COVID -19 reminds us to take a step back and check how we all are having properly clean and disinfect spaces, where we live in especially Kitchen Countertops and throughout our life. Especially in our homes, there are numerous places similar as doorknobs and switches that we may forget about cleaning. People are looking for ways to produce an aseptic home for their family. One way to protect ourselves against COVID-19 is by disinfecting constantly- touched shells similar to door clods, light switches, and of course, countertops.
Let’s focus on the countertops. These busy places get relatively dirty without proper attention. The countertops are especially important because we must consider how the chemicals that we use in cleaning can harm the food that we are eating. Overhead of 76 million cases of food-related illness are reported across the U.S. every time. That is from all causes, but it’s still a huge figure.
Maintaining a clean kitchen and handling food precisely are a couple of ways that you can do to keep your family safe and healthy. These spaces in your kitchen that come in direct contact with food should get the utmost attention. Cleaning and sanitizing your countertop is very easy which you can do every day to keep your worktop sanitized and looks great. To ensure you completely disinfect your countertops, concentrate on the areas that are not larger than many square bases at a time.
In this blog, you will get to know how to clean and sanitize the countertops in your kitchen and restroom. Whether you have quartz, laminate, granite, wood, or marble counters; we make it easy for you.
Before You Clean and disinfect Kitchen Counter
Before doing anything with the counter, first check what kind of countertop stone you have in your kitchen as different materials require different care.
The second thing that you should know is what you want? Want to clean the counter surface or sanitize the surface. Simple cleaning simply means removing food crumbs, and stains from a surface while sanitizing means removing any kind of bacteria to make it safe to use. Sanitizing your countertop protects you and your family from any kind of bacterial viruses.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Many cleaning products are full of toxic chemicals which are not safe for children as well as for pets.
- Some counter’s surfaces damage easily with harsh cleaners and scourers.
- Always dry your counter surface as bacteria, mold, and fungus grow in moist environments.
- Always wear skin protection gloves before using chemical cleaner during disinfecting your counter.
- Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth during the cleaning and sanitizing process.
What Type of Cleaning Products you Use on Countertops
Mild soap and a microfiber cloth will do a good job, but harsh cleaning wipes that contain bleach and other toxic chemicals are going to create problems to the surfaces such as quartz, and granite. In other words, it dulls the shine of the material.
Using non-bleached surface cleaner is an excellent choice for white solid surface countertops as it’s gentle and effective. But if you have a marble or granite countertop which is more sensitive, in that case, alcohol solution and a microfiber cloth is a better choice, as it won’t dull the material and is less abrasive.
Clean and Disinfect Quartz Countertop
It’s pretty easy to clean and sanitize quartz countertop as these popular counters are specially engineered. You only need dish soap and water solution to clean it properly. According to Vicostone which is an excellent quartz counter manufacturer’s site says “A mixture of one (1) part mild detergent to five (5) parts warm tap water (50°C-60°C/122°F-140°F) is ideal for normal cleaning”. Do not use strong chemicals for cleaning like hydrofluoric acid, paint strippers, or any product containing trichloroethane or methylene chloride because using these chemicals for cleaning purpose can damage your quartz countertop permanently.
To disinfect your counters, most quartz counters can be cleaned with any mild disinfecting wipes and spray. You can also use denatured alcohol with a non-scratch pad to disinfect your counter stone. Using these tips for your countertop helps you to sanitize and clean the counter’s surface properly without sacrificing its lustrous shine.
How do you Clean & Sanitize Laminate Countertop?
Laminate is quite affordable, popular, and also a sturdy material. Use mild dishwashing soap and a microfiber cloth to wipe up the countertop. Cleaning your laminate countertop with soap and water thrice in a week never needs to sanitize as there is no bacteria left after proper cleaning with soap and water solution. Avoid using heavy-duty or abrasive chemicals like bleach or paint thinner, acetone, etc.
Clean & Sanitize Granite Countertop
If you’re searching “How to sanitize granite countertops“ and getting confused because of so many solutions then don’t you worry about it. There is one simple tip to clean your granite countertop and that is again soapy water.
For disinfecting your granite counter, use a 50/50 mixture of water and alcohol. Do not use bleach or ammonia-based cleaner and harsh chemical pads for granite counters. Exposure to these chemicals damage or weaken the sealant of granite.
Do not mix water in rubbing alcohol if it contains less than 90% or 80% of isopropyl alcohol. 60 to 70% of alcohol solution is best for killing bacteria. So, if you have 70% of isopropyl alcohol solution then, use it as it is. There is no need to dilute the 70% of alcohol solution.
Clean & Disinfect Wooden Kitchen Countertops
For basic cleaning of wood countertops, use the little rough or hard side of the sponge with dish soap. For disinfecting use ph-neutral disinfector. Wash your countertop once a week with Gentle Wood Wash or with a mixture of 5 teaspoons of alcohol and 2-4 drops of dish soap.
After applying the soapy alcohol mixture wait for at least one minute to settle down and disinfect the counter. After that clean the surface thoroughly with a damp microfiber cloth, and then dry the surface with a dry microfiber cloth or towel. Do not wash your wood counter regularly, wait for at least one week.
Clean & Disinfect Marble Kitchen Countertops
To clean and disinfect a marble countertop, use lukewarm water and gentle or mild dish soap with a microfiber towel. For cleaning out deeper stains apply a simple mixture of water and baking soda to the stained area. Avoid lemon and vinegar-like natural cleaners. Natural cleaners are more acidic and can diminish away the material’s shine.
Conclusion
As you read all the information that is given above, one thing is clear that all you need is mild dish wash soap, microfiber cloth, and alcohol to fully sanitize your countertop as only usage quantity and time duration between treatments is differ. Not only countertop, you can also clean your floor with the same solution. If you properly pay attention to the type of countertop you have and sanitize it in a proper way, then there’s no need to worry about disease-causing bacteria and pests. Taking care of your kitchen keeps you and your family safe.
To make your countertop life and shine long-lasting, you may need to re-seal once a year or once every few months depending on how porous your countertop is. Re-sealing your countertop will also make your countertops easier to clean day-to-day. You can also contact us for countertop refinishing. Whether your home has quartz, marble, wood, or granite countertops, regular and proper cleaning will ensure that your kitchen remains bacteria-free and looks great.