Everyone wants to have a clean kitchen. And when your kitchen is used a lot, there always seems to be a counter top that needs to be cleaned. But sometimes that cleaning method leaves us frustrated with the results. Streaks and a foggy film show up all too frequently in my kitchen!
How do we solve this dilemma when we want to have granite counter tops? Do we only choose light colors so the streaks don’t show? Or maybe pick one with lots of pattern and movement to really camouflage the residue. Well, I knew during the planning stage that I wanted to have black pearl on my kitchen counter tops. And I knew what the cleaning issues would be….but I did it anyway!
As a Kitchen and Bath Designer, I always tell my clients to seal their counter tops once a year, and to NEVER use Windex to clean their counter tops. With so many granite cleaners on the market, how do you know which one to choose? So I started testing different brands. And what I found is that most of them leave a hazy film on the counter. Some all-purpose cleaners also specify that they’re safe for granite. Remember to check the labels before you buy them.
As a last resort, I did a search for “the best granite cleaner”, and this is what I found.
Stone Care MB-5 and Weiman’s Granite Cleaner
I read the instructions to discover that you need to:
- spray the area and let it sit for 30 seconds
- scrub it with a sponge
- buff dry with a paper towel or clean cloth
And it worked! There were no streaks, no film, and no more fingerprints on the counters. At last!!!
But the next interesting piece of advice came from another on-line search. This time, using warm soapy water, a sponge, and clean cloth, I got the same results!
Instructions to Clean and Disinfect Your Granite Counter tops:
- Wet your dish cloth with warm, soapy water. Fill the sink with warm water and a mild dish soap, then thoroughly wet a clean dish cloth or sponge.
- Wipe down the granite counter tops.
- Dry with a microfiber cloth to avoid streaking. You can also use a terry cloth towel or paper towels.
- Shine and disinfect with a water and isopropyl alcohol solution. Only do this periodically to remove soap residue and restore the shine. Mix a 50:50 solution of water and 91% isopropyl alcohol. Spray it onto your counter top and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth or paper towels.
The best part? You don’t really need those special cleaners to get the job done. And now there’s no more panicking when you run out just before a party!
Hi!
I'm Randi Destefano, and I love helping homeowners design and renovate their existing home. 
