Best Granite Cleaner

Granite Gold is the best granite cleaner if you are looking for a solo cleaner.

Our Rating: (4.3 / 5)

It is the first part of a three part cleaning process specifically designed and formulated to clean all types of stone, including granite and marble.

Breaking your cleaning down into three parts is really the best way to clean granite. It is really made for those who are serious about cleaning and maintaining their stone in pristine condition.

If you have very expensive granite or marble countertops or floors and have the patience to apply a separate cleaner, conditioner, and sealer, this is the right product for you.

The other two parts involve a polisher/conditioner and a sealer.

The polisher gives your granite or marble a nice healthy shine along with a layer of coating while the sealer penetrates deeply into the pores of your stone and blocks debris from entering.

For granite and marble, you should use the cleaner once or twice a week, the polisher every two months, and the sealer once or twice a year.

The best granite cleaner is both pH neutral and biodegradable, which makes it friendly for all surfaces. You can use this cleaner in the kitchen or bathroom without worrying about leaving streaks or oily residue.

For the price and performance, this one is the best granite cleaner. It also leaves a nice citrus scent.

There are many cleaners that combine cleaning, conditioning, and sealing but the performance is diluted by using these combo products.

By separating out the process of cleaning, polishing, and sealing, Granite Gold pays special attention to each step of the granite maintenance process and the results definitely show.

Granite Gold has been around for a very long time and definitely known in the professional world. I have no problem recommending this product as the best granite cleaner.

If you are looking for a product that cleans and polishes your stone countertops and floors in one spray on can, this is the best granite cleaner for you. It is also one of the cheapest and best granite cleaner you can buy for your money.

Our Rating: (4.3 / 5)

Sprayway works great if you’re looking for an easy and cheap solution for cleaning and conditioning.

Although performance is sacrificed a bit because you are combining the cleaner and polisher in one solution, the price and convenience for just wipe down your counter once is a good trade off.

Sprayway is a household brand that everyone recognizes. It last a long time, does not leave streaks or waterspots, and dries off very quickly.

Although it is less effective than the Granite Gold Daily Cleaner in terms of performance, I like the fact that it gets the job done for most mid to lower grade stone countertops while saving time.

I would not recommend you use this product on expensive granite or marble countertops or floors. Any 2 in 1 product will be less effective because the performance of the cleaner and conditioner will be diluted.

This is the best granite cleaner if you want an all in one solution. 

Our Rating: (4.4 / 5)

This is the ultimate 3 in 1 care package for cleaning, polishing, AND sealing your stone countertops and floors.

It is truly designed for the lazy folks who want to minimize the time it takes to maintain granite or marble without sacrificing performance too much.

It is one of the best ways to clean granite if you don’t want to work too much.

While it is advised to use a separate cleaner, polisher, and sealer, sometimes you just don’t have to time or patience to apply all three separately.

Luckily, StoneTech’s 3 in 1 formula combines all three steps in one spray on bottle. This is  the best granite cleaner if you aren’t too obsessed with making sure your granite or marble gets the best possibly treatment.

After sealing your granite for the first time, StoneTech acts as a great low maintenance cleaner, polisher, and sealer perfect for low and high traffic areas in the bathroom, kitchen, or outside.

It is designed to maintain a constant level of protection every time you clean and neutralize the bacteria on the surface. It comes in either citrus or cucumber scent.

Many people make the assumption that granite and marble can simply be cleaned with Windex, soap, detergent, ammonia, bleach, vinegar or some other homemade granite cleaner.

No! What these people don’t understand is that granite and marble are expensive natural stone that require special attention.

After paying lots of money for these countertops, you wouldn’t want to ruin them by trying to save a few bucks and just using Windex for everything. You need to protect your investment and learn how to pick the best granite cleaner.

The best granite cleaner will be pH balanced. They are designed for polishing natural stone, meaning they are strong enough to do a good job cleaning but not harsh enough to do any damage to your stone.

A pH neutral solution is neither acidic or basic in nature.

It is important to use a pH neutral solution which is found in the best granite cleaner as an overly acidic solution is too harsh and will react with your stone to make it look very dull.

This pretty much rules out most homemade granite cleaners, as they will typically involve vinegar or lemon juice.

Using dish soap or windex may seem like an easy solution for the uninformed.

Soap is soap right?

What most people don’t understand is that these over the counter soaps can leave builds up and residue that will make your stone look dull and drab.

They can also leave watermarks and even stains if not wiped off and dried correctly. So do yourself a favor and use the best granite cleaner on your countertops. It is the best way to clean granite.

The best way to clean granite is a three part process: you must clean, condition/polish, and seal your granite or marble.

Generally, you should be cleaning a few times a week, conditioning once a month or so, and sealing about once a year.

The best granite cleaner simply removes the surface level dirt and stains while avoiding damaging or discoloring your stone.

But just cleaning your countertops is not enough. You need to polish and seal your countertops as well to prevent bacteria and dirt from getting inside the stone, which would be a much bigger task to get out.

A homemade granite cleaner will not condition your stone and neither will the best granite cleaner. Conditioning is another important part of improving the look and durability of your stone.

A conditioner or polisher is like a thin layer of coating that sits on top of your stone and gives it shine and protects it from bacteria, mildew, and other debris that tries to get through. Over time, this shield will break down and you’ll need to re-apply conditioner.

Sealing is the final part of proper granite care and the best way to clean granite. A sealer will penetrate into the pores of your stone and become embedded inside. This closes the holes in your granite, preventing stains and debris from coming in instead.

Appearance

Granite and Marble both have a very distinct look. Granite comes in a variety of colors and tones and is typically speckled due to other stones that are blended in it such as quartz, mica, and feldspar.

Marble will typically have a creamier texture and will range from solid gray to white colors. Marble typically has dark veins running through it. These lines are caused by the impurities in it such as clay, silt, sand, and iron oxides.

Properties

Typically granite is more durable than marble. Both are porous and need to be sealed. They run at around the same cost for square foot, although some higher end granite tend to cost more. Granite is mostly resistant to acids and scratches while marble is not. Generally, granite requires more maintenance than marble. You need to clean up spills immediately for it will stain. Both are resistant to heat.

Here is a comparison chart of the two commonly used stone countertops:

Granite

Granite countertops are the most commonly used stone countertops in homes. Granite is a natural forming highly dense rock that composed of element’s deep from the earth’s core. It is composed of a mixture of quartz, mica, and feldspar. Because quartz is a strong material, it is pretty scratch resistant. Although once thought of as an exclusive high end product, granite countertops are now much more affordable and widespread due to technology improvements in extracting and cutting the stone.

Granite is good because it is a very hard surface that is relatively resistant to scratches, even by knives. It is widely available, extremely durable, affordable, and has a wide selection of colors.

However, there are also drawbacks of owning a granite countertop. Since it is a porous material and can stain, it needs to be sealed for protection once a year. You also need to use the best granite cleaner on it before sealing. The best granite cleaner is specifically formulated to work on this type of stone. It is also brittle and can crack with age or by force with a hammer. Some darker granite colors also tend show watermarks and fingerprints.

Marble

Marble countertops are another commonly found stone countertop in homes and are typically less expensive than granite. Marble comes from sediments formed underneath the sea bed and is primarily composed of calcite, or dead organisms. This calcite is sensitive to acids, so vinegar, lemon juice, or other acidic household cleaners will reach with marble and etch the surface.

People often chose marble because it looks special. No other stone has the sort of “marbling” veins that marble stone offers.

However, marble tends to be a softer stone than granite and scratches easier. It also easily damaged by acids, and sealing it won’t really help.

Quartz

Quartz countertops are not as common as granite or marble because they are generally more expensive. While granite contains quartz, a quartz countertop contains… well you guessed it quartz. Most of it is crushed and mixed with some resin. It costs about the same as granite, although granite has a better reputation of having the higher status symbol.

Quartz is stronger than granite and tends to be more flexible as well. Because it is not porous, it also requires zero maintenance as it does not need to be sealed. If you accidentally spill liquids on it, the liquid will not seeps into the pores because there are none. You won’t have to worry too much about using the best granite cleaner to clean your quartz countertop.

There are some disadvantages to owning quartz. It is harder to install and can discolor from UV light. So if you have a spot that is consistently exposed to sunlight, you may eventually end up with a countertop that is half one color.

Slate

Slate is another stone that can be used in countertops and is a cheaper alternative to granite, marble, or quartz. It is a sedimentary stone that has a lower moisture absorption rate than granite.

It is a typically softer than granite as well so it scratches easier. Slate can vary widely in quality, with some being dense enough that do not require sealing or much maintenance.

Slate looks very handsome and is typically pretty uniform. While it is not distinct looking as granite or marble, it also comes at a lower cost.

A downside of owning slate is that the corners can be very sharp and brittle, but you can always have that sanded off. You also need to use the best granite cleaner to make sure it stays soft.

Soapstone

Soapstone is a type of metamorphic rock also used as an alternative to granite and marble in countertops. It’s natural texture it light gray and comes in a variety of shades of gray. It also has a nice smooth silky texture that many people like.

Soapstone is very dense, so it usually doesn’t need to be sealed. It is also an inert stone, so acidic solutions do no react with it.

The cons are the stone is very soft, so it can be scratched very easily. However, these scratches can normally be sanded out. It natural color can show watermarks and oil, so it is better to apply a mineral oil coating to give it an uniform look.

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock that is made of calcite just like marble. It is more rare to find a limestone supplier, since people typically just go for granite or marble.

It typically porous and comes in lighter colors so it is very susceptible to staining. You will have to protect your limestone by applying a sealant to it, but even then that does not protect you from acidic solutions. It is also softer than granite so with that it will scratch more easily. You will need the best granite cleaner for this one.

Limestone offers a unique look that is much lighter in color than the rest of the stones.

The best way to clean granite and marble countertops is pretty straightforward. You simply need a dry soft rag and the best granite cleaner, which is typically pH balanced. Do NOT use homemade granite cleaners such as vinegar, ammonia, or bleach as they are too abrasive and harsh for your countertop and will leave stains and cause damage.

Simply apply the best granite cleaner on a rag and wipe in a circular motion. There is no need to get fancy and use a brush or microfiber towel. Most of the work will be done for you using the best granite cleaner.