To show how Utahns can care and maintain their various types of countertops, Studio 5 has brought in Matt Klein of Klein’s Custom Countertops.
Regardless of the type of countertop someone has in their home, keeping it and the other surfaces in your home clean and sanitary is one of the most important things you can do to keep you and your family safer and healthier.
While care and maintenance do vary from surface to surface, the proper cleaning techniques are similar.
First, you will want to wipe or scrub off any large debris off the surface. Then you will want to apply a cleaning agent to the surface such as antibacterial cleaner. Now, Utahns should be careful with cleaning products if they’ve bought any of the 15-year stain warranty granite sold in some big box stores. With the exception of SenSa granite, cleaners with vinegar or any acidic content will void your warranty.
After wet wiping the surface one last time to remove any stain residue comes the most important part. Let it air dry. The biggest mistake people make is to manually dry their countertop. What this does is redeposit any bacteria or microbes from the towel back onto the surface that was just cleaned. The technical word for this is cross-contamination.
The reason why granite was used as the cleaning example is to show how cleaning and maintenance go hand in hand. A small piece of granite is filled with nearly a billion tiny pores where bacteria can penetrate and hide. They get deep enough that not even this cleaning can get them out. This is why most granite needs to be chemically sealed regularly to close these pores. Because sealer wears away, an important part of granite maintenance is yearly chemical sealing.
Laminate and solid surface countertops can also harbor stains and bacteria in scratches or gouges caused by use. While there’s not a whole lot that can be done to repair laminate, some scratches in solid surface can be removed by sanding. This can cause small dips and valleys in the surface, so use care or have a professional do it for you.
Finally, is Silestone quartz, as seen on the Studio 5 set. Silestone is scratch, scorch, break and stain resistant, so it doesn’t need any maintenance throughout its lifetime. Cleaning only requires soap and water, but if you choose to use another cleaner, it won’t harm the surface or warranty. Another plus for Silestone is that Microban antimicrobial protection prevents bacteria and other microbes from growing on its surface, keeping the countertops cleaner and safer for use. It’s actually one of only a few countertop surfaces to be certified as safe for usage in commercial kitchens.
More information on countertops and countertop cleaning can be found online at www.kitchenandbath.com or by visiting Klein’s at 1030 South 700 West in Salt Lake City. If you stop by Klein’s and mention you heard about them on Studio 5, you will get a free sink with your countertop purchase.
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