Granite  > Caring for Granite

Caring for Granite

No sealing product is perfect.  So even if your granite has been sealed, special care can be taken to avoid stains and keep your granite in good condition. One of the big culprits in granite stains are cooking oils.  Do not store bottles of cooking oil directly on your granite.  When cooking with oil, wipe clean any countertop that came into contact with the oil. 

Do not store metal pots and pans on your countertops either, as rust and oil buildups can stain the granite.  Sealer is also not a waterproofing agent.  Although water won't hurt your countertop, the granite may darken when wet.  Do not be alarmed because it should return to its original color when the water evaporates.

The safest way to clean your granite is to use products specifically designed for stone.  Cleaners and disinfectants of this type are neutral on the acid scale, so they pose no risk of hurting the polish.  Dish soap and water will work to clean granite, as will spray on cleaners such as Windex or Formula 409.  Avoid cleaners that have abrasives or grit in them such as Comet and SoftScrub.  If you want to avoid water streaking while cleaning, you should wipe your countertop until it is completely dry.

Avoiding Scratches
Granite is a quartz-based material and can therefore be scratched by quartz or anything harder.  Knives will generally not scratch granite, although cutting on your countertops is not recommended because your knives may dull.  Diamonds will scratch granite, so you may want to remove diamond rings before cooking.  Certain stoneware dishes contain rough silica sand and pose a risk of scratching.  Some pizza stones will scratch granite if they are spun around while cutting pizza.  If you use a marble cutting board, make sure rubber feet are on the bottom, and they remain secure.

Avoiding Chips
Chips in granite are rare.  When they do happen, it is most often caused by banging something into the edge of the countertop.  Take care when handling heavy pots and pans and the bottoms of large bottles.  If a chip does occur, save the piece that chipped out, because you can usually epoxy it back into place

Hot Pans
High and low temperatures will not harm granite in any way.  You can take a pan off the stove or a dish out of the oven and set it right on top of your countertop without damage.  If you have a seam in your countertop, it is best to avoid setting hot materials on top of it.  The epoxy in the seam is heat resistant, but can be melted if exposed to heat for an extended period of time.

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