Clean and Sanitize Your Countertops!
There is nothing more important than protecting your family and your home.
As many of us are forced to stay and work at home, it is important to make sure your home is cleaned and sanitized against COVID-19 and other nasty bacteria. This is especially true for your countertops, the place where you set your bags from the grocery store and prepare meals for your family.
Our team wanted to show you the do’s, don’ts and never’s of sanitizing and cleaning without damaging your stone, granite, quartz or marble countertops.
For Interior Sanitation
Do: use a diluted mixture of bleach water to fully sanitize your countertop. The CDC recommends countertops and other household hard surfaces to be treated with a mixture of ⅓ cup of bleach per one gallon of water or 4 tsp of bleach per quart. This simple process is effective in killing COVID-19 and other nasty viruses living on nonporous surfaces.
Don’t: use any of the harsh chemicals that may damage your surface, as mentioned in the cleaning section below, and don’t use homemade sanitizing options seen online from miscellaneous household materials. Please follow the guidelines provided by the CDC and clean with the simple bleach mix.
Never: ignore the cleaning and sanitation needs of your countertop. Some viruses such as COVID-19 can resiliently live on these hard surfaces anywhere from a few short hours to a couple days. That is why our team insists on following the CDC guidelines to make sure your surfaces are safe for your family.
Cleaning Your Countertop
Do: use a mild dishwashing detergent and warm water. Rinse the surface thoroughly after washing and dry with a soft cloth. For natural stones, a homeowner may opt for adding a natural stone cleaner. These can give your stone an added luster, but is not needed for stone maintenance. Make sure to read the label of the cleaner and confirm it is for your type of stone.
Don’t: use harsh cleaning products containing lemon, vinegar, ammonia or other acids. These tend to dull or etch calcareous stones and are generally harmful to your countertop. Scouring powders or creams, such as Ajax, often contain abrasives that may scratch certain stones and should be avoided as well.
Never: use hydrochloric acid and other products that remove rust, as this acid attacks silicates and will cause long-term damage to your countertop. And always remember to never mix ammonia and bleach, because it creates a toxic, lethal gas from the mixture.
Please Stay Healthy, Clean and Sanitized
We hope you learned something from our experts today, if you have any further questions on treating or maintaining your countertop feel free to reach out to our team at (207) 797-4657.From our staff here at Paul White Company, please stay safe and we hope to provide you with more helpful tips to keep your stone in tip-top condition and your home safe!