Do you get disappointed every time you walk into your kitchen and look at your benchtops? Have they lost their luster since their installation? With continued usage, it is not unusual for marble benchtops to exhibit some kind of wear and tear.
This could be in the form of etched spots, stains, and even cracks. If you’re looking into restoring your benchtops, this article will give you a step-by-step guide to getting them spic and span.
1. Determine the Marble Type
Before cleaning and polishing your countertop, it helps to know the kind of marble top that is sitting in your kitchen. There are two common types of marble countertops:
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Polished marble
Perhaps the most common type of countertop present in most kitchens, the polished marble offers a semi-reflective surface that is easy to clean and doesn’t stain as much.
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Honed marble
This type of marble is less shiny and gives off a velvet kind of finish. Honed marble is often found applied on floors as they are less slippery. Additionally, they are less likely to scratch and thus are preferred in most households.
2. Read, Set, Wipe
Before you go to your local supermarket and purchase several cleaning supplies, take a piece of cloth, wet it, and gently wipe the benchtop surface. As simple as it may be, this is the first step in getting your countertops ready to bring back that shine. Wiping the surface gets rid of any dust particles, food crumbs and deposits, and spills or splatters.
3. Remember to Clean Regularly
For your countertop to remain shiny and beautiful, regular cleaning is necessary. By using a cloth, warm water, and a mild cleaning agent regularly, most of the stains, spills, and scratches will fade away. However, be careful to purchase a cleaning agent that is not abrasive to your countertops. The last thing you need is to damage your delicate marble using the same product that is meant to restore it.
4. Do’s and Dont’s of Cleaning Agents
Marble is a very delicate material. The nature of the cleaning agents that you apply will have a direct impact on the restoration of your counter. Here are some things to consider when looking at which cleaning agent to use:
- Avoid using bleach or cleaning agents that have strong acidic or alkaline compounds
- Using hard brushes and abrasive cleaning agents may lead to etching of your marble countertop
- When using home-made cleaning agents, avoid incorporating vinegar as it will dull the surface of the marble
- Look for pH-neutral cleaning agents
- Ensure you rinse the countertop with plenty of warm water after using the cleaning agents
- Dry the marble with a cloth as air drying will leave water spots on the countertop
5. Remove Stains and Spillage Immediately
For some reason, most times when you pour any liquid into a glass, there’s always that bit that spills over to the marble. When left unattended, this liquid will seep into the porous marble top and leave behind an unpleasant stain. Therefore, spillages must be wiped away immediately to keep the countertop looking clean and shiny.
Slique: Your Australian Marble Benchtop Guru
No matter the nature of marble installed in your kitchen area, you can find comfort in knowing that they can be easily maintained and restored in the event of damage or when they lose their shine. That’s because we’re only a call away. Even when DIY fails, we can still restore the shine of your marble benchtop in Australia. Contact us today!
