Normal cleaning is accomplished with simple soap and water or any common non-abrasive household
cleaner. Cleaners specific for natural stone are available from custom Stone Interiors. We do
not recommend using any thing regularly that contains vinegar, ammonia, bleaches, or wax. The
product should be pH neutral.
For stronger cleaning, a mild solution of vinegar and water can be used although repeated
applications the vinegar remove the sealer.
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Natural stone is a porous material. A sealer that is FDA approved for food preparation surfaces
is applied to your stone as the final step in the fabrication process.
It is recommended this sealer be reapplied approximately once per year although many stones may
actually require sealing less frequently or not at all. Sealing is as simple as wiping the sealer
on to the stone surface, waiting a few minutes per the instructions on the bottle, and then wiping
the excess away with a clean, dry, absorbent rag.
Sealer is available from Custom Stone Interiors.
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The sealer applied to natural stone by the fabricator is usually very effective in
protecting the stone from staining. Staining of a natural stone countertop is a very infrequent
event; in approximately 2000 jobs we have had customers with a stain issue only twice. Stains
that do occur are normally the result of an oil or acidic spill (such as bacon grease, wine or
fruit juice) which is left on the stone surface for a period of time.
Because stone has been used for interior applications for thousands of years, a
large body of knowledge exists regarding the materials and procedures for removing stains. In
the unlikely event your granite becomes stained CSI can provide the directions which detail the
steps which are usually successful in removing a stain from natural stone. Most important is
accurate identification of the stain prior to beginning the stain removal process.
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Sealed natural stone is highly resistant to bacterial contamination. A formal study of
bacterial contamination on typical countertop surfaces cleaned with dish soap produced the
results detailed in the following.
As you can see from the data below granite responds very well to mild disinfectant. It
was the only material in the study that was within a factor of 100 of stainless steel after
disinfecting.
For the laminate, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 285. When the vinegar
was applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 500,000 to 1.
For the wood, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 500. When the vinegar was
applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 2,000 to 1.
For the tile, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 900 to 1. When the vinegar
was applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 233,000 to 1.
For the concrete, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 2,400 to 1. When the
vinegar was applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 30,600 to 1.
For the stainless steel, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 4,000 to 1. When
the vinegar was applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 230,000,000 to 1.
For the granite, washing and rinsing reduced the bacterial counts by about 36,000 to 1. When the
vinegar was applied, the overall reduction was increased to about 80,000,000 to 1.
The complete study is available at: http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Countertops.html
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On occasion granite, marble, or travertine surfaces or edges can be chipped by
an accidental impact from a heavy object like a cast iron cooking utensil or fireplace
implement. Granite fabricators have adhesives and fillers to repair such damage. In
most cases the repaired area is indistinguishable from the rest of the stone. Chipping is
very uncommon and overall stone surfaces are far more resistant to damage than any of
the alternative materials.
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