Tag Archives: kitchen countertop guide

How Not To Clean Your Kitchen Countertops

As a responsible homeowner, you want to keep your kitchen countertops, don’t you? As much as this is a great move, you should note that some things might not work to your advantage, and you shouldn’t do them. Which are these things? Here they are:

Using vinegar And Baking Soda On Grout

You might think using vinegar and baking powder to clean grout can benefit your surfaces, but this isn’t the case. In fact, it often ends up being more harmful.

This is because vinegar and baking soda have been shown to make the grout harder to clean.

Another trick that doesn’t work is using abrasive scrubbers or steel wool on tile surfaces because they can scratch and damage the tile.

The solution is to stop using cleaning hacks that don’t work and use a pH-neutral cleaner made for tile and grout. This is a great way to eliminate dirt and grime without damaging the surfaces.

Cleaning kitchen counters with bleach

Many homeowners will use bleach after handling raw meat, poultry, or fish. While this might seem like a great idea, it isn’t. the reason is that bleach is dangerous for people, pets, wild animals, aquatic life, and the environment.

The harmful nature of bleach comes from the volatile organic compounds made by bleach fumes which can cause asthma, COPD, chronic lung problems, allergic reactions, and headaches.

Instead of using bleach to clean your counters, use 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill germs on a surface after you’ve cleaned it.

Using lemon juice

Using lemon juice to clean might seem like a cheap way to keep things shiny, but lemon juice is acidic and can damage many surfaces, like marble and granite countertops.”

Instead of using lemon juice, which could make things worse, try using natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to clean and scrub in the kitchen and bathroom.

Putting baking soda and vinegar together on countertops

Many homemade cleaning products use vinegar and baking soda together, but you shouldn’t do this because these ingredients have been shown to work much better when used separately.

When you mix the two, you get nothing but water and salt after a fizzy show that promises shiny counters. You might be wondering how this happens, but it’s basic chemistry. Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. As a result, they cancel each other out when they’re together.

The best way to use them is to use an equal amount of vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean the kitchen and bathroom.

Vinegar is a great disinfectant. Ensure not to use it on natural stone, as the acid can damage your surfaces. If you have stains, baking soda is a great way to eliminate them.

Tricks to make it easy to clean your countertops

The first step to making your kitchen easier to clean is to get rid of things that don’t belong there. Once you’ve removed things you no longer use and rearranged your cabinets to make things easier to find, find a way to clean your surfaces daily.

The cool thing is that you don’t need any special things—all you need are the right habits, like wiping down surfaces everyday and washing and putting away dishes as soon as you have used them.

Some homeowners have the impression they need different cleaners, but this isn’t the case. All you need is one good quality surfactant or soap to clean everything. As you can tell, you keep your kitchen clean and have an easier time as you don’t need to think about different products.

Getting a kitchen organized in a way that works well will also help. For example, store the cups, bowls, and plates in cabinets within arm’s reach of the dishwasher. This makes it easy to unload because everything is right there.

If you have a lot of work to do in the kitchen, like mopping, wiping down surfaces, or scrubbing tile grout lines, break up the work into smaller pieces and do it over several days if you need to. This will not only prevent you from getting too tired, but it also helps you to stay motivated.

Parting shot

These are some ways you shouldn’t clean your granite kitchen countertops Raleigh or any other ones you might have installed in your kitchen. The key to keeping your countertops clean is to keep it simple. When dirt happens, move fast and get rid of it. While at it, ensure that you are using the right cleaning products.

 

How Do You Revive Dull Marble?

One of the primary reasons many homeowners install marble countertops in their homes is because they love their shiny, polished look. Unfortunately, the countertops lose their shiny look due to constant use and poor care.

When the countertops lose their original shine, many homeowners have the impression that the only way they can have shiny countertops again is to replace the dull ones with new ones.

Fortunately, this isn’t the case. This is because there are ways you can revive dull countertops. Some of the things you can do to achieve this include:

Clean the countertops

Sometimes all you need to do is to clean the countertops. And the good thing is that it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Start spraying the countertops with a mild stone cleaner, then wipe it off with a soft dry cloth. If you don’t have the budget or can’t find a commercial stone cleaner, you can always use mild dishwashing soap on a damp piece of cloth.

You should apply the soap on the cloth, then use the cloth to wipe and clean the marble.

When cleaning the surfaces, do not let the soap stay on them for too long, as it can cause stains. The best way to go about it is to rinse the soap off with water as soon as you are done cleaning, then wipe the surfaces dry after that.

If the above cleaning method doesn’t work, use one part of hydrogen peroxide and two parts of water. Take care not to use too much hydrogen peroxide, as you can easily damage the surfaces.

Sand the surfaces

Cleaning the countertops will eliminate minor stains, but if the surface damage is severe and the debris, soot, and dirt have seeped into the countertop surfaces, cleaning the surfaces won’t cut—you need a tougher way to go about it.

One of these ways is to sand the surfaces. Start with cleaning the surfaces until they are thoroughly clean and free of dirt or debris. You should then choose the right sandpaper depending on the nature of the surfaces.

If the surfaces are heavily scratched or damaged, start with a grit of 60, but if they are a little smoother, you can start with a grit of 120.

You should then wet the surface with a damp cloth to reduce the dust created by sanding.

Once wet, sand the surface in a circular motion while applying light pressure. To prevent the surface from clogging with marble dust, keep the sandpaper wet while you do the sanding.

You should continue sanding until you can no longer see the scratches and damage.

Once you are done, wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove any remaining dust and debris.

Finally, dry the surface with a soft, dry cloth. If necessary, polish the surface using a marble polishing compound and a soft cloth.

Use an etch remover

If you have tried sanding the countertops but still don’t look as polished as they should, consider using an etch remover to remove the etch marks.

The etches on your countertops can be brought about by several factors, such as using acidic substances on your countertops.

An etch remover is designed to remove these etch marks leaving your countertops looking clean and shiny.

To remove the etches and polish your countertops, you should start by cleaning the surfaces to remove all the dirt and debris.

Following the instructions given on the etch remover, use the right amount of product. Using a clean cloth, you should apply the product on all the etch marks on the countertops.

For the best outcome, rub the etch remover gently on the etch marks in a circular motion. As you do it, take care not to use too much pressure that can lead to damage to the counters.

You should let the etch remover sit on the countertops for the recommended time, then rinse it with clean water. Finally, dry the countertops with a soft, dry cloth and if necessary, apply countertop polish.

Parting shot

These are some of the ways in which you can restore the dull on your marble kitchen countertops NC. You can do the polishing yourself, but let an expert do the work for the best outcome.