Granite is one of the most visually appealing stone surfaces out there, but maintaining this beauty does require just a bit of care. In particular, occasional cleaning is important for granite — and performing the right tasks here, while avoiding certain off-limits areas, will keep your granite countertops looking fantastic for years to come.
At Creative Granite & Design, we’re proud to offer a wide range of granite countertops to all our clients. We provide the most luxurious granite products you can find, plus expertise on how to care for them over a long period of time to get maximum value from them. This two-part blog series will go over some basics on how to properly clean your granite countertops — materials to use, areas to avoid, and some essential tips on removing stains and adding long-term protective seals.
Cleaning Materials
Here are the basic items you’ll need on-hand to clean your granite countertops:
- A soft sponge and at least one microfiber cloth
- Mild dish soap (avoid chlorine, ammonia or other harsh chemicals)
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Baking soda
- A bowl and spoon
- Plastic wrap
Once you have these lined up, move forward from here.
Step 1: Dish Soap Into Sponge
For standard granite countertop cleaning, all you’ll need is some mild dish soap — ideally diluted into warm water. Simply wet your sponge with water from your tap, then squirt some dish soap onto it.
We mentioned the need for a soft sponge above, and this is very important. Too rough a surface, and the granite itself will get scratched. This is also why we recommend microfiber cloths over any abrasive scrubbers, which should not be used on granite materials.
Step 2: Wring Out Sponge
As you would in many other situations, massage the sponge until you see suds: this means that the dish soap has been fully dispersed through the water and into your sponge. Wring it out pretty strongly — you don’t want your granite, which is a porous and absorbent stone, to pick up standing water. Rather, there should be just enough moisture left to activate the dish soap itself, but no more.
Step 3: Wipe the Counters
Now it’s time for the real meat of the job. Gently, carefully wipe across your counters with the sponge, using a back-and-forth motion or a circular approach. Beware that certain issues will take more elbow grease to work out than others, and that certain surfaces (especially duller areas) will require more soap application; for this reason, you should avoid applying too much dish soap to your granite, as this may leave streaks.
For more on how to clean your granite countertops using nothing but basic household items, or to learn about any of our stone countertops or related services, speak to the staff at Creative Granite & Design today.
