Glenda Froy, Negosentro | There are some household features with which you can justifiably settle for a cut-price option, but others certainly merit a significant investment so that it’ll pay off over the long-term. Kitchen worktops fit into the latter category, as this is a part of your home that you’ll use every day and therefore you cannot afford to compromise on quality. Indeed, if you decide to go cheap on a low-grade worktop that becomes damaged easily, you’ll only end up paying more in the long run from replacing it before its time.
After you’ve had your solid worktop installed, it’s in your best interests to keep it well maintained so that the value doesn’t diminish prematurely. Also, if you’ve paid good money for a core kitchen product, you’ll want to keep it in excellent nick, so it’s worth knowing how to preserve its quality. This video from worktop fabricators Pennywell (http://www.pennywell.ie/) contains some useful cleaning tips for four countertop types, with some of the main points summarized below.
Granite: This is a hugely popular choice with modern homeowners who perceive it as the perfect blend of long-lasting quality and aesthetic appeal, making it quite easy to maintain. Most stains on a granite worktop can be removed with an instant application of water and isopropyl alcohol, but tougher stains might require a paste combining baking soda with hydrogen peroxide.
Quartz: For generations, quartz has been a reliable worktop choice given its durability and design versatility. It is largely resistant to scratches and stains, although the most severe of these could leave marks that are tough to eradicate. If this is the case, use a powerful, non-abrasive cleaning product like Cif to get rid of it.
Corian: This modern countertop choice has a great design range and is very easy to maintain in prime condition, resisting almost any liquid stain. However, if there are stains which aren’t removed quickly, these could set into the worktop and form uneven blotches which can only be eliminated with an effective non-abrasive cleaner.
Silestone: A composite material made up primarily of quartz, it has a non-porous surface and would look the part in almost any kitchen. Stains such as grease, limescale and silicone could leave a harsh mark, though, and should be treated as a matter of urgency. It’s vital that you do not use abrasive cleaning products on Silestone worktops, as these will diminish its quality.
Find out more cleaning tips for these worktops materials in Pennywell’s video below.