Common Kitchen Substances That can Damage Your Granite or Other Stone Surfaces
Let’s do a quick thought experiment. Take a swift glance around your kitchen. Now of your cleaning supplies. What substances do you see? Do you think they’re safe to use for cleaning your countertops? Even if you keep a relatively neutral kitchen, even if you don’t happen to use more potent substances like bleach or ammonia frequently, we’d venture to guess that your common kitchen substances could still damage your stone surfaces. It’s the familiarity complex. The things that you’re constantly surrounded with, the labels on liquids you see every day, the pantry items you browse through and even the substances that you eat and the soap that you use to wash your own hands – since you see and use them so often, you may forget how potent they are. If you see them and use them often, your brain might slip into thinking that it’s okay to use them even more often. As it turns out, just because something’s in your kitchen doesn’t mean that it’s safe to use on your kitchen.
The Kitchen Cleaners, Foods, Soaps and Other Substances That are not Safe for Stone Surfaces
Let’s start with a brief review: Natural stone is porous. It’s got many, many tiny little holes all over its surface. Some types of stone exhibit higher levels of porosity; for example, Natural stone is generally extremely vulnerable to any strong substances that it comes into contact with – partially because of that porosity. It doesn’t help that your common kitchen substances might be much stronger than you think.
Common household cleaners:
It’s easy to want to keep a streamlined cleaning toolkit. However, not all formulas are made to work on all surfaces. If you consider the chemical makeup of most household cleaners, you’ll find that they’re intensely acidic. (Some heavier-duty cleaners, such as those made for toilets and bathtubs, have pH values close to that of battery acid.) Your stone surfaces won’t stand a chance. Which is why we strongly recommend you keep regular household cleaners far away from your natural-stone counters and floors.
Bleach, vinegar and lemon juice:
If you trawl the Internet for DIY, organic or single-ingredient and “natural” household cleaners, you’re going to see substances like lemon juice and vinegar touted as the best. They may be good for cleaning quite a lot. However, their high acidity renders them simply too strong for the delicate porous surface of your stone.
Food substances:
Tea, coffee, wine, citrus fruits, mangoes and tomatoes: , but they naturally contain acidic compounds that won’t react well with your stone’s surface. Food can be just as problematic for your countertops as vinegar or strong cleaners, from tannins and acids to high carotene levels. It’s a good idea to wipe off your surfaces after meal preparation to ensure that all food substances are off your counters. While we understand the impulse to keep our cleaning substances as narrowed-down and natural as possible, there’s just no getting around the fact that you need a cleaner specifically formulated for stone care to take proper care of your stone surfaces.