The house I bought a couple of years ago has granite countertops in the kitchen. Lately, I've noticed they seem "greasy." I clean them with soap (Dawn detergent) and water with a sponge, but they don't seem to clean well.

I know that one shouldn't use vinegar, Windex or bleach, but that perhaps a mix of rubbing alcohol and water might be the right solution (sorry, no pun intended), but the assembled wisdom on this site usually comes up with some pretty snappy answers. So, how do you clean your granite countertops?

As a postscript, I'm led to believe that granite countertops should be re-sealed every couple of years or so. Yea, or nay?

They make specific cleaners for granite. A quick search on Amazon will get you what you need. And yes they do need to be resealed every other year or so. Part of the reason we went with quartz counter tops.

We had Granite put in 4 1/2 years ago. Still good as new.
Actually, the installer told us NOT to ever reseal it.

At install time he sealed it with "100% silicone, better than anything available at retail" and it carries a lifetime guarantee. They will come back and reseal if needed... for free... he added he had only done one reseal job in the last 10 years.

The installer said just dishwashing liquid soap to clean.
BUT... he said if you are one of those people that just HAVE to use a product on it then the only thing to use is 409 Stone and Steel Cleaner.

Amazon link, (Lowes carries it here too)

Link

We use Granite Gold on our countertops. They also make a polish that does a great job. As far as sealing, it depends on the type and color of granite. Darker (black) granites are more dense and don’t need to be sealed like lighter ones (at least that’s what our installer told us and was confirmed by the ton of research I did on the subject at the time).

What color(s) do you have?

Our granite countertops are 15 years old and they look like new. NO dish detergents! There are special cleaners/wax made for them. We buy ours off Amazon as well.

Remember: You are cleaning a rock.

Weimans granite counter top cleaner is a good product. It's sold in good grocery or hardware stores.

409 makes a stone and steel cleaner that we use. Works great.

I've been using this since we installed granite in 2005. Our counters still look new.

https://dupontstonetech.com/co...ariant=6936789614643

We have brownish gold with black flecked granite that came from India according to the paperwork the installer provided the previous home owner. First time we have had granite counter tops. Don’t know the density. My wife makes her own mixture of 2 cups water, 1/4 cup 91 percent rubbing alcohol, 1/2 teaspoon of Dawn in a spray bottle. Spray on, wipe off. She used the Granite Gold products previously but says her solution works better as a daily cleaner and is much cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Weimans granite counter top cleaner is a good product. It's sold in good grocery or hardware stores.

Thanks! I wondered if Weiman's had a granite cleaner. I use their glass stovetop cleaner, which is great, and I just got their wood floor cleaner and polish (two different products) which are fabulous!

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
We had Granite put in 4 1/2 years ago. Still good as new.
Actually, the installer told us NOT to ever reseal it.

At install time he sealed it with "100% silicone, better than anything available at retail" and it carries a lifetime guarantee. They will come back and reseal if needed... for free... he added he had only done one reseal job in the last 10 years.

The installer said just dishwashing liquid soap to clean.
BUT... he said if you are one of those people that just HAVE to use a product on it then the only thing to use is 409 Stone and Steel Cleaner.

Amazon link, (Lowes carries it here too)

Link

This advice is exactly what I heard from my installer.

I've been using the 409 Stone and Steel cleaner for going on 10 years. The granite looks great. I do polish it with Rock Doctor once in a while.

I don't really know what I'm talking about (someone here has a sig line that even says I don't have to.) From my early learning, Marble is a calcium compound. It will fizz in hyrdrochloric acid or maybe even vinegar. Think soft.

Granite is a combination of quartz, feldspar and some other stuff, like mica, etc. Those impurities add color. Mostly feldspar and quartz aren't even sort of soluble in anything. But I guess you could damage the polish. Because its a combination of materials with different hardness', using anything on it might remove some of the mix more than others.

I'm always cautious when a professional person recommends a cleaning product by brand name. Doesn't mean its bad, or doesn't mean its good.

Maybe I’m crazy and lazy but I’ve used windex on granite for years and years without ever sealing it and never had an issue.