How to Clean Quartz Worktops

Quartz worktops are luxurious-looking, hard-wearing, non-porous, pretty stain resistant and, above all else, easy to keep clean.

But after paying a small fortune for a quartz worktop, you’ll want to keep it looking pristine for as long as possible. Of course, cleaning the work surface is the way to ensure the worktop stays in mint condition.

So how do you clean a quartz worktop?

Lucky for you, the answer to your question, plus many other helpful tips, are noted below! Follow the steps in the guide to clean your quartz worktop!

 

What Type of Quartz Worktop Do You Have?

Before you dive into cleaning your quartz worktop, you need to make sure that you know what type of quartz work surface you’ve got: quartz or natural stone quartzite.

In most cases, you’ll have an engineered (manmade) quartz worktop at home. This type of quartz work surface is made from natural quartz fragments, resins, polymers and pigments.

It’s this engineered mixture that makes your quartz worktop non-porous, hard, colourful, and easy to maintain.

In contrast, a quartzite surface is made from completely natural stone, which is very hard but porous.

Although the names sound pretty similar, there are distinct differences between the two. Of course, this means they need to be cleaned and treated slightly differently. So, keep this in mind when cleaning your worktops.

Follow the steps below to clean a quartz work surface, not a quartzite work surface.

 

Things to Avoid When Cleaning a Quartz Worktop

The following items and cleaning solutions will likely damage your quartz worktop (discolour/dull/scratch/chemically damage the resin), so don’t use them to clean the surface:

• Bleach
• Ammonia
• Goods that contain bleach or ammonia
• Drain cleaners
• Acetone
• Oven cleaners
• Excessive amounts of water
• Caustic soda/sodium hydroxide
• Turpentine
• Items with a very low or high pH reading
• Metal cleaning tools
• Wool pads
• Scourers
• Hard-bristled brushes
• Oils

If you accidentally spill one of the solutions noted above over your quartz worktop, you’ll need to clear the product off the surface immediately using a damp cloth. And then you’ll have to wash the area with warm soapy water.

 

What to Clean a Quartz Worktop With

The following items are considered safe to use on a quartz worktop:

• Soft cleaning rags like microfibre cloths
• Plastic spatula
• Warm water but only a small amount
• Washing-up liquid
• Heavily diluted white vinegar
• pH balanced solutions
• Quartz cleaning products, like GLEAN Foaming Quartz & Granite Cleaner or Granite Gold Quartz Clean & Shine

 

Day-to-Day Cleaning Method for Quartz Worktops

Steps to follow:

1. Wipe the entire surface with a soft, microfibre cloth to remove crumbs and dust from the whole area.
2. Fill the sink with a few blobs of washing-up liquid and water.
3. Soak a second microfibre cloth in the soapy water.
4. Wring the cloth out.
5. Wipe the whole quartz surface with the damp cloth – re-soak and wring out the cloth multiple times throughout this process.
6. Gently rub the surface in circular motions.
7. Repeat the steps above if your surface needs a little extra cleaning!
8. Grab a third microfibre cloth and use it to dry and buff the whole surface – make sure you remove all the water from the worktop.
9. Leave the work surface alone. The air will continue to dry the quartz surface.

 

Dealing with Stains on Quartz

Quartz may be relatively stain-resistant, but it’s not 100% stain-resistant. There are some foods, drinks and sauces that’ll mark the surface.

However, you can remove these flaws if you act quickly and use the right cleaning goodies.

Although, it’s always worth preventing stains from marking the worktop in the first place. So, here are some preventative measures you can put into immediate action:

• Place utensils on a chopping board/kitchen towel/utensil rest instead of leaving them dripping on a surface when they’re being used. Doing this will stop saucy, foody mixtures from touching and staining the work surface.
• Use chopping boards when cutting up foods, particularly acidic, juicy ones like tomatoes.
• Turn pans down so food doesn’t get everywhere.
• And ultimately, mop up any mess before it has time to dry on the worktop!

Right, let’s tackle those pesky stains!

General stains

To clean stains off a quartz worktop, you can try the cleaning method noted above.

 

Tough stains

If the ‘general clean’ doesn’t work, you’ll need to use a specialised quartz worktop cleaner like the ones mentioned above – GLEAN  or Granite Gold to remove the blemish from the surface.

Just follow the instructions on the packaging to find out how you apply and use the product on the quartz surface. (It’s best to stick to the advice on the packaging so you don’t leave the solution on the worktop for too long or misuse it!)  

Alternatively, you can mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use this elixir to banish the stains from the surface.

Just make sure that you don’t use too much vinegar, though, as this can damage a quartz surface. And always rinse the surface clean with a damp cloth when you’re done to remove any residue. 

 

Stubborn stains

For stubborn gloopy messes that have dried onto the worktop, you’ll need to soften them up and then remove them.

To do this, place a warm damp cloth over the blemished area and leave it there for a few minutes. During this time, the heat will soften the grime and will make it easier to remove.

After a few minutes, grab a spatula and tease the dirt off the quartz surface (don’t be rough!). Then clean the entire surface with warm soapy water or an official cleaner.

Tip: Always rinse the quartz surface clean with a warm, damp cloth when you’ve finished washing it. This small action will remove any residue from the surface – this residue could potentially damage the quartz worktop if it’s left on it for too long.

 

Greasy stains

Grease will always be a problem in a kitchen. If you didn’t get a chance to mop up the grease immediately, use a mild degreaser to remove the aged blemishes from the quartz surface. Then clean the area with some soapy water.

 

Craft-related stains

If you’ve had an arts and crafts-related mishap in the kitchen, and the quartz worktops are looking a tad worse for wear, use some diluted rubbing alcohol to remove the blemishes.

Just dab some diluted rubbing alcohol onto a discreet patch of worktop to see if there’s a reaction between the solution and the surface first. And if there isn’t a reaction, use a cotton bud/wool ball to dab the watered-down rubbing alcohol onto the stain to get rid of it.

Make sure you swap your dirty cotton buds/wool balls for clean ones throughout this process, as you don’t want to reapply the grime to the surface.

When the stain has gone, clean the surface using warm soapy water.

 

Bring a glow back to your quartz surface

After treating a stain, you may notice that your quartz surface looks a little gloomy.

To bring a shine back to the work surface, spray it with a little window cleaner and buff the whole area with a microfibre cloth. The quartz worktop will glow in mere minutes!

Tip: Always do a tiny patch test with your chosen cleaning solution. If there are any adverse effects, stop using the product immediately.

 

Tips to Remember When Cleaning Quartz Worktops

Keep these points in mind when you’ve got a quartz worktop in the kitchen:

• Don’t allow waste to build up on the surface. Grime can be hard to remove when it’s dried on. It can also scratch and discolour the worktop.
• Protect your surfaces. Use chopping boards and worktop protectors.
• Put your cooking tools and appliances away so they don’t sit on the surface and scratch it.
• Wipe your quartz surface down on a daily basis to keep it looking fresh.
• Mop up stains and spillages as soon as they appear.
• Don’t allow dust to settle on your quartz surface. Keep the dust at bay by wiping the worktop on a regular basis.
• Don’t put boiling pans and trays on the worktop. Use trivets like this one from simplywire instead!