How to Clean Granite Countertops

This post outlines how to clean granite countertops with an easy daily cleaning method Shows products to use, a DIY cleaner recipe with rubbing alcohol, and daily cleaning/maintenance.

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When we built our home in 2017, I knew from the beginning that I wanted granite countertops. At the time, marble was allll the rage – but I didn't want any part of it. I knew this was going to be a home we lived in – not a showpiece. Marble stains incredibly easily. We aren't perfect by any means…we spill, we cook in our kitchen, we forget about stains. That marble would have been ruined so quickly! So granite it was.

I stumbled upon a picture of Alaska White granite one day when planning our kitchen, and absolutely fell in love. It's the perfect combination of taupes, blacks, and whites, with a teeny tiny bit of sparkle thrown in. I am still so happy with our decision – it was absolutely made for this space! And, one big advantage of this particular kind of granite is its ability to camouflage stains.

We've had a few homes with granite, so I've kind of learned over the years how to take care of it. It's not the easiest countertop by any stretch (trust me, we've had laminate and you can do annyyything to it 😂), but I think for the beauty of granite, the maintenance is totally worth it. Getting over the small learning curve of what to use for cleaning and how to maintain your countertops is a cinch.

Let's make your granite countertops the best they can be!

Before you take on the daily maintenance of your countertops, do one simple thing to make sure your granite is “healthy.” Put a few drops of water on the surface of the granite and wait a few minutes. If the water soaks in, your granite isn't appropriately sealed – skip to the monthly maintenance step at the bottom of this post. If it stays beaded on the surface, your granite it good and healthy! You can follow my simple daily maintenance steps below.

How to Clean Granite Countertops Daily

My daily countertop cleaning process is super simple. I use Mrs. Meyer's Multi-Surface Cleaner as my everyday cleaner in so many places (counters, walls, cabinets, baseboards – you name it). Combine that cleaner with these inexpensive microfiber cleaning cloths – that's really all you need!

I've started keeping a dozen or so microfiber cloths under my kitchen sink (in my Grove Collaborative cleaning caddy that you can get for free by using this link) to grab as needed. I really wanted to start reducing our paper towel usage a few months ago (for many reasons – more eco-friendly and less cost being the main two). Having these readily available and easy to grab as needed has made that so much easier. I can see a big reduction in our paper towel usage, and I think these are much more effective in the kitchen. They're great at scrubbing out dirt and grime on kitchen surfaces.

I did a little bit of research on Mrs. Meyer's Multi-Surface cleaner before I started using it – as it turns out, it's one of the cleaners that is approved for use on granite (meaning it won't severely deteriorate the seal on your granite, which is super important to maintaining its beauty – more on that in a minute). It's really effective at knocking out kitchen gunk and it smells absolutely heavenly (which, if you've read here for awhile, you know I'm a sucker for 😉). Overall, I'm a huge fan!

If you're using something else, just make sure it doesn't include the following elements…

• lemon/citrus cleaners
• ammonia (that includes Windex)
• vinegar
• bleach (that includes many varieties of Clorox clean-up)
• acidic cleaners
• scrubbing agents (like Soft Scrub) or abrasive scrubbers

I make a practice of wiping down my kitchen counters every single night (something I consider an essential element of my cleaning system, Journey to Clean). After I do dishes, pretty much no matter what, I wipe down the counters with my microfiber cloths and Mrs. Meyer's cleaner, scrubbing the counters as needed. I love shutting an orderly and clean kitchen down each night – it's the best feeling!

DIY Granite Cleaner

If you're wanting to go with a more DIY cleaner, you're in luck! There's a simple mixture you can make that shines counters, knocks out grime, and eliminates most bacteria.

In a spray bottle, combine…

• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1/4 cup dish detergent
• about 2 cups water

Shake it up and spray on granite countertops to clean as needed (again, recommend for use with those microfiber cloths I mentioned above).

How to Clean and Seal Granite Countertops Monthly

In Journey to Clean, my kitchen week tasks include cleaning the countertops thoroughly. This is a little more in-depth than the cleaning I do to shut down the kitchen each night. This includes…

• Cleaning underneath things like appliances and canisters
• Thoroughly wiping down backsplashes, grout lines, and undersides of cabinets
• Making sure your granite is sealed

I use this awesome cleaner once a month to ensure a good seal on my granite. I bought it off of Amazon – it's a little pricier than your standard cleaners, but it lasts forever if you only use it once or twice a month. I've had this original bottle since we moved into our house at the end of 2017! Simple spray down your counters really well, let it sit for a few minutes, and wipe with your microfiber cloth to blend in. Added bonus – it smells really great.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! (But don't actually squeeze lemon on your countertops – that'll ruin them. 😉) I'd love to hear your other granite countertop cleaning tips in the comments.

(You can see my other cleaning posts here.)