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Author: chicagostonepro Subject: Dawn dishsoap on granite?
Posted: 01 Jan 2007 at 11:22am
The installer was giving you good, responsible, professional advice.
I've been in this business since 1989, as installer, measurer, fabricator, driver, salesperson, maintenance support, shop foreman, sales manager, general manager, consultant. Currently, I spend much of my time re-sealing granite kitchens.
I get to see what happens to granite tops over the years, based on individual cleaning preferences. I have yet to find a customer still using dish soap after the first year, mainly because the dish soap leaves too much residue on the stone, which looks terrible, and can actually stain the stone.
As far as the cost, a good, high quality stone cleaner - particularly if available as a concentrate - can actually cost you less than dish soap. However, let's say for argument's sake, the specially formulated stone cleaner costs twice as much per use as the dish soap (It won't). If this WAS the case, over the course of a year, you might save seven to ten dollars on cleaner.
What you get for this cost savings is a progressive dulling of the finish, probably a progression of darkening/staining from the skin conditioning agents in the dish soap, and finally, potential impairment of the sealer.
I typically get anywhere from $250.00 to $600.00 to clean up a kitchen that's not been properly maintained. That would buy a lot of "expensive" stone cleaner.
Of course, it's proper to be good stewards of our finances, and preparing your own cleaner from concentrate is a fine idea. If you find the solution leaves a smeary appearance on the stone, it's too concentrated. Add more water to the mix.
You can always use a stronger mix for occasional use, as needed - and rinse with plain water afterward.
Regarding leaving water sitting on the counters, as long as the water isn't standing against any joints, and the material has been properly sealed, and the water is just plain water, no harm will be done. What will happen, is when the water dries, the minerals will bond to the stone, and you'll have more work to do to clean the tops.
Mineral deposits on granite, from water, can be skinned off with a razor blade, buffed off with fine steel wool, or scrubbed off with a scrubber (rated for non-stick cookware) saturated with a solution of vinegar and water.
Keep in mind that if you allow a mineral build-up, when you clean it off, you can take a little of the sealer protection away, also. The effect is minimal, but it's cumulative.
Basically, it's best to just wipe up the water.
Regards,
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Granite : Dawn dishsoap on granite? 
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