Maintenance and day-to-day care of countertops
When furnishing our kitchen, we dream of having aesthetic and practical solutions combined with modern design. If you want to achieve the desired effect, granite is the stone for you. It is aesthetic, practical and durable, and what is more it increases the value of your home and it creates a flair of luxury in your home.
Granite is the second hardest stone in the world right after diamond.It is molten rock, temperature resistant to any hot pot or any other hot object. Owing to its hard structure, it is not affected by most incidents that might happen in the kitchen. It is easy to be maintained. If professionally fitted, granite elements survive forever.
Despite being considered to be the most durable material, suitable for countertops and any other elements in our homes, granite has to be properly looked after.
The basic guidelines of how to use granite countertops:
Impregnate your countertop regularly - regular impregnation of a countertop decreases its absorbance, preventing liquids (e.g spilled grease) and other impurities from being absorbed by its surface.
Additionally, the proper impregnation makes the day-to-day cleaning of the impregnated countertop much easier. The countertop has to be impregnated just after being installed. This operation has to be repeated in accordance with the guidelines presented by the stonemason’s workshop.
Avoid products containing acids – cleaning products, which contain acids like phosphoric acid, lemon acid, vinegar acid or chloride acid damage the polished countertop surface. As a result, the stone becomes matt and gets damaged more easily. Acid is an active ingredient in cleaning solutions used to remove limescale. If we want to use natural cleaning products, water mixed with vinegar is the best choice.
Avoid using bleaches – all kinds of lotions and liquids, which contain chlorine can discolour a countertop. Marble surfaces are particularly sensitive to bleaches.
To maintain stone, do not use: window cleaning products, furniture cleaning products, fixture cleaners or any solutions containing silicone oil.
Do not leave wet stains on your countertop – neither wine and tea stains nor even the lemon juice stains damage the countertop surface provided they are removed instantly. However, if the surface is not properly impregnated and the stain is left for a few and tens of hours, it can be permanently discoloured.
In the case of countertop scratching or chipping, it is advisable to consult a professional stonemason’s workshop, which will take a decision how to reproduce the original stone finish. Most restoration works can be done as a call-out service, provided professional equipment is used.
