Cleaning Granite

Granite is rather expensive, so if you have it in your home, you most likely want to keep it looking good. Most people's granite is in the form of counter tops, but if you have it somewhere else, these same principles still apply. It is not too difficult to make your granite counter tops shine—the thing to worry about is that it is easy to damage them. Here are tips for a basic granite cleaning:

1. First, gather supplies. To safely clean your granite counter tops, you need a soft cloth, a microfiber cloth, warm water, a bucket, and dishwashing liquid soap.
2. Next, fill up the bucket with warm water and soap. Mix the soap in so that the water suds up.
3. Dip the soft cloth in the soapy water and squeeze it out. Use this cloth to wash off your counters. Rinse the cloth in the water as needed.
4. Use the microfiber cloth to dry the counter. This will help your counters to not streak.

Occasionally you will need to use a natural stone or granite cleaner. One of the best ways to clean your granite counters is to protect them. Make sure that you use a sealant every two years. This will help your granite to be protected and shine.

You can find these at hardware stores, home improvement stores, and even grocery stores. These tips are good for a general cleaning, but if you have a stain, you'll need to do some more work. Granite is porous, which means it is full of holes and easily absorbs liquid. This can make stains hard to remove if you don't get to them quickly. Here are tips on removing stains:

1. First, gather a soft cloth, a microfiber cloth, hydrogen peroxide, powdered whiting (found at home improvement and paint stores), water, a small bowl, plastic wrap, and tape.
2. Make a poultice out of the whiting and hydrogen peroxide. There should be instructions on the powdered whiting for how to do this. Your poultice should be a thick paste.
3. Put your paste on the stain—and only on the stain, so you don't damage the rest of your granite.
4. Tape plastic wrap onto the area, and don't remove it until the stain is dry. This may take as long as a day or too.
5. Rinse the stain with water, and then clean the area as you would do a basic cleaning.
6. Repeat if the stain remains.

With these tips, you should be able to keep your granite looking as good as new.