When it comes to stone worktops, granite may just occupy the sweet spot. It is a 100% natural stone like marble, but when it comes to durability granite almost matches engineered stones such as quartz.
While quartz has a slight edge when it comes to scratch resistance, there is no need to fret about potential damage. Stone hardness is measures by the Mohs scale, a scale that rates them from 1 (very scratch prone) to 10 (diamond-strength scratch resistance). On this scale, quartz falls at a 7 while granite tails just behind it at 6.5 to 7.
Everyday Maintenance of Granite Kitchen Surfaces
When it comes to daily use, we recommend you wipe your worktops after use with warm water, a bit of soap if you want and a microfibre cloth. It’s as simple as that. For stains or marks, it’s best to use a gentle pH neutral kitchen cleaner together with some warm water.
To keep the shine of your new kitchen surfaces, it’s best to use a dry microfibre cloth to buff your worktops after cleaning. This helps avoid water marks or streaks.
Removing Stains from Granite Worktops
As always, prevention is always best but if you do find yourself with some tougher stains, there are a few ways to remove, or at the very least, lighten them. One is a poultice of water and baking soda, for which you mix baking soda with water until it is a thick paste (think peanut-butter consistency). This paste is then spread onto the stain and left on for a few hours to draw the oil out of the stone. If you see results from this, you can reapply and repeat the process.
For deeper, more stubborn stains, you can cover the poultice once applied with cling film and seal it in with tape. After 24h remove the tape and let the poultice dry out. This drying process draws the stain from the granite.
This method often works on oil-based stains. For non-oil based stains, for example from organic matter or hard water, you can also create a similar poultice from baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Since this is a much stronger paste we would recommend trying this on a smaller area first and leaving it on for a shorter duration. This method should, however, be used with caution on darker granites, as it is powerful enough to discolour the stone. We also always recommend using gloves whenever you are handling chemicals.
Do I Need to Reseal My Granite Worktops?
Whether or not and in what frequency you need to reseal your granite surfaces depends a lot on the type of granite you chose. Some are more hard wearing and you can get away with either not resealing or leaving years between each seal. There are very few granites that need to be resealed every 6 months, but those are not generally used in kitchens. When you buy your worktops from Purple, you can always ask our specialists for their recommendation on how frequently you can expect to need a reseal.
However, there really isn’t a blanket rule and you will probably know your granite worktops best. After all, you are the one using it every day, and you can usually tell by looking at your worktops whether they need resealing. For example, if water and other substances absorb easily into the stone, it may be time to reseal. This is often most noticeable around the sink area, as this part is more exposed to water.
What to Avoid on Granite Worktops
We’ve already mentioned that granite is scratch resistant, but that does not mean it is scratch proof. With all natural stone surfaces, we recommend not cutting directly onto them, but instead using chopping boards to avoid damage to your granite worktops.
Similarly, granite is highly heat resistant, but not heat proof, and it’s best not to put any hot items directly onto it. Your surfaces likely won’t take a hit if you put a hot pan on it every now and again, but as a general use, we’d always try to use a trivet.
As far as cleaners are concerned, we’d steer clear of heavy-duty cleaners such as bleach or scouring cream. They are too abrasive and can harm your granite worktops and their sealant.
DO:
Use warm water and soap
Use pH neutral cleaners
Buff your worktops dry with microfibre cloth to avoid streaks
Patch test new cleaning products
Wipe stains away quickly
Use poultice to get out stubborn stains
DON’T:
Use harsh chemicals such as bleach or scouring cream
Use knives directly on your granite counters
Place hot pots and pans on the granite