How to Clean Quartz Countertops Safely
Quartz countertops are a great choice for a long lasting stone. They are durable, stain resistant and offer many colors and patterns. However, there are special ways to care for quartz countertops that many are unaware of! Learn how to clean quartz countertops safely with these cleaners and polishes.
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Quartz Maintenance Level: Low
One of the reasons we chose to install quartz countertops during our kitchen remodel was because of their almost maintenance free care. Quartz maintenance is very minimal in comparison to granite, marble and soapstone.
Since the stone is fabricated, it is also offered in many styles, colors and patterns. We chose Statuario Roma, and you can learn all the details about our quartz here.
Daily Care of Quartz Countertops
At the time of this post, we’ve had our quartz countertops for a year and a half. In that time, I’ve primarily used water and a microfiber rag or paper towels to care for our quartz on a daily basis.
That has generally worked very well, but as time has gone on we were experiencing slight surface staining and issues around our sink from hard water.
Kitchen Source Book
So, I went back to the professionals at Lakeside Surfaces for help! After all, quartz is a large investment and I wanted to catch these small issues before they became irreparable.
How to Clean Quartz Countertops
Our countertops are polished quartz, so make sure to note that if your countertops are honed or another type of matte finish, your care may be different.
As I said above, daily care looks very simple. Use water or a warm rag with mild soap to clean the surface and remove debris and kitchen or bathroom remnants. Make sure your soap has a pH range of 5-8 so it doesn’t affect the finish of your countertop.
A general rule of thumb for how to clean quartz is not to use anything abrasive and nothing too acidic.
Quartz Countertop Cleaner & Polish
There are a few products specifically recommended for quartz countertop cleaner that I’ve found from personal experience to work well.
- Daily Care:
- Warm water with a microfiber cleaning cloth, these are my favorite, and/or mild soap
- A Quartz Cleaner like Pristine Clean, which I purchased from Lakeside Surfaces.
- Tough Surface Stains:
- Wrights Copper Cleaner
- Soft Scrub without bleach
- Grease Spots:
- Soak a paper towel in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, let sit for a few minutes on the spot, and then buff out. Afterwards, clean with a mild soap, rinse and dry.
- Rust/Hard Water Stains:
- Try buffing out hard water stains with denatured alcohol.
- My preferred choice is to use Simple Green because of its non-toxic nature. Soak a paper towel in Simple Green and let sit for a few minutes on the spot. This should loosen particles enough to scrub off. Afterwards, rinse and dry.
- All Purpose Care
- Make sure to check out my post on 20 organic cleaners that will work perfectly for quartz.
After cleaning with a stronger option than soap and water, make sure to rinse and dry your quartz for the best streak free shine.
How {NOT} to Clean Quartz
While there are many methods that are a good choice for quartz care, there are a few that are not an appropriate quartz cleaner.
DO NOT:
- Use abrasive pads such as:
- Steel wool
- Brillo pads
- Magic eraser
- Scrub brushes
- Use high acid cleaners
- Use alkaline cleaners such as bleach and ammonia
- Use dirty rags
Per that last tip, make sure that if you’re using a microfiber cloth that it is clean. If you use kitchen rags that have been used to clean up grease or soiled dishes, then remnants of that will be wiped onto your countertop.
This is something to especially be aware of if your countertop is dark as grease streaks are more easily visible on dark surfaces.
This brand is my favorite brand for cleaning cloths! The kitchen, bathroom, window and polishing cloths are my favorite. I love that they are chemical free, non toxic and only require water!
Stay Connected
I hope that these tips from the pros have been helpful! With proper care, your quartz countertops should last many years!
Make sure to check out more details of our kitchen remodel, as well as all our kitchen sources in my kitchen archives!
Has anyone had and scratches on their quartz? Within the first year that my quartz counters were installed I notices some scratches. I called the place where I purchased my quartz and they sent someone to look at it. He determined it was “normal wear and tear!” It is just my husband and I who live here and we are in our 70’s plus we are in a pandemic and have not had any
parties! I’m very upset over this and not sure what to do! Utube has videos on how to repair scratches but I’m afraid to do it myself for fear of making them worse. No one I know has had this problem with their quartz. Should I try to go to the actual manufacturer? If anyone has any advice PLEASE let me know!
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. I’d definitely go back to the manufacturer and see if there is any warranty.
Hi! thanks for the tips! I just want to ask: have you tried Zim Cream or Bar Keeper’s Friend? I read that these two are recommended products to use for quartz countertops. I saw that they have a list of recommended products and some instructions as well. Click here to see the list.