Granite & Stainless Steel Cleaning/Maintenance Suggestions

Both are sooooo easy to maintain!! Just a simple wipe down everyday! & I have a 2yr old!!! On hgtv, they say olive oil cleans SS easily but have never used it!! Just store boughten wipes & spray work well!!!! Almost anything works on granite :)

I'm a professional house cleaner and would rather scrub toilets than polish SS appliances. It is my least favorite thing to do. The granite is easy! Windex or a simple daily granite spray cleaner does the trick, but always use a high quailty micro-fiber cloth, damp. It will shine them up like nothing. If you have hard water you will have to be very aware of water spots around your sink. The calcium buildup happens very fast and it's a devil to remove. If you do get buildup, spray a very thick coating of Dow's Scrubbing Bubbles directly on the stain and let it sit for a good long time, then go back and wipe it up. It will take much of the stain out. Just be sure whoever installs your countertops seals them really well.

If your dishwasher front panel is SS, you will have to clean it every day otherwise you will have water streaks down the front and it will never look clean. Stovetops aren't that bad, be sure to remove the dials and clean each one, or you will have a buildup of cleaner and crumbs/grease under each dial. You have to clean the stove top with a degreaser first, I like 409, then polish with a SS cleaner. The SS cleaner alone won't cut through the everyday cooking grease, etc. If your fridge sticks out into the room at all and exposes the sides, don't forget to clean those as well, they seem to get just as covered with fingerprints.

There are lots of different SS cleaners on the market, from sprays to wipes. I like the wipes for the dishwasher, somehow the sprays just don't seem to cut through the stains. For all other appliances, I use a spray. It doesn't matter much where you get them or who makes them, they are all pretty much the same. I use a micro-fiber cloth to polish the SS as well, it does a great job of doing a very even polish job. Just remember to polish with the grain, it looks better that way.

Have fun with your new kitchen, what a treat!

There are cleaning sprays made especially for granite countertops- but honestly, mine are so sturdy, I think I could clean them with almost anything! I usually just use a basic cleaning spray by Method. Same for stainless steel. I use my dishwashing soap and a sponge to clean it off and have never had any problems. If there is something sticky, etc. I use the rough 'scrubbing' side of my kitchen sponge and it has never left a mark. They are both very forgiving substances!

J.,

I am glad to see you had several reccommendations for Granite Gold. I am a profesional Interior Designer and my husband also owns a granite frabication company and that is what we use and recommend for daily maintenance. Make sure that the company who is installing your new granite has sealed it. After a year or two you will want to reseal it and you will be able to tell when it needs it. 511 impregnator (which is available at Home Depot) is best for sealing. As for the stainless steel there is a product in the grocery store called "Kleen King". It is for stainless steel & copper pots and pans. I use it on my cook top all the time to get the tough burnt stain off. It's been around for years but most people don't know about it.
Good luck
C. D.
P.S. Don't use windex on Granite as someone mentioned.

We installed granite and immediately got a HUGE oil stain on it. Granite is a porous rock and will absorb grease, red wine, etc. Invest in the best sealer you can find and follow the directions very carefully. The sealer will probably cost $100 or so for the bottle. There are products out there that will "soak up" stains on granite, and we did get our stain out, but it was smelly and inconvenient and who knows what chemicals we were all exposed to!!!! Once we got past that and completely sealed, we have enjoyed our counter tops very much. They are VERY hard, so be careful when you set down glass jars and other fragile objects on them! Enjoy your renovation!

I am a child care provider...and redid our kitchen about five years ago with granite and SS appliances. I must admit I didn't want Stainless..but I was pressured by hubby and designer and assured it would NOT be a problem.

They were right....no problem at all...and it still looks great!. I use windex on granite and the Granite Gold cleaner on occasion. There are so many inexpensive SS cleaners out there. Good Luck on your decision

.

For my stainless steel apliances I actually use Pledge and a microfiber cloth. It shines it up very nicely and keeps fingerprionts off pretty well.
Ganiote Gold is what I use for our counter tops, they have a cleaner and a polisher (you can get at Costco but also at supermarkets and Target).

My husband owns a marble and granite fabrication/installation business so I will pass on what he has shared with me regarding the care of granite. Nothing needs to be used on granite other than water. Occasionally, you can use vinegar with the water if you feel the urge, but despite all the granite cleaners you see on the market, nothing is needed other than water. We have had granite counters and floors in our home for almost 11 years now and water is all I've used.

I don't have stainless steel appliances so I can't comment in that area.

If you haven't already purchased your stainless steel appliances, you should definitely try to make sure you buy the newer "coated" SS that has some type of clear coating over the SS to allow for easy wipe-down without the usual SS streaks.