Tag Archives: kitchen countertops care

Can You Chop On Quartz?

Due to their tough nature, it’s tempting to want to cut directly on your quartz countertops.

Can you chop on quartz? Yes, you can do it, but you don’t have to. As much as you will find quartz in most commercial kitchens, chefs don’t cut directly on it. In fact, they make it clear that every staff using the kitchen should use a cutting board, even if quartz is known to be highly resistant to scratching.

Even if quartz is tough and scratch-resistant and you won’t immediately notice the scratches when you cut directly on it, when you repeatedly cut on the surfaces, you wear out the seal that quartz surfaces are fabricated with, which means that the food substances start going past the surface and into the core, damaging your precious countertops.

Due to the drawbacks of chopping directly on quartz, you should avoid doing it, at all times.

Other things you shouldn’t do on your quartz countertops

Besides not chopping on quartz, there are plenty of other things you shouldn’t do to keep your surfaces in top shape. These things include:

Don’t chip the corners

While quartz surfaces are highly chip-resistant, they aren’t chip-proof. This means that when you exert enough pressure on them, they are bound to chip away, and you are left with worn-out, ugly countertop surfaces.

To avoid this, take extra caution, especially around the corners, sinks, and dishwashers.

If your kitchen is too busy and you suspect there will be unavoidable chips, install multi-colored surfaces that hide chips more than monotone designs.

Avoid concentrated bleach and cleaners.

Cleaning is one of the excellent ways to keep your countertops in top shape, but you should be cautious of the bleach and cleaner you use as some cleaners contain bleach and other harmful products that can damage your countertops.

In most cases, all you need is soap and water to keep your surfaces in top shape, but if you have to use cleaning products, pay close attention to the contents and ensure that it doesn’t contain any bleach.

You should avoid acidic cleaners the same way you should stay clear of high pH cleaners as they cause the same damage as acidic cleaners.

Avoid writing the countertops.

A clean and well-maintained quartz surface is inviting, and you might be tempted to write on it, but don’t, as writings on the countertops gives them a cheap look. The situation is even worse when you write using permanent markers that won’t come out.

In the event, the kids write or draw on the countertops, move with haste, remove the marks using a dry cloth, and rinse with warm water.

Avoid cooking grease

You will rarely have your quartz countertops in the kitchen, and they go for a long time without getting greased. When grease splashes on your countertops, don’t worry. Instead, simply clean it using soap and water. If this doesn’t remove the grease, use a degreasing product.

To avoid damage, ensure that the product doesn’t have bleach or any other lethal contents that can damage your quartz surfaces.

Don’t keep solvents and chemicals on the countertops

Keep the solvents and powerful chemicals away from your countertops. These include: paint removers, furniture strippers, nail polish remover, oil soaps, bluing, and any other product.

If you have to have these chemicals on the countertops, don’t place them directly there. Instead, have a solid container to hold the products you are sure won’t leak.

Don’t place hot items on the countertops.

Quartz countertops are heat resistant but not heatproof. This means that you might get away with placing hot items directly on the countertops, but when you repeatedly do it, it’s a matter of time before you cause extensive damage.

You shouldn’t place hot items directly on the countertops to avoid this. Instead, have hot mats and trivets in a place where you put the hot items after removing them from the oven. The hot things that shouldn’t come into contact with your quartz kitchen countertops NC are: frying pans, crock pots, griddles, roaster ovens, and heat lamps.

How Do You Clean Kitchen Countertops

To get rid of bacteria and keep your kitchen countertops looking spectacular, you have to clean them. Wondering how do you clean kitchen countertops? There is no one way to do it as different countertop materials have different cleaning methods. Some of the ways to clean these materials include:

Cleaning granite and marble countertops

Besides being one of the most popular countertop materials, they also share the same cleaning regimen. You need water, baking soda, tape, dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and plastic wrap to clean the countertops.

You need to use warm water and mild dish soap, then follow up with a microfiber towel to shine the countertops. As a rule of thumb, avoid abrasive or acidic cleaners that will strip the sealer and etch the stone, exposing the countertop to stains.

Are there stains on the countertops? Use a baking soda and water paste to remove the oil-based stains. If the stains are water-based, remove them using hydrogen peroxide paste.

Apply the paste on the countertop, then cover it with plastic wrap. Tape down the edges, then let the paste sit on the stained area overnight.

The following morning, rinse off the paste. If the stain is still there, repeat the process until it goes away.

You should note that the paste can sometimes affect the color or the finish of the stone. To ensure this doesn’t happen to your countertops, spot test the paste before applying it to a large area.

To protect the countertops from stains, seal them regularly. As a bare minimum, seal them at least once every year.

How to clean wood countertops

To clean wood countertops, you need: distilled white vinegar, warm water, lemon, salt, spatula, nonabrasive cleaner, spatula, and microfiber cloths.

For spectacular-looking wooden countertops, clean them daily with a homemade mix of warm water with a splay of distilled white vinegar or a non-abrasive cleaner.

Before cleaning, always get rid of any food residues using a scraper or metal pastry. Once the countertops are clean, wipe them, so they are completely dry.

If there are any stains on the countertops, remove them using a lemon. Cut a lemon in half, then sprinkle salt directly on the stain. You should then use the lemon half to rub in the salt then once you are done, clean off the salt and lemon juice with water and vinegar.

While it might sound weird, you need to seal your solid wood countertops with food-grade oil or wax. This is to prevent the countertops from warping and cracking.

Cleaning laminate countertops

To effectively clean laminate countertops, you need: baking soda, water, mild household cleaner, and microfiber cloths. Cleaning the countertops is easy as all you need to do is clean the surfaces with a clean cotton cloth with water and a mild liquid detergent.

Are there stains on the countertops? Remove them using a paste of baking soda and water. Apply the paste to the stain, then let it sit for five minutes, after which you should rinse it off with a soft cloth.

You should note that baking soda is a mild abrasive, so don’t scrub it when cleaning. The stain should go away on the first try, but repeat the process if it doesn’t.

Unlike the other countertop materials, you don’t need to seal the countertops, but this doesn’t mean they are invisible. To protect your surfaces, use cutting boards and trivets to avoid burns and scratches.

Cleaning stainless steel countertops

These countertops are popular in commercial kitchens, but if you are one of the unique people that have them in your home, you still need to keep them in top shape.

Unlike granite kitchen countertops Raleigh, these countertops require the bare minimum to keep them spotless. All you need is to regularly wipe them down with soap and water.

To keep off scratches and eliminate smudges and streaks, use a microfiber towel, and cleaner especially made for stainless steel, to buff them out.

Although the countertops are tough, avoid using steel wool or abrasive scrubbing pads as they can scratch the surface.

You should note that with poor care, stainless steel can develop unsightly stains. To get rid of them, mix a paste of dish soap and baking soda. Use a soft cloth to rub in the direction of the grain.