How to Care for Natural Stone Countertops in the Carolinas

The water-drop test tells you when to reseal

Put a tablespoon of water on the stone near the sink and wait fifteen minutes. If the stone darkens where the water sat, the sealer has worn through and it is time to reseal. If it beads and the stone stays uniform, you are fine. Do this twice a year.

What to use and what never to use

Use pH-neutral stone cleaner or a few drops of dish soap in warm water. Never use vinegar, lemon, bleach, ammonia, glass cleaner, bathroom scrub or any abrasive powder — acids etch calcium-based stone and alkalis strip sealer from everything.

• Blot spills, do not wipe and spread them
• Use trivets on quartz and cutting boards everywhere
• Reseal granite and quartzite every 12-24 months
• Reseal marble every 6-12 months

Fixing an etch on marble yourself

An etch is dulled polish, not a stain. A marble polishing powder and a damp cloth restores gloss on light etching in about ten minutes. Deep etching needs a fabricator with a variable-speed polisher. Honed marble largely sidesteps the problem because there is no gloss to lose.