How to Get Rid of Hard Water Stains on Quartz
Quartz is often marketed as a surface material that’s impervious to staining. With natural stone such as marble, there’s a concern among homeowners about water seeping through the pores when the surface seal hasn’t been properly maintained and is no longer effective. This isn’t a problem with quartz because there’s no porosity to worry about, the water will evaporate (homeowners should be more concerned about spilling food substances and using the wrong cleaning products), and the production process during fabrication is permanent, so there’s no need to reseal. However, this durability and resilience doesn’t extend to hard water staining, which can certainly build up on quartz surfaces.
The good news is you can handle these stains without having to worry about permanent damage.
Understanding Hard Water Stains
Hard water is found in thousands of water management districts across North America. In essence, this occurrence consists of high volumes of magnesium and calcium carbonates that don’t generally pose health hazards. The high mineralization content of hard water results in limescale buildup. When combined with many soaps and detergents, limescale can form very stubborn spots. Limescale deposits can adhere to just about any surface, including quartz.
How Hard Water Stains Form on Quartz
Some ancient Roman aqueducts that were in service for centuries have limescale deposits that are several inches thick. The scaling process begins when water evaporates, causing precipitation of crystalline minerals that deposit on surfaces. Chemicals found in detergents and soaps act as bonding agents that make hard water deposits stickier and harder. What may start out as a stain on your quartz surfaces, particularly the sections near faucets and drains, may eventually turn into a thick crust.
The Quartz Advantage
As previously mentioned, engineered stone isn’t porous, which means hard water deposits won’t penetrate below the surface, thus eliminating the potential issue of etching. Frequent cleaning with a quartz cleaner such as Granite Gold Quartz Brite® will prevent limescale deposits because the crystalline magnesium and calcium molecules won’t have a chance to bond with soap. The stains and buildup that may form on quartz are right on the surface, and you can remove them without causing damage to your countertops.
Removing Hard Water and Limescale Deposits
You should only use Granite Gold Quartz Brite® for cleaning hard water and limescale deposits, not common household cleaners found at the supermarket. You may have heard about using oil to soften limescale, but that only works on stainless steel and ceramics. Try to scrape off the buildup as much as possible with a plastic spatula. You may also want to use a soft, stone-safe scrubbing pad or nylon brush. Extremely stubborn deposits may require using a new single-edge razor blade, which you should use to gently scrape the surface with after you’ve sprayed the stain with Granite Gold Quartz Brite® and allowed it sit for one minute. One of the many benefits of Granite Gold Quartz Brite® is that it polishes quartz countertops at the same time it cleans them. If you have countertops made of natural stone such as granite, marble, or slate, you’ll need to polish them separately with Granite Gold Polish®.
To learn how to polish natural stone, or for tips on cleaning and sealing your stone, get in touch with Granite Gold® today at 1-800-475-STONE (7866). If you’re on Facebook, make sure to like our page to receive regular tips on caring for quartz and natural-stone surfaces.