how to clean quartzite countertops

Quartzite is a very popular countertop material due to its hardness and beautiful look that is very similar to marble.  To keep quartzite looking great, it is important to keep it clean.  Luckily, it is very easy to clean your quartzite countertops.

Clean your quartzite countertop with a rag and soap water solution.  Simply mix water and dish soap in a container, soak your rag in the mixture, and use it to wipe the countertop.

Materials: Water, Dish soap, Rag, Container

Step 1: Clear your countertop completely. Having an open space will help you clean more thoroughly and quickly.

Step 2: Dust off your countertops with a dry rag or brush.  Since we will be using a wet rag to wipe the countertops, you want as little dust on it as possible beforehand.

Step 3: Mix warm water and dish soap in a container.  You can use whatever container you have nearby, just make sure it is large enough to soak your rag.

Step 4: Soak rag in your soap water solution.  Simply dip your rag into the liquid and wring it out a bit.  You want the rag to be wet, but not dripping.

Step 5: Wipe your rag all across your quartzite countertops.  If there are any spots that are sticky, scrub with pressure with your rag.  Quartzite is very hard, so you don’t have to worry about scratching it with your rag.

Step 6: Allow your quartzite countertop to dry.  If you left your countertop really wet, you can go back with a dry rag to dry it off.  Otherwise, it should dry with the air.

Those are the steps to clean your quartzite countertops!  It is very similar to cleaning most other surfaces.  You can use any other all-purpose cleaner you have at home if you do not want to make the dish soap and water solution.  If you don’t have a rag, you can use a sponge.  You can also make your own cleaning rags using old t-shirts.  The best rag to use is a microfiber cloth.

Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock that comes from quartz sandstone.  Through heat and pressure, quartz sandstone will form quartzite. Slabs of stone are mined and cut to be used as countertops.

You clean quartzite countertops very similarly to how you clean most other surfaces.  Use soap water and wipe it down with a damp cloth.  The dish soap will help with sticky residue that is left on the countertop from scrap foods and sauces.

You should avoid using acid-based cleaners, bleach, or ammonia.  These chemicals are very strong and could potentially wear down the sealant on your quartzite countertops.  Furthermore, they will leave fumes in your kitchen area and you generally want to avoid using harsh chemicals where you eat.  Products that you should avoid using on your quartzite countertops include bleach, paint thinner, batteries, oven cleaner, nail polish remover, silver polish, SOS pads, and pumice.

Quartzite countertops are quite har, even harder than granite!  Mohs scale of hardness is used to measure the hardness of materials.  It is a scale of 1-10 and ranks materials based on how easy they are to scratch.  Quartzite is a 7 on the scale while granite is a 6.5, meaning that quartzite countertops are harder than granite countertops!

In order to keep your quartzite countertops clean, you’ll want to act quickly whenever there are spills.  Although quartzite is very strong and hard, leaving spills for a very long time can deteriorate the seal.  The sealant that is placed on top of the quartzite countertops is not as strong as the quartzite, so it is important to protect it from spills.

Over time, the sealant on quartzite countertops deteriorates.  This can be a problem because without the sealant, your countertops are more susceptible to stains because quartzite is quite porous.  To increase durability, you will want to reseal your countertops when the previous seal begins to deteriorate.  Areas that are used more often will likely deteriorate more quickly.  Without sealant, you risk staining your countertops, especially when dealing with foods that stain easily such as coffee and curry.

Although quartzite is strong and durable, it is scratched easily with knives and metals.  For this reason, it is not recommended to use quartzite countertops as cutting boards.  Make sure you always place a cutting board on top of your countertops when cutting.  Sharp knives will scratch quartzite with ease, so you want to make sure to protect your surfaces.  However, quartzite is still more scratch resistant and acid resistant than quartz.

Regular cleaning is crucial for keeping your countertops clean.  As mentioned above, you’ll want to clean spills quite quickly to avoid staining the quartzite.  Quartzite is pretty expensive, so you definitely want to take the time to take care of your countertops to keep them in great shape.