Stains, in whatever form they come and whatever they are on, are one of life’s little annoyances. However, when you find them on your natural stone countertop in your kitchen, they can be more than a little annoyance; they can ruin the entire look. This can be extremely upsetting, particularly as natural stone is a big investment.
The good news is that there are ways you can remove those stains, even if you didn’t think you could at first. In fact, this is one of the benefits of using natural stone; it is much more hard-wearing than many people would give it credit for. Read on to find out more on how to remove stains from your natural stone countertop and ensure your kitchen looks as good now as it did when it was installed.
Acid-Based Stain Remover
You might think it sounds extreme to use anything containing acid on your kitchen countertop, and the truth is that a strong stain remover like this is not ideal for all materials. However, if you have a wonderful concrete or natural stone countertop from Legacy Countertops, this kind of stain remover is ideal.
If you prefer to use a more natural product, lemon juice can be an excellent alternative to chemicals. It contains acid, and won’t harm the countertop. However, some stains are just too deep and problematic for this kind of natural product—coffee stains are a good example. In this case, chlorine bleach is a good solution. Remember, if you are using any kind of chemical on your countertop, you must wash the area down with water for safety when you are finished.
Stone Cleaner
If you have a granite countertop, it’s important not to use harsh chemical cleaners on it, as this can result in more damage than the original stain. Chemicals can bleach the granite of its color, and it will lose its natural appearance due to the chemicals getting into the surface of the granite and causing it to lose its shine. Instead of these strong cleaners, you can use special stone-cleaning solutions. This will remove the stain and keep your granite worktop looking amazing.
Baking Soda
Do you have limestone countertops? If so, you need to be particularly careful when you are removing stains, or cleaning them in general. Limestone is soft, and can easily be damaged. This is where using a combination of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide can be a good idea. Mix the ingredients together to create a thick paste, and then apply that paste over the stain.
You’ll need to leave the paste there for around twenty minutes, so don’t start this job when you’re about to leave the house or start dinner, for example. Once the time up is, wash the paste away using water, and the stain should be gone, too.
You might be pleased to know that this baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixture can also be used to great effect on marble countertops.
