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People would love to get a countertop for their house or their bathroom but there are many things that worry them about becoming a kitchen countertop owner. For one, it can be a big investment to buy a countertop for your kitchen. Another common problem is the fact that countertops are usually hard to maintain.
There are many options to choose from when it comes to countertop materials but one that easily stands out nowadays is quartz. Quartz isn’t a man-made countertop nor it is a natural stone countertop. Instead, Quartz fabricators would prefer describing the countertop as an engineered stone countertop instead.
It’s called as such because although it’s made of quartz – a natural stone, quartz countertops are actually mixed with binding resin as well. All in all, a quartz countertop usually contains around 90% quartz and the rest is the binding result. The result is an amazing kitchen countertop that’s both durable and easy to maintain.
Quartz is becoming one of the most popular countertops currently. It has already surpassed granite and it’s definitely inching onto marble.If you want to invest in quartz countertops for your home, then it might be time to call a fabricator for help. Once you do have your own quartz countertop, it’s time for a very important part of owning one – actually caring for it.
A quartz countertop is a lot easier to care for as compared to other natural stone countertops. By now, you’re asking, “how to clean quartz countertops” but that’s what we’re here to show you. If you want to make sure that you are getting the most out of your money, then here’s what you can do to protect this precious countertop.
Preventing Stains
One of the amazing qualities of quartz countertops is that it is a non-porous material. This shouldn’t be surprising though considering that quartz countertops are synthetic and then mixed with binding resins as well. If you want to prevent stains for your quartz countertops, you should still be careful about it too.
In general, you’d want to prevent any type of spillage on your quartz countertop. If there are some, you should do you best to have it cleaned and dried as quickly as possible. Although it’s non-porous, there’s still a good chance that the spillage is going to be absorbed by the countertop. If the liquid is spilled, there might be no staining.
However, that doesn’t mean you should just let things be if there aren’t any serious spills. As a general rule of thumb, you should clean it immediately if it’s just water. What can happen is that the water can get absorbed from within. This can result in the formation of mold and bacteria which is very harmful to your health.
Most importantly, avoid spilling any colored liquids on your quartz countertop. This includes coffee, wine, soy sauce, cola, and other dark colored drinks. If they get absorbed by the quartz countertop, what would happen is that it will permanently stain on your kitchen countertop which is definitely the last thing you’d want. This is bad because it’s near impossible to get rid of such stains.
To help clear stains easily, make sure that there is always a soft cloth that’s available near your quartz countertop. This will allow you to easily clean your countertop in case there are any spills that happen. It’s one of the best investments that money can buy and having a soft cloth to protect is just a minor inconvenience on your part.
Removing Tough Problems
The truth is that colored liquids and water are just the least of your worries. Since this is a kitchen countertop we are talking about, you can expect tougher stains like grease, dried oil, and many other things that will be very hard to remove. You think spilled liquids are a problem? Wait till you get a load of grease on your kitchen countertop.
To remove these stains, you’d want a non-abrasive sponge for your countertop. These are the sponges that are typically used for pots and paints and they don’t prevent scratching. While the surface is a bit rough, it’s not enough to cause scratching on your kitchen countertop. So that means that aside from the soft cloth, you’d also want a sponge ready at bay.
When using the sponge for your kitchen countertop, make sure to not rub it too hard on the surface. Just gently rub until you get the dried stain or grease out of the surface. This should come off easy if you spill a little hot water on the surface first as this should soften up the things on the countertop first. This is very effective for those tougher dried stains.
Best Cleaning Agents For Quartz Countertops
When cleaning any countertop made of natural stone – even engineered ones, you need to avoid using acidic cleaning agents or hard chemicals on your countertop. This means avoiding vinegar solutions, lemon solutions, bleach, and hard detergent. These are all bad cleaning agents for a natural stone surface.
At first, it would seem like these cleaning agents don’t do much to your countertop. However, they’ll begin to cause discoloration on your quartz countertop overtime. This is a serious problem that you’d want to avoid as once the discoloration begins, it will be impossible to bring back your countertop to its former luster.
For the cleaning agents, what you’d want to use are mild dish soaps which are mixed with water. This helps sanitize your kitchen countertop. Once you wipe spills off using this liquid, you should then wipe it down again with water. This can help clean off the dishsoap and make your surface less slippery.
You can also buy multi-surface cleaning liquids from your local hardware store. Just make sure to avoid ones that are too filled with chemicals. Some cleaning agents are good for stone countertops. Make sure to check the label if it can clean natural stone countertops safely if you want to keep your countertop protected from damage.
Cleaning your quartz countertop on a regular basis is definitely recommended but it’s not the deep clean that you might be looking for. Deep cleans are important for kitchen countertops because they are used for cooking. A deep clean kills all the bacteria and viruses that have developed on the surface. Experts suggest doing this at least once a week.
When doing a deep clean, the best course of action is to use a non-abrasive cleaner and then have it sit on your countertop surface for at least 10 minutes. This will be more than enough to kill the bacteria and mold. Make sure to clean the entire surface to truly prevent the growth of more problems on your countertop.
What Not To Do
We’ve talked about what you should do to clean and care for your countertop. Now, let’s talk about the things that you’d want to avoid doing. For starters, you’d want to avoid chopping or slicing things directly on your kitchen countertop. This is a bad idea that can result in scratches and damage that will last forever.
Ideally, you’d also want to use chopping boards or a butcher’s block on your kitchen countertop to prevent more damage from it. There are very few kitchen countertops that can actually be used for direct slicing and sadly, engineered stone countertops are not one of those surfaces.
It’s also best to avoid putting hot objects like hot pots and pans on your countertop. If you want to avoid discoloration and even cracks on your quartz countertop, then avoid putting these on your kitchen countertop. Try to use a trivet or a hot pad so that these absorb the heat for your countertop.
Last but not the least, do not install quartz countertops for outdoor kitchens. It’s not really the perfect countertop for outside use because exposure to the elements can lead to serious damage. When placed inside, it’s already perfect on its own so it’s useless trying to have it outside your house. It’s perfect for indoors – we can’t stress that enough.
As you can see, quartz countertops are indeed easier to care for as compared to other countertops such as marble, granite, and soapstone. There are many reasons why you should care for your quartz countertop and just one of those is the fact that if you’re going to be spending a ton of money for your countertop, it should at least last long.
It’s amazing what quartz countertops can do for your kitchen and house but in reality, you should be just as caring for it as it is useful to you. The only way to get your money’s worth with quartz is to know how to care for it properly. As such, we hope that these steps serve as a perfect guide for your countertop maintenance.
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