5 Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make When Caring for Quartz Countertops

Caring for quartz countertops is essential to keep your stone in good condition. If you have quartz countertops in your kitchen or bathrooms, it is helpful to keep in mind specific maintenance strategies for what you should and should not do to protect them.

What is Quartz?

Quartz is a crystalline mineral of considerable abundance around the world. As such, it can be found in many varieties of stone used for construction purposes. For example, when looking at marble, you can see some of its quartz content if its veins have some translucency or if the surface has faint yellow streaks. Quartz is also the name of a popular construction material commonly used as kitchen and bathroom countertops, and it should not be confused with quartzite, a natural stone that has a distinctive look.

Since quartzite is a sandstone with a high content of crystalline minerals, it is extracted and cut at quarries and later finished at a masonry shop. Quartz countertops are engineered from crushed natural quartz blended with resins, bonding materials, and pigments. Many homeowners choose quartz counters over quartzite and other types of natural stone due to the greater range of colors and the interesting look that results from combining various pieces of crystalline rocks.

Mistakes When Caring for Quartz Countertops

Below are five mistakes to avoid when caring for quartz countertops.

1. Throw Away Your Warranty Certificate

Like other engineered construction materials, quartz counters often come with a manufacturer's warranty, which you should review and keep around for the entire term of coverage. Keep in mind quartz slabs are amalgams that can sometimes break away under rare circumstances. The warranty certificate will specify some of the maintenance recommendations listed herein, and following them will ensure a long life for your investment.

2. Use Common Household Cleaners

Some of the chemicals found in popular cleaning products may loosen the bonds between the resins, polymers, and stone pieces used to manufacture quartz slabs. The best cleaner for quartz counters is the type that has been formulated specifically for quartz. Make sure to use a stone safe quartz cleaner and polish like Granite Gold Quartz Brite®.

3. Scrub with Harsh Scouring Pads

The steel wool pads impregnated with soap you can find at your local supermarket should be kept away from your quartz countertops. Although quartz surfaces are solid and durable, the top finish may become dull or scratched if you use overly harsh scouring pads. In the kitchen, you can use a soft nylon brush to remove organic stains that have stuck to the surface.

4. Use Sharp Metals for Cleaning

While you can safely rest a kitchen knife or a shaving razor on top of quartz counters, you should not use sharp metal objects for cleaning. Should you accidentally spill paint on a quartz surface, use a plastic knife or scraper to remove it.

5. Seal Quartz Surfaces

Unlike natural-stone, quartz counters do not require the use of a granite sealer. The polished factory finish will last for decades if you frequently clean the surface with quartz cleaner.

How to Clean Quartz Countertops

For quartz countertops, you need to use a cleaner that has been specifically formulated for quartz surfaces. Granite Gold® Quartz Clean & Shine has an adequate pH balance, doesn't contain any phosphates or ammonia, and it can be safely sprayed onto quartz surfaces and gently dried with a cloth or paper towel.

After spraying Granite Gold® Quartz Clean & Shine on your countertops, the surface can be buffed using a lint-free microfiber cloth. One of the greatest and most convenient benefits of this first-of-its-kind product is that it polishes the surface at the same time you're cleaning.

With a few exceptions, quartz care and granite care are fairly similar. If you’d like to learn more about caring for quartz or natural-stone surfaces such as granite, marble, quartzite, and slate, reach out to Granite Gold® today at 1-800-475-STONE.