How to Clean Your Kitchen Countertops

Kitchens are the hub of activity in any home. They are heart of the family, where piping hot and nutritious meals are cooked every day and served to everyone in the family (whether you are a family of one, two, or ten!). Obviously, kitchen countertops see a lot of activity and are used almost endlessly, from the start to the end of the day. This is a place that can be a potential breeding ground for bacteria. It can harbour invisible pollutants. It can have minute particles of food stuck on it that could attract insects. All these contribute to possible health hazards for you and your family. So it is imperative to clean your kitchen countertops every day and give them a special cleaning treatment every week. Whether you use commercially brought cleaning agents or natural cleaning agents, what really makes the difference is how well they are cleaned and how frequently they are cleaned.

Here are some tips to help you out

1. First, eliminate those appliances and tools that you use infrequently but still find pride of place on your countertop! Find a place for them elsewhere. When you free up space on your countertop, you make it easier to clean and more hygienic as well.
2. If your kitchen countertop is made of granite, be careful to avoid any cleaning agents that contain acids, lemon, ammonia, bleach, or vinegar. Use warm soapy water and a wet sponge. Make sure your sponge is not of the abrasive variety. Use a soft washcloth and a microfiber cloth for drying up afterwards. For disinfecting granite countertops, a mixture of water and 91% isopropyl alcohol to a ratio of 50:50 will be ideal.
3. If your kitchen countertop is made of plastic laminate, it can easily get stained. A cost effective and efficient way to remove stains is by applying a baking soda with water to the stain, letting it rest for a few hours, and wiping it off gently.
4. If you have a wooden kitchen countertop, you must strive to keep them as dry as you can. You can protect it from harmful moisture by applying mineral oils on it once a month. Stains can be removed easily by using a mixture of chlorine bleach with water. Lemon slices rubbed on wooden countertops absorb foul odors. Cleaning wooden countertops is best achieved by using a mixture of baking soda and water (1/2 cup baking soda for 1 quart of water).
5. If your countertop is made of concrete, a simple mixture of vinegar and water will do the trick with a soft sponge or cloth.
6. Ceramic tile countertops are easy to clean but prone to grout. It would be best to use a toothbrush to clean out grout using a grout cleaner. Wipe off with mild cleaning agents and sponge.