- Granite is porous rock that will absorb liquids left on its surface for periods of time. Cleaning your granite counter tops daily is the main way to keep them free of stains. Wiping them down will remove oil or other remnants of cooking that might stain if left over night. Granite should be cleaned with mild soap and water, rinsed off and then dried.
- Since granite is porous, just scrubbing at a stain normally won't remove it. The stone basically pulled the liquid that caused the stain into the rock. To remove the stain, in most cases, you have to create a solution that will absorb the stain back out of the rock.
A basic formula to do this is 1 cup of flour, 2 tbsp. of dish washing liquid, and water. Use the water to turn the mixture into paste. Spread the paste over the stain and cover with plastic wrap. Seal the plastic with tape and leave for 24 hours. The next day remove the mixture with a damp towel. The stain should be gone. - Sometimes a paste does not work on certain stains. For instance with ink on dark granite counters, an acetone will work best. Ink on light granite requires hydrogen peroxide. But the most important way to keep granite counters free of stains is to seal them every six months or so. This will repel all liquids away from the porous stone.
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