Have you got or are thinking of buying one of the Stone Connection fabulous stone worktops? Here are a few tips and suggestions to keep it looking its best and, of course, as clean as can be in these days of contact virus transfer.
We want to share some general tips with you and some specific ones for the type of kitchen worktop you choose.
General Tips For Care Of Stone Worktops
- Protect against hot pans. Intense heat can cause thermal shock that can crack your surface.
- Don’t put excessive weight on your worktops. This can cause tiny fissures to enlarge. Specifically, don’t sit or stand on your worktops – use a stool!
- Use a cutting board when chopping, cutting or slicing.
- Wipe up spills – especially acidic based spills like wine, vinegar and vinegar-based dressings.
- Even sealants have a life expectancy. How often you need to reseal stone worktops depends on the quality and type of stone used.
Specific Cleaning Tips For Different Types Of Stone Worktops
Granite Worktops
One of the most popular stone countertops, granite truly is one of a kind coming in multiple formations and shades. It is a 100% natural substance with anti-bacterial properties, sealed. It is an easy worktop to care for.
- Please do not use harsh cleaners that contain vinegar or lemon, nor foaming cleaners; this will dull their shine.
- Spritz daily with a mixture of washing up liquid and water, and after food prep, spritz and wipe with a soft microfibre cloth.
- Use trivets and chopping boards to prevent scratches.
- If stained, use a stone poultice or a paste-like mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. To use the paste,
- Spread the paste on the stain.
- Cover with cling film and seal with tape.
- Leave 24hrs.
- Remove the cling film and let dry.
- Wipe away with a clean cloth.
- You repeat this until the stain has gone but remember granite worktops will need resealing after staining.
Quartz Worktops
While a naturally occurring mineral, Making the quartz for our countertops is a process of combining 90% ground quartz with 8-10% resins, polymers, and pigments. This makes for an excellent performance of the worktops. It is non-porous and has high resistance to stains, scratches and has anti-bacterial properties. In addition, quartz worktops do not need a sealant.
Stone Connection also sells Compac & Technistone quartz alongside the contemporary Silestone and Caesarstone quartz that, due to ongoing research and development, is perfect for worktops that experience high usage. In addition, these countertops are not affected by acidic items and don’t scratch easily—some points to note for cleaning them.
- Keep very hot items from the countertops as it will mar the resin.
- While very durable, quartz worktops do fade over time, especially when in strong, direct sunlight.
- Use non-abrasive cleaners or glass cleaners for these surfaces.
- An exception to the non-staining properties is permanent ink – care needs to be taken when using these. If nail varnish or paint gets onto your quartz surface, use a plastic putty knife to scrape off.
If you have any further questions on your Stone Connection worktops, contact our friendly customer care team.