The 5 Types of Kitchen Countertops and Their Homemade Cleaning Solutions
Aside from the living room, your kitchen is the most important part of your home. You probably spend most of your time cooking in it, preparing food on the kitchen island, and enjoying your food at the farmhouse table.
Since food is prepared and cooked in the kitchen, it’s essential that you keep this space in your home clean and sanitized. People come and go in the kitchen and, because of this, there’s a great chance that it will become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria.
The most critical part of the kitchen for bacteria growth is your kitchen countertop. As such, you should know about the various natural cleaning solutions for different types of kitchen countertop materials. You can read on below for that purpose.
Granite Countertops
You should avoid using lemon, vinegar, acidic cleaners, and any cleaning solutions that contain bleach and ammonia when cleaning a granite countertop. It’s because these products will cause etching on the surface and weaken the sealant over time.
Typically, the harsher the cleaning solution, the faster it will weaken the sealant. That’s why it's’ a must that you keep it sealed, and clean it with a less toxic cleaner.
The good thing is that there are granite-safe cleaning solutions that you can make at home. For instance, you can make a mixture of isopropyl alcohol, liquid castile soap, distilled water, and essential oils for that purpose. You just have to mix these ingredients, put them in a sprayer, and spritz on the surface of your granite countertop. After spraying, you can wipe the wet surface using a microfiber cloth to dry it.
Laminate Countertops
A laminate kitchen countertop is one of the most affordable countertops today. And since it’s affordable, it’s also one of the most vulnerable to discoloration, cracks, and scratches. In fact, a lot of commercial cleaning products produce damaging effects to it.
So if you want to clean or get rid of stains off the surface of your laminate countertop, it’s advisable that you use a homemade cleaning solution for that purpose.
For instance, for you to remove coffee stains off this type of material, a mixture of mild home cleaner and baking soda is the go-to cleaning solution. Put the baking soda on the stained area, and let it sit for 20 minutes for mild discoloration or overnight for heavy stains.
You can also create a cleaning solution using a mixture of olive oil, white vinegar, hot water, and liquid dishwasher soap. You can put this solution in a sprayer, and spray it on the areas that have stains or dirt. Then grab a cloth towel to wipe the wet surface of the countertop.
Quartz Countertops
Quartz is one of the materials preferred by many homeowners because of its beauty and durability. It’s also among the kitchen countertops that is easy to clean because it can resist liquid spills.
However, it’s still crucial to make sure that you wipe down the spills sooner to keep it shiny and glossy. For the cleaning solution, you can mix rubbing alcohol, squirts of dish soap, essential oils, and a cup of water.
The rubbing alcohol in this mixture serves as a disinfectant to keep your quartz countertop sanitized. And the essential oils will provide a pleasant fragrance to it. After applying the solution on the surface, you can wait for 5 minutes to wipe it with a microfiber cloth to dry it.
Marble Countertops
Wiping the spills off your marble countertop is a must to protect its surface from discoloration. When cleaning it, you should avoid using toxic commercial cleaners or homemade cleaning solutions such as lemon juice and vinegar since these will ruin the marble’s finish.
To manage grime, you can make a homemade cleaning solution by mixing one teaspoon of castile soap and two cups of water into a spray bottle. Then you can spritz the solution on the surface of the marble and wipe off the soap residue to keep and protect the natural beauty of the marble.
For stains and discolorations, you can apply a paste made of baking soda and water on the affected area. Then use a plastic wrap to cover that spot and wait for a day for the paste to get rid of the discoloration.
Stainless Steel Countertops
Stainless steel materials are not that hard to clean and maintain. For starters, you will simply need these things to get it done: water, dish soap, dish cloth, vinegar, baking soda, microfiber cloth, soft-bristled brush, and olive oil.
For the first step, you need to wet the dishcloth with a mixture of warm water and dish soap. Then apply it on the surface of the stainless steel for the initial cleaning.
If a mild scrub is necessary, you can sprinkle baking soda on the surface. Then apply vinegar on a soft-bristled brush and scrub it gently on the affected area. After that, dry the surface using a microfiber cloth to keep your stainless steel countertop shiny.
Takeaway
It’s essential that you know how to clean countertops properly and how to make homemade cleaning solutions for them. After all, the kitchen is the place in the home where you prepare your food, and cleaning and keeping it sanitized is a must to keep your food safe for consumption. The article above is a big help for that purpose.
Guest Post by Zach McGavin
