How do I clean a stone or quartz worktop?
Which stone you have decides everything — the acid test, the daily method that suits all of them, and sealing natural stone properly.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 30 min
- Read
- 4 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
Warm water with a little washing-up liquid, or a pH-neutral stone cleaner, is right for every stone worktop. Avoid vinegar, lemon and any acidic or abrasive cleaner. Granite and marble need sealing; quartz never does.
Stone worktops are damaged by the wrong cleaner rather than by wear, and the damage is usually permanent. Knowing which material you have is most of the job.
Safety
What you'll need
- Washing-up liquid or a pH-neutral stone cleaner
- Soft cloths or microfibre
- Stone sealer, for natural stone only
Step by step
- Establish which material you have.Quartz is engineered — ground stone in resin, non-porous, usually very uniform. Granite is natural, speckled, porous. Marble and limestone are natural, softer, and highly reactive to acid.
- Do the water test for porosity.A few drops of water in an inconspicuous spot. If it darkens the stone within minutes, it is porous and needs sealing. If it beads, the seal is intact or the stone is quartz.
- Use pH-neutral cleaning for everything.Warm water with a few drops of washing-up liquid suits every stone worktop. It is what most manufacturers recommend and it costs nothing.
- Wipe spills immediately.Wine, lemon juice, vinegar, coffee, oil and tomato. On marble and limestone an acidic spill etches within seconds; on granite the risk is staining rather than etching.
- Never use acidic cleaners.Vinegar, lemon, descaler, most limescale removers and many bathroom sprays. They dissolve the calcium in marble and limestone and degrade the sealer on granite.
- Avoid abrasives entirely.Scouring pads, cream cleaners and powders scratch polished stone, and a scratched polish cannot be restored at home. Soft cloths only.
- Keep bleach off natural stone.It breaks down the sealer and can discolour. If a stain genuinely needs it, use a poultice method designed for stone rather than applying bleach to the surface.
- Lift stains with a poultice.Bicarbonate of soda and water into a thick paste, spread over the stain, covered with cling film and left overnight. It draws the stain out of the pores as it dries.
- Match the poultice to the stain.Oil-based stains respond to a bicarbonate paste; organic stains such as tea or wine often need a hydrogen peroxide poultice. The wrong one simply does nothing.
- Seal natural stone regularly.Granite typically annually, marble and limestone more often. Clean, dry, apply the sealer evenly, let it soak, then buff off the excess before it dries on the surface.
- Do not seal quartz.It is non-porous and sealer cannot penetrate. It sits on the surface as a hazy film that then has to be removed.
- Use a chopping board and trivets.Knives dull on stone and scratch a polish. Quartz resin scorches under a hot pan and the mark is permanent — this is the commonest way quartz worktops get damaged.
- Deal with limescale round the tap carefully.The obvious product is exactly the wrong one on stone. Repeated warm soapy water and gentle persistence, or a stone-safe descaler only.
- Buff dry after cleaning.Hard water leaves spots and a dull film on polished stone. A dry microfibre after washing keeps the shine.
- Call a specialist for etching.Dull etched marks on marble need professional repolishing. Nothing available domestically restores an etched polish.
Tips
- Washing-up liquid and warm water is correct for every stone worktop. Nothing stronger is usually needed.
- Never let vinegar or lemon touch marble or limestone. The etch happens in seconds and is permanent.
- Quartz never needs sealing, and a hot pan on it leaves a mark that cannot be removed.
Common mistakes
- Using vinegar or a limescale remover on stone — Acid dissolves the calcium in marble and limestone, leaving a permanent dull etch, and it degrades the sealer on granite so the stone starts absorbing stains.
- Putting a hot pan straight onto quartz — The resin binding the stone scorches and discolours at a much lower temperature than natural stone. The mark is permanent and cannot be polished out.
If it doesn't work
Dull cloudy patch on marble
Cause: Acid etching — Fix: Not a stain and not cleanable. Light etching sometimes responds to a marble polishing powder; anything more needs a specialist.
Dark patch that appears when wet
Cause: Sealer worn, stone absorbing water — Fix: Let it dry fully, then reseal the whole worktop.
Oil stain in granite
Cause: Absorbed into the pores — Fix: Bicarbonate poultice, covered, left overnight. Repeat if needed, then reseal.
Hazy film on quartz
Cause: Sealer applied, or cleaner residue — Fix: Warm soapy water and a plastic scraper for stubborn film. Do not seal quartz.
Scorch mark on quartz
Cause: Hot pan on the resin — Fix: Permanent. Use trivets — this is the main cause of quartz worktop damage.
Questions people ask
Can I use vinegar on granite?
No. It degrades the sealer, and once the seal has gone the granite starts absorbing stains. Warm soapy water or a pH-neutral stone cleaner instead.
How often should I seal a stone worktop?
Granite roughly annually, marble and limestone more often. Use the water test — if drops darken the stone rather than beading, it needs resealing. Quartz never needs it.
How do I tell quartz from granite?
Quartz is engineered, so the pattern is very consistent across the slab and it is non-porous. Granite is natural, with visible variation and speckling, and it absorbs water where the seal has worn.
What is the difference between a stain and an etch?
A stain is something absorbed into the stone and is usually darker — a poultice can draw it out. An etch is the polish chemically damaged by acid, appears as a dull mark, and needs repolishing.