Quartz Counters and Stains

[Pam R]

I have white quartz (Caesarstone) counters that I love, but I've noticed that they tend to pick up some light stains. Though I try to wipe up any spills as fast I see them, sometimes you just miss them. And things like tea, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce seem to leave spots even if you catch them quickly.

Yes, I've googled this but have found some differing opinions on how to handle stains, and I'd rather not ruin my counters. So, I'm wondering if anybody has any solutions that you've actually tried that work without harming the surface.

[dcarch]

Go to a stone place and buy some sealant to seal the stone.

It is very difficult to remove stain from stone, once it has been stained.

dcarch

[Pam R]

Isn't the whole (maybe not the whole, but a good part of the) point of quartz the fact that it's low maintenance and doesn't need to be sealed? And what about the marks that are already on it?

[rob1234]

Isn't the whole (maybe not the whole, but a good part of the) point of quartz the fact that it's low maintenance and doesn't need to be sealed? And what about the marks that are already on it?

That's what I thought. I've never had a stain on our white quartz and I've left coffee spills for days. My mom even washed my cast iron pan and left it overnight wet on the counter which left a huge rust stain. It wiped off fairly easily.

[Pam R]

@rob1234 what do you normally use to clean it? I can't think of the brand at the moment, but I've been using something that says on the label that it's good for quartz, yet it's definitely not doing a fantastic job.

[rob1234]

Just a wet dish cloth 99% of the time and some lysol wipes from costco if I'm cleaning up after raw meat. The rust stain took some scrubbing to come off but it was 4 years ago and I can't remember if I used any cleaning products.

My counters aren't pure white more of a light grey cream color.

[dcarch]

Caesarstone is 30% resin, and 70% stone. It is very durable and stain resistant, but being resin based, it can be stained by some substance. Stone, depends on the quarry, some can be porous. You an even get some stone commercially dyed to match your color scheme.

dcarch

[judiu]

Comet cleanser now has a non-scratch formula, similar to Bartender's Friend and Bon Ami, but with bleach. Might help...

[Cmd2012]

I use Method granite cleaner or Windex multisurface cleaner. Both will pull up light stains. I sometimes let them sit 5-10 minutes on the stain before wiping. Seems to help.

[Lisa Shock]

You might try an enzymatic cleaner, look for something that says it's good for chocolate, wine, blood and pet stains. -Even if it says it's for carpeting, this is what you need. I would avoid bleach as it may eat away at the resin or discolor it.

[minas6907]

If you have stains in your counter, like from the balsamic you mentioned, I'd make a poultice, that should lighten those spots. I've been doing stone restoration by trade for about 7 years now and deal with stains often. Get baby powder, wet it with a degreaser to make a paste and apply a 1/4 inch layer to the stained area. Cover that with plastic, and tape all the edges of the plastic so its airtight. After 24hr, peel up one corner of the tape and let it dry, it should be dry within the next 24hr. This method does well at removing stains, hopefully it will be gone. If you see its gotton lighter but still remains, do a 2nd application.

Edited September 18, 2013 by minas6907 (log)

[dcarch]

If you have stains in your counter, like from the balsamic you mentioned, I'd make a poultice, that should lighten those spots. I've been doing stone restoration by trade for about 7 years now and deal with stains often. Get baby powder, wet it with a degreaser to make a paste and apply a 1/4 inch layer to the stained area. Cover that with plastic, and tape all the edges of the plastic so its airtight. After 24hr, peel up one corner of the tape and let it dry, it should be dry within the next 24hr. This method does well at removing stains, hopefully it will be gone. If you see its gotton lighter but still remains, do a 2nd application.

There are many stone fronted buildings in NY, and there are even more graffiti artists around.

That is the professional method I have seen done.

BTW, not all baby powders contain talc.

dcarch

[lindag]

I had white Caeserstone counters put into the kitchen remodel on my last home and never had any staining of any kind., and I didn't baby them either. Love the product.

[Pam R]

Thanks for the suggestions - I've got a few things to try now. I did check and the spray I have is Method, but it's not getting rid of everything. And I've tried the spray and wait technique.

I was raised by a mother who loved Comet for EVERYTHING -- so I think I may start with trying to find the non-abrasive Comet and then go from there.

I wonder why my counters pick up stains and others don't . . . (I have Blizzard white counters btw)

[Smithy]

If you have stains in your counter, like from the balsamic you mentioned, I'd make a poultice, that should lighten those spots. I've been doing stone restoration by trade for about 7 years now and deal with stains often. Get baby powder, wet it with a degreaser to make a paste and apply a 1/4 inch layer to the stained area. Cover that with plastic, and tape all the edges of the plastic so its airtight. After 24hr, peel up one corner of the tape and let it dry, it should be dry within the next 24hr. This method does well at removing stains, hopefully it will be gone. If you see its gotton lighter but still remains, do a 2nd application.

There are many stone fronted buildings in NY, and there are even more graffiti artists around.

That is the professional method I have seen done.

BTW, not all baby powders contain talc.

dcarch

Questions: What kind of degreaser? And is it important to have talc as a component? I'm interested in the chemistry of this. Would it work on pale-colored laminate?

[Katie Meadow]

I have Caesarstone coutertops in a dark color. So far I have had no staining problems and everything has cleaned up well with soap and water. If I had issues with staining the first thing I would do is go the website for the product and read about cleaning and care. I would also call the dealer who installed it and ask them. Perhaps even slight stains show up on white counters, but Caesarstone is marketed as really low maintenance and non-staining. As someone pointed out above the product is not simply quartz. It is an aggregate of quartz in a resin or plastic base, so treating it as pure stone might not be the best way to go.

[&roid]

I have silestone countertops (similar idea to caesarstone) and find that stuff like turmeric and coffee will stain if left for more than a few minutes. Was really upset by this at first and got the installers back to look at it, they just told me to ignore the instructions and use regular cream cleaner like Cif. I've been doing that for over five years now as it works a treat. Surface is as good as new and nothing stains it.

[minas6907]

If you have stains in your counter, like from the balsamic you mentioned, I'd make a poultice, that should lighten those spots. I've been doing stone restoration by trade for about 7 years now and deal with stains often. Get baby powder, wet it with a degreaser to make a paste and apply a 1/4 inch layer to the stained area. Cover that with plastic, and tape all the edges of the plastic so its airtight. After 24hr, peel up one corner of the tape and let it dry, it should be dry within the next 24hr. This method does well at removing stains, hopefully it will be gone. If you see its gotton lighter but still remains, do a 2nd application.

There are many stone fronted buildings in NY, and there are even more graffiti artists around.

That is the professional method I have seen done.

BTW, not all baby powders contain talc.

dcarch

Questions: What kind of degreaser? And is it important to have talc as a component? I'm interested in the chemistry of this. Would it work on pale-colored laminate?

Any sort of concentrated degreaser will work. And no, I don't think talc specifically is a required for the poultice, the baby powder is an easy material to get, it just acts as a medium for the stain to be puller up into. In the field, another material I use for a poultice is diatomaceous earth, it works the same way. I really can't say if it would work on laminate, since that's not a very porous material, I haven't heard of getting stains out if laminate by using a poultice.

I have Caesarstone coutertops in a dark color. So far I have had no staining problems and everything has cleaned up well with soap and water. If I had issues with staining the first thing I would do is go the website for the product and read about cleaning and care. I would also call the dealer who installed it and ask them. Perhaps even slight stains show up on white counters, but Caesarstone is marketed as really low maintenance and non-staining. As someone pointed out above the product is not simply quartz. It is an aggregate of quartz in a resin or plastic base, so treating it as pure stone might not be the best way to go.

The ceasarstone and quartzstone surfaces really are easier to maintain the many other stone surfaces. And your right, of the lighter colored man made materials do on occasion seem to be a bit more problematic when it comes to staining, I've seen this on many build sites. The reason I suggested the poultice is that if the balsamic is staining, the material obviously has some porosity to it, and may respond well to the poultice re-emulsifying and pulling it out. Anything you can do to stone is safe on these man made surfaces, but it doesnt work the other way around. I guess what I saying is that its ok to treat the ceasarstone surfaces like stone, but not really ok to treat a stone surface like ceasarstone.

[lorinda]

I use the Magic Eraser on my quartz stone tops and they work every time, whether it's food colouring, turmeric, tea, coffee. (Magic Eraser is a white foam-type sponge for removing stains.) These have worked better than any spray cleaner, and it doesn't scratch the surface.

[piyoman]

I also have white quartz countertops. I've used acetone from Home Depot / Lowes with good luck. The countertop installer used it when he was doing his final clean up after the installation. He also recommended a sealer every once in a while. I've also had pretty good luck with barkeeper's friend and even straight dishwashing detergent for stubborn stains. No problems so far and it's been 4 years of a non-branded quartz countertop. Good luck.

[minas6907]

I also have white quartz countertops. I've used acetone from Home Depot / Lowes with good luck. The countertop installer used it when he was doing his final clean up after the installation. He also recommended a sealer every once in a while. I've also had pretty good luck with barkeeper's friend and even straight dishwashing detergent for stubborn stains. No problems so far and it's been 4 years of a non-branded quartz countertop. Good luck.

It is a good idea to seal, however it should be noted that if you use acetone on an area it will take off any sealer present.

[Snadra]

I have natural granite countertops with a matte finish. There has been a bit of staining, but it comes out quite well with a light bicarbonate soda scrub. I use it to polish the stainless steel sink as well.

[Pam R]

Snada -- just mix a little baking soda and water and scrub?

I've actually had very little time to try different solutions since I've posted (or rather, less time to run around to find some of the products, but I'm keeping a list and will work my way through the suggestions). I've tried the magic eraser because I had one. . to mixed results. No harm to the counter, but a couple of marks are gone, another one is still there.

[leilaames]

I always use hydrogen peroxide to clean my quartz countertops as it keeps it sparkeling clean and does not damage the stone. You can try out this method and see if it works.

Edited May 2, 2014 by leilaames (log)

[paulraphael]

Lisa mentions enzymatic cleaners; you probably already have some in the form of laundry detergent. Maybe test in an inconspicous place to make sure it doesn't leave a mark of its own. I've used a slurry of laundry soap to get wine stains off the walls and ceiling. Worked like magic.