Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Take Proper Care Of Granite Countertops

With proper care, your granite or marble countertop wouls remain new-looking for years together. Stone is one of the easiest bases to maintain. And granite being 7 on the Mohs durable scale of 1 tp 10 is ultimatly unscratchable. You can follow the follwing instruction for your keeping your granite, marble countertops stylish forever.

Instructions

Blot up spills immediately, before they spoil the surface.Clean the granite or marble stone surfaces with a few drops of neutral cleaner, stone soap or you can do mild dishwashing liquid and warm water. You should use a soft, clean cloth to clean the granite countertop. Rinse after washing with the soap solution and then dry with a soft, neat cloth. Remove any dirt on granite, basing the techinique on the type of stain. Mix a cup of flour, 1-2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid along with water to create a thick paste. Put it on the stain, cover with plastic cover, and let it sit overnight. Scrape away any mixture with a wooden utensil or rinse. If the stain pertains to oil-based (e.g. grease, oil, milk), use hydrogen peroxide in the liquide instead of dishwashing liquid - or you can even try ammonia on it. Use a mixture of 12 percent hydrogen peroxide along with couple drops of ammonia and this might help for an organic stain, and (e.g. coffee, tea, fruit). Use a lacquer thinner or acetone to take away ink or marker dirt from darker stone. This also works with wine stains. Mix molding plaster and clean bleach into a liquid paste and spread over a wine, ink or other non-oil stain. Leave it for 30 minutes, then take and rinse. Consider using a fresh disinfectant cleaner made particularly for granite. Call your expert stone supplier, installer, or restoration professional for problems that appear too difficult to treat.

Warnings

Ask a experts to remove or repair any scratch on granite. Use coasters under all glasses, specifically those having alcohol or citrus juices. Many usual foods and drinks having acids would etch or dull the stone surface. Do not place hot things directly on the stone surface. Use trivets or mats under hot dishes and then placemats under china, ceramics, silver or any other things, which can scratch the surface. Do not use things, which have lemon, vinegar or other acids on marble or limestone. Strong detergents or corrosive liquids could even dull the polished marble/granite surface and need not be used. Do not mix cleaning products like ammonia and bleach together - the result could be toxic.