Your kitchen is the most popular room in the house. The average homeowners spend more time in their kitchen than any other room in the home, including the bathroom.
And one of the most important features in your kitchen is your countertop.
Your counters take up a lot of kitchen space, and it’s one of the first things people see when they walk in the room. Because of this, you want your counter to be clean and in good condition.
If you have a quartz countertop, keeping it well maintained isn’t hard. We’ve put together this guide to help you learn how to care for quartz countertops.
So let’s get started!
Clean Your Counter Every Day
You should clean your quartz countertop every day to keep it in good condition. But this doesn’t have to be a long or involved process.
All you need is a simple mixture of warm water and dish soap. Use a soft cloth, such as a microfiber cloth, to wipe down your counter with the soapy water when you’re done cooking for the day. This will keep the quartz clean of spills and other food debris.
Cleaning can get a little more difficult if you’re dealing with stains, though. So here are a few other cleaning tips to keep in mind.
Wipe up Spill Right Away
Quartz is a non-porous material. Because of this, it won’t absorb liquid, which means it doesn’t stain easily. However, drinks like wine, soda, or tea can still create temporary stains that are difficult to get back out.
You should always wipe up any spills right away.
It’s faster and easier to clean up your spills right after you make them. Otherwise, you can end up with a quartz countertop covered in stained spots.
Don’t Use Abrasive Cleaners
You shouldn’t need anything stronger than soap and water to clean your counter (most of the time). Don’t use abrasive, acidic, or alkaline cleaners. These can damage your stone.
You should also avoid using any type of scouring pad. These can dull the surface of your quartz. Stick with a soft cloth instead.
Make Time for a Deep Cleaning
Most of the time, a simple wipe down with soap and water should be enough to keep your counter clean. But you should make time to give your counter a deep cleaning once or twice a year.
In this case, you’ll need something stronger than soap. Find a non-abrasive glass cleaner and spray a generous amount over the surface of your counter. Let it sit on the counter for at least 10 minutes.
Then wipe it down with a soft rag or a microfiber cloth.
Don’t Give up on Tough Stains
If you don’t clean up your spills right away, they can form stains. These stains aren’t permanent, but they do take a bit of extra work to get rid of.
Washing the area with a non-abrasive cleaner might do the trick. If not, you can try using rubbing alcohol on the stain as well.
The best way to deal with stains is to prevent them in the first place. Along with wiping spills right away, keep things like permanent markers and dye away from your counter. If those get on your counter, they’ll be very difficult to remove.
How to Maintain Your Quartz Counter
Cleaning is a large part of keeping your quartz countertop in good condition. However, there are a few other basic maintenance tips you should keep in mind.
Here’s what you need to know.
Use a Cutting Board
Quartz is scratch-resistant, but that doesn’t mean it’s scratch-proof. You should never cut anything directly on your counter. Always use a cutting board.
Repairing scratches on a quartz countertop is difficult. If the scratches are too deep, you might not be able to get rid of them at all.
So once you have a scratch, it’ll stick around on your counter, which will distract from the natural beauty of the stone. It’s always a better idea to grab a cutting board from the cupboard before you start chopping.
Use Hot Pads
Again, although quartz is resistant to heat, a high level of heat placed directly on its surface can damage it.
Never set a hot pan on your quarts countertop without some type of protection. The sudden change of temperature from a hot pan can even cause the quartz to crack.
You should always use hot pads or trivet when cooking.
Keep It Inside
Quartz countertops don’t do well outdoors. Extreme hot or colds, rains and strong winds, hail, and other weather can damage the stone.
If you want to build an outdoor kitchen, you should look into different types of countertop materials. Otherwise, your quartz won’t last as long as it should, and it will dull or crack over time.
How to Care for Quartz Countertops
Learning how to care for quartz countertops isn’t hard. Washing it down with soap and water every day will keep your counter in good condition. Make sure you keep things than can stain the stone away from your counter, and always use hot pads and cutting boards when cooking.
Quartz is a very hard and durable material. If you take care of it, this type of counter can last you years.
Want to install one of these counters in your kitchen?
At Pablo Marble and Granite we can help! Make sure you click here to get in touch with us today!