak up substances like coffee and wine, and therefore leave a stain.

Can Granite Countertops Burn?

Taking good care of your pretty granite countertops helps determine your actions in the kitchen. To preserve the look of the stone, home owners are sometimes afraid to set a hot pot or hot pan onto the surface of a granite counter for fear it will burn the stone, but this worry is unfounded. Granite is formed under intense heat, and can withstand a good deal of heat long after it is in your home.

In the shop, when granite slabs are being fabricated and formed into your counters, the blade cuts best if combined with running water. However, once the cut, the glue can only adhere to completely dry stone. In order to speed up the drying process, a flame torch is commonly turned onto the stone in order to dry every drop of water from the granite.

If a flame thrower does not injure the natural beauty of your stone, a hot pan can't really do any damage either!

The only situation that a flame torch might not be used to dry the water from a slab is when the slab is an engineered stone, also known as quartz. Companies that produce quartz slabs are Caesarstone, LG, Silestone, Cambria, Dal, etc. These slab surfaces are a combination of real granite and polymer glues, and the glues are the substances susceptible to burns. Because of this, quartz companies such as Cambria recommend a hot pad be placed between countertop and hot pans and crockpots.

The last instance where we have seen heat impact granite involved a black stone countertop that was exposed to direct California sun. A single slab of absolute black granite countertop covered the cabinets inside the kitchen, continued underneath a large window, and formed an outdoor bartop as well. The difference in temperature between the controlled household air and the open outdoors air, combined with a black surface absorbing the daily sun, caused the countertop to crack in many places. This situation was isolated, however, and does not represent a common occurrence in kitchens.

For a look at the stone we carry, please visit us at www.nssgranite.com

How Do I Know My Granite is Sealed?

Keeping a seal on natural stone is essential for it's maintenance. A good sealer will defend against stains and mold by preventing liquids from penetrating the stone's surface. If the sealer wears away or is degraded by substances such as bleach or lemon juice, how can we make this fact apparent to the naked eye?

There is a simple test to discover if a stone is properly sealed or not, and it is virtually free.

Using a spray bottle, squirt plain water onto the surface of granite, marble, travertine, or any natural stone surface.

Beaded water on sealed granite does not soak into stone.

If the water beads on the stone and does not soak into the stone at all, the seal on the stone is good. Water will bead when it cannot soak into the surface beneath it.

Unsealed travertine. The left side of this tile has been
soaked with water.

If the water eventually soaks into the stone, leaving a slightly darker mark where the water has soaked in, you have unsealed or improperly sealed stone. The best action at that time is to find the proper sealer that is suited to your purposes and seal the granite, marble, travertine, etc.

For an extensive granite selection on the central coast of California, please go to www.nssgranite.com and browse our marble and granite slabs.

For the best prices on marble, travertine, and granite sealers, please go to www.nssgranitetools.com today!

Care and Maintenance of Natural Stone

In order to protect and maintain your stone, many granite fabricators recommend cleaning with water and a mild, PH balanced soap. Dish soap is a perfectly fine cleaner for granite, travertine, and marble.

Oro Brasil Granite 

In addition, there are several cleaners that are specifically designed for stone. These cleaners can be found in the typical hardware store. They will identify themselves as "granite", "marble", or "travertine" cleaners on the label, and it is important to look for that claim when shopping.

When caring for natural stones such as granite, marble, and travertine, do avoid abrasive cleaners, glass cleaners, and bleach. Abrasive cleaners such as Ajax can scratch the polished surface of your stone. Glass cleaners and bleach will remove your sealer, increasing your risk for stains.

After a penetrating sealer is applied to the stone, it will last anywhere between 1 and 3 years, depending on the type of cleaner you use and how often you clean it.

The re-application of sealer is an easy process. We carry stone sealers for sale at Natural Stone Source, and once the sealer is purchased, re-sealing your stone is a simple matter of spreading the product on, wiping the excess off, and allowing it to dry for up to an hour.