How to Clean Granite, Marble and Quartz Countertops (and What Ruins Them)

Walk through a new kitchen in Walsh or a remodeled one in Willow Park and the island is likely to be one of three materials. Granite is a hard, igneous natural stone. Marble (and its cousins limestone and travertine) is a calcareous natural stone: it is made largely of calcium carbonate, which reacts with acids. Quartz is engineered stone, crushed quartz bound with resins and pigments in a factory.

That difference in what they are made of explains almost everything about how to clean them.

The Natural Stone Institute’s advice for natural stone is simple: clean with a neutral cleaner, stone soap, or a mild liquid dishwashing detergent and warm water. It warns that scouring powders and creams often contain abrasives that can scratch some stones. For quartz, Caesarstone recommends a soft cloth or a non-abrasive scourer with warm water and a mild detergent.

1. Clear crumbs first with a dry microfiber cloth or a soft brush, so grit is not dragged across the surface.
2. Spray a pH-neutral cleaner made for stone, or use warm water with a drop of mild dish soap.
3. Wipe with a damp microfiber cloth, then rinse the cloth and wipe again so no soap film is left.
4. Dry and buff with a clean, dry microfiber cloth to prevent water spots.

Aledo-area water is hard, and drips left to dry around the sink leave mineral rings on stone and quartz alike. Drying the counter beside the faucet each night prevents most of them.

Marble, limestone and travertine are calcareous stones, built largely on calcium carbonate. The Natural Stone Institute says products containing lemon, vinegar or other acids may dull or etch calcareous stones, and its countertop bulletin is blunter: vinegar should never be used on calcareous stones such as marble, limestone or travertine. Granite is different; the Institute’s consumer site notes that granite is not sensitive to most common household acids.

An etch is a dull, slightly rough spot where an acid has eaten into the polish. A stain is a dark or colored mark where a liquid has soaked into the stone. Sealers help with stains, but the Institute’s marble guidance is clear that sealing does nothing to protect against etching, no matter how much sealer is used. On a polished marble island, lemon juice, vinegar, tomato sauce, wine and many bathroom and “natural” cleaners can etch quickly.

• Set glasses and cut fruit on boards or coasters, not straight on the marble.
• Wipe acidic spills right away with water, then dry.
• Never use vinegar, lemon, or cleaners that are not labeled safe for marble.
• Have deep etching professionally honed and polished rather than scrubbing at it.

Sealing helps natural stone resist stains. The Natural Stone Institute notes that sealing does not make the stone stain proof, rather it makes the stone more stain resistant, and it does not give a single schedule: it says to consult your supplier or the sealer’s maker about the type of sealer and how often to apply it.

A quick check many homeowners use: put a few drops of water on the stone and wait several minutes. If it darkens under the water, the surface is absorbing liquid, and it is worth asking your fabricator or the sealer maker whether it is time to reseal.

Quartz is engineered to be low-maintenance. Caesarstone describes its surfaces as durable and nonporous, so they do not need sealing. Its care page sets two limits worth knowing:

• Heat: always put hot cookware on a trivet or hot pad, as Caesarstone directs.
• Harsh chemicals: Caesarstone lists oven and grill cleaners, dishwasher detergent, floor strippers, oil soaps and paint removers among the products to avoid, and says to use high- or low-pH chemicals with caution.
• Abrasives: a non-abrasive scourer for dried food; never steel wool.

• Water rings and mineral spots: wipe with a damp cloth and dry; on stone, use a stone-safe cleaner, never vinegar.
• Oil and grease on granite or marble: clean promptly with a pH-neutral cleaner; stubborn oil stains in stone may need a poultice made for stone.
• Dried food on quartz: soften with warm soapy water and lift with a plastic scraper.
• Etching on marble: prevent it; repair it with professional honing and polishing.

The same rules apply wherever stone appears in a home, with a few additions:

• Stone floors: the Natural Stone Institute recommends dust-mopping interior floors frequently with a clean, untreated dry dust mop, because grit is abrasive. Mats at the door help.
• Bathroom vanities: toothpaste, hair products and many bathroom cleaners are acidic or abrasive. Wipe spills quickly and clean marble vanities with a neutral stone cleaner only.
• Backsplashes: a damp cloth and neutral cleaner; grease behind the range comes off more easily if it is wiped weekly.
• Shower walls and benches: squeegee after use; hard-water film on natural stone needs a stone-safe product, never an acidic descaler.

Granite is tough: the Natural Stone Institute says it is typically heat resistant up to about 250°C (480°F), but it still recommends avoiding localized heat and using trivets or mats on all natural stone. Quartz needs them every time. Cutting directly on any counter dulls knives and can scratch polished stone, so use a board.

• Daily: wipe crumbs, clean with a neutral cleaner, dry around the sink.
• Weekly: a more thorough wipe of the whole surface, including behind small appliances.
• Yearly, for natural stone: check whether it is still repelling water, and ask your fabricator about resealing.

Quartz islands are common in newer Walsh Ranch and Aledo kitchens; granite is everywhere in homes built over the last few decades; and marble appears in the primary bathrooms and kitchens of many custom homes in Hudson Oaks and the Annettas. Our teams choose products by surface on every house cleaning, with pH-neutral care for natural stone, and a deep cleaning adds detailed work around sinks, backsplashes and range hoods.

Fixtures and appliances around those counters need their own care. Our guide to cleaning stainless, brass and matte black finishes picks up from here.