With so much attention focused on keeping our spaces clean and healthy, especially those high-touch surfaces like kitchens and bathrooms, there is some good news out there.
Where natural slab granite is a porous material and must be sealed for more effective cleaning and stain-resistance, you can get that same look you love in a material that’s much easier to care for.
“Our engineered stone is non-porous, for a low-maintenance, anti-microbial surface that’s easy to clean,” explains April Peterson, Marketing Coordinator for Granite Transformations of North Seattle. “You get all the beauty of a natural stone without all the maintenance needs.”
You’ll also get it without the invasive requirements of a traditional renovation.
Instead of the time-consuming task of ripping out your old countertops and backsplashes, the new engineered stone, quartz, granite or recycled glass countertops go right over existing counters and splashes. The US-manufactured product also boasts a lifetime warranty.
And as for cleaning, here’s a look at how easy it is:
- Everyday cleaning: Simply wipe the counter with a damp cloth using a mild detergent. For really tough marks or stains, use an ordinary cloth and diluted liquid bleach solution of 10 percent bleach and 90 percent water, ensuring you wash it off immediately.
- How to disinfect our countertops: Use a non-abrasive cleaner. “In our showrooms, we use Clorox Wipes or Lysol Wipes to clean our countertops,” Peterson notes. Disinfectant sprays such as Lysol or Clorox can be used as directed. Denatured alcohol is also safe to use on the countertops, with the added benefit that it will evaporate and won’t need to be wiped off. Other good options include rubbing/isopropyl alcohol (in general, distilled alcohol is not recommended to use for cleaning purposes), hydrogen peroxide or bleach at that solution of 10 percent bleach and 90 percent water.
- What not to do: Do not use vinegar, which is not recommended as a disinfectant for COVID-19, and do not use scourers, steel wool products and abrasives, lime scale remover, detergents containing citric acid (lemon) or calcium cleaners, as these products will dissolve the shells in some of the colors, Peterson notes.
So just how reliable is the engineered stone? “We’ve been installed in the Osaka airport as a flooring product for more than 50 years and it’s never had to be replaced – that’s one of the reasons why we stand by our lifetime warranty,” Peterson notes.
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Virtual consultations are available today with the Granite Transformation team, with summer installation bookings available. Discover your options at granitetransformations.com, call 425-998-0107or email northseattle@granitetransformations.com. You’ll also see what’s new on their Facebook page.