When it comes to buying, maintaining, and generally looking after countertops, there are a lot of things that can go wrong whether you have granite slabs, quartz countertops, or solid surface counters. Here is everything you should and shouldn’t do when it comes to solid surface countertops.

Do Know Before Diving In

You need to know what you’re dealing with when it comes to solid surface countertops. Solid surface countertops are smooth and it’s mainly a man-made countertop material, so you need to get this out of the way first.

It is made out of resin and pulverized rocks and stones, so the resin is something that will discolor over time. You need to know that this countertop material can get a bit faded over time, especially if you’re not cleaning it every day. This is something that a lot of people don’t realize until they get it.

This is why knowing everything about a countertop material beforehand is important. You want to have everything down before diving into buying and maintaining the material, because sometimes, a material may look good, but it won’t be the easiest to maintain. It’s something that you need to keep in mind because the last thing you need is slaving over the material.

Don’t Forget Research

Doing your research is important when it comes to buying countertop materials. A lot of people tend to get countertop materials from word of mouth or simply because one material looks good. Well, that’s not always the best thing to do.

Whenever you’re buying any material, regardless of whether it is solid surface countertops or not, you need to know everything about it. Is the material easy to maintain and clean? How you should clean it? How to take care of it in the long run? And more. Everything has to be known to you so that you can get the best for your kitchen.

Do Clean Countertops Daily

This one kind of goes without saying, but you want to clean solid surface countertops every single day. This is something that you need to do if you want the countertops to remain in pristine condition for longer.

Whether you have light or dark countertops, you need to wipe them down every single day, before you’re ready to call it a day in the kitchen. You will not only wake up to a clean kitchen the next day, but stains will also be history. So, don’t forget to wipe your countertops down, because this will make a difference.

Don’t Put Hot Things

Solid surface countertops are made out of resin, so they’re going to be very susceptible to heat damage. This is something that you need to look out for and you shouldn’t put hot things directly on the surface of the countertops, otherwise, things will take a turn for the worse.

You want to use a cutting board or trivet to ensure that there is a barrier between the countertop and the hot pot or pan because hot temperature can blister the countertops and can also lead to permanent stains which isn’t good by any means, so keep this in mind.

Do Use Gentle Cleaning Agents

When it comes to cleaning solid surface countertops, you want to use gentle cleaners and detergents at all times. It doesn’t matter whether you go for store-bought cleaners or make your own, you need to use something that is not harsh for your countertops.

If you want to save money on buying store-bought cleaners all the time, then you can go for a mix of water and detergent and use it as your DIY countertop cleaner. It will get the job done and your countertops will not only be clean, but you won’t be spending a lot of money on cleaners either.

Don’t Go For Harsh Chemicals

When it comes to cleaning solid surface countertops, you want to steer clear of harsh or chemical-based cleaners. Anything with acids, bleach, and abrasive cleaning agents is not going to cut it and they will end up doing more bad than good for you, so you want to use gentle cleaning solutions, as opposed to harsh ones. Whether you have marble, quartz, or granite countertops Potomac, this rule applies to maintaining all types of countertops.

You will see the difference in how your countertops look after the fact and if you use harsh cleaners on the countertops, then it will only lead to more problems rather than solving them. So, be smart and safe.

Do Consider Disinfecting

A lot of people don’t consider this bit and you must disinfect your countertops every week, if not regularly. Disinfection of a countertop is really important because you’re making food on it and if the surface of the countertop isn’t clean then you’re contaminating the food by yourself and that’s bad for you in the long run.

So, for disinfection, you want to use rubbing alcohol and water and spray it on the surface. It will make a world of difference for the disinfection of your countertops and you’ll thank yourself.

Don’t Let Stains Sit

This is also something that you have to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning your countertops, especially solid surface countertops, and that is to ensure that you’re not letting stains sit on the surface for too long. If you spill something on the surface of solid surface countertops, then you want to clean it up right away instead of letting it sit on the surface.

This will only lead to permanent stains and you don’t want to deal with that. So, whenever you see a spill, clean it up right away and you will save yourself from trouble.

Do Clean Up Moisture Right Away

Water is also one of the biggest culprits of splotches and stains on solid surface countertops. You might be thinking that a clear liquid like water can’t do a lot of damage, right? Wrong! It can lead to complete damage to your countertops and the thing with water is that it damages countertops from the inside, so you need to ensure that you’re not letting puddles of water sit on the surface of the countertops for too long.

Wet countertops will only cause more problems so dry them immediately and you won’t have to deal with the havoc of this seemingly harmless liquid.

Don’t Use Knives Directly

It’s also not recommended that you use sharp knives directly on the surface of solid surface countertops. Yes, it is a hard material and it doesn’t scratch as easily, but you don’t want to test its limit.

Your countertops are not cutting boards and they are not meant to be exposed to knives and sharp things anyway. So, always make sure that when you are cutting things, you use a cutting board, so that the knife doesn’t come in direct contact with the countertops and scratch them up permanently.

Conclusion

Solid surface countertops are easy to maintain and look after for the most part, but if you don’t take care of these things, then you can ruin your countertops with your own hands. Moreover, if you need a man-made countertop material that is better than solid surface, then install quartz countertops by contacting a quartz countertops dealer Rockville.