Proper Care and Maintenance of Granite Countertops

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series The Builder's Wife Shares

In depth tutorial to teach proper care and maintenance of granite. Includes resealing and daily care for granite surfaces.

I was committing some serious sins against my granite countertops in my kitchen without even realizing it!Ā  They were seriously neglected and when I did clean them, I did it wrong!Ā  Poor granite!Ā 

After a quick instructional session with our granite installer last week, I remedied the situation and now know the proper care and maintenance of granite.Ā  My countertops look amazing and I feel so much more confident that I am treating them properly.Ā 

This post may include affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase based on my recommendation, I get a small remuneration at no extra expense to you. I only recommend things I use and believe to be a blessing.

So, here’s what I have learned from being the builder’s wife:

Daily maintenance of Granite Countertops

Daily cleaning of granite only requires a quick wipe down with a gentle dish soap and water.Ā  You can use the soft scrubbing side of a sponge to pick up more stubborn messes, if necessary.Ā  I was using a cleaning solution specific to granite in my every day cleaning, but found out it is not necessary.Ā  Nothing beats something as natural as soap and water for cleaning.Ā  I really like using Seventh Generation dish soapĀ and recommend it for this purpose.

To maintain and care for your countertops on a long-term basis, you need to set aside about 30 minutes once a YEAR!Ā  Hey, I can do that!Ā 

The simple process for resealing your countertops is quick and easy.Ā  I just did it and my countertops are so clean! I can’t decide if I am inspired to cook and bake a whole lot or eat out for the rest of the week!

Here is a quick tutorial for resealing your granite with products recommended by the professionals:

Materials for Granite Countertop Care:

The simple way to take care of your kitchen countertops

Acetone (affiliate link)

511 Impregnantor (you can find it on the floor care aisle in your local hardware store, affiliate link)

3 old soft rags

a razor blade (the secret weapon!, affiliate link)

Procedure for Granite Countertop Care:

1.  Clear the granite countertop of everything.  And brush away any crumbs and debris. Create a plan of attack by visually sectioning off your granite.  You will work in sections to do steps 2-4.  Then repeat until the entire surface is clean.

The simple way to take care of your kitchen countertops

2.Ā  Saturate a soft rag with acetone.Ā  Apply the rag soaked with acetone to a section of your granite and wipe over the entire section. For countertops, make sure you get the drop edge (and maybe underneath it); spills and drips like to hide there!Ā  The acetone will cut through the grime quickly and will clean the granite.Ā  You could skip the acetone and just use soap and water again: but this is a once-a-year deep cleaning, so I think it is worth it.


3.  As you clean with the granite you will want to come in behind with your razor blade and pull up any rough spots of grime left on the surface.  Here are my tips for making this work:

  • Hold the razor blade at a 45Ā° angle and pull toward you, wiping off the grime after each swipe.
  • Hold the razor blade up and lay the bottom of your hand down on the granite to check for any more rough spots.
  • You can go back over a spot with the acetone, but your best tool for getting the grime is the razor blade.
Proper Care & Maintenance of Granite Your Secret Weapon

4. After you have thoroughly cleaned the section of granite, saturate another rag with the 511 impregnator and wipe down the granite with the rag.Ā  You will want to only go over the area once, so work in an orderly fashion.Ā  Let the impregnator set for 30-60 seconds and wipe off the granite with another clean soft rag.

The simple way to take care of your kitchen countertops

5.Ā  Repeat steps 2-4 on each section of your granite until you have completed the project.

Remember, this simple process only needs to be done once a year – so it may be a great thing to add to your Spring cleaning routine.

The Builder’s Wife Shares is a series I do based on interviews I have with my husband and the guys he works with.Ā  If you have a question you would like answered, I would love to hear it!Ā  Please go to the Builder’s Wife Shares page and leave your questions in the comments.

In depth tutorial to teach proper care and maintenance of granite. Includes resealing and daily care for granite surfaces.

Series Navigation<< The Builder’s Wife Shares

This Post Has 15 Comments

  1. Debi Bohrer

    Is that 30-60 seconds or minutes?

    Thanks.

    1. ussleah

      It is seconds. It is a really fast process, Debi. Thanks for your question.

  2. Sue

    Hello, our electric went out and I put a candle that burst on my granite countertop and left an oil mark. How do I get it up. I tried acetone. Stuff from hardware store. I don’t know what else to do šŸ™
    Sue

    1. ussleah

      hmm… I am not sure, Sue! But I can ask my granite guy. My immediate suggestion is to try steam to see if you can draw any of the oil out. The granite is porous, so it may have penetrated into the stone and may be very difficult to get out.

  3. Margaret

    hi, I thought your post thru Pinterest. I love the granite countertop. Do you know the name of the granite? Thanks

    1. ussleah

      I am not sure, but I will try to find it for you, Margaret.

    2. Sarah

      I realize this post is almost 2 years old, but I thought i would chime in… that granite looks almost identical to mine, it’s called New Venitian Gold.

  4. Jean

    Hi- I want to seal my granite countertops but I need to know if this restores the shine- we have black counters and around the stove it looks really dull- I cleaned it with rubbing alcohol first.

    1. ussleah

      Hi Jean, I have given this quite a bit of thought and I think you may want to try a couple of things:
      1. Use the acetone to strip away any of the existing seal.
      2. Use a folded over flour sack (or thin) towel and an iron to try to “pull out” any excess oils in the granite.
      3. Follow up with the razor blade to try to get any of that excess gunk out of there.
      4. Reseal with the Impregnator.

      I hope this helps!

  5. Sharon Willhite

    I have a question about granite shower floor. Ours has a white cloud over the brown granite shower floor. I was told at the granite store it is calcium but they didnā€™t have any product to clean it! Any ideas?

    1. Leah Hudson

      I think you should be able to follow all these steps, but you may need to do the process more often because of the use. You likely have calcium AND soap build up. The stripping agent mentioned in this post, the acetone, is powerful stuff. Combined with a thorough going over with the blade, you should be able to see some real improvement. But you will NEED to seal it in order to maintain it. Depending on the size of your shower, it might be a big job, but well worth it!!

  6. Eileen Benson

    It was helpful when you mentioned that we should wipe down granite countertops with soap and water every day to keep them in good shape. My husband and I have a really old granite countertop that we’re thinking about having restored to brighten up our kitchen. I’m happy I read your article because your tips will help me care for the granite properly after we have it restored!

Leave a Reply