Hard Water Stains On Granite Countertop

by Lori
(Cottonwood AZ)

QUESTION:

Hi. We have just moved in to our house and have been here 5 weeks.

The water is very HARD producing a whitish, somewhat crusty build-up around the sink and faucet.

Cleaning the granite countertops is nearly impossible with this stuff.

We were told that the granite counter top was heat sealed and that the sealer would last indefinitely.....???!

My problem is that I cannot clean off the hard water stains which have already accumulated. As I have a hubby and children that do not always dry the water they may have left around the sink - the hard water stains on the granite countertop are what we see and not the beauty of the stone.

Someone told me to use vinegar to for cleaning granite countertops. I did use that and it did not work and I see from your site that vinegar should NOT be used to clean natural stone.

Can you help me at all?? Very frustrated as the countertops are new! Thank you. Lori

ANSWER:

Why yes... I can help you! True, vinegar is not the best for cleaning granite countertops or floors and cannot be used at all on marble... it will damage marble instantly by etching and it can do the same to granite if used repeatedly over time.

It's just too acidic and will break down sealers, etc.

What you need is this Hard Water / Soap Scum Remover. It's easily the best we've tested.

This product is made just for stone, so very safe to use on all stone types and effective for cleaning hard water stains off granite countertops.

Best to spray on and let sit for 5-10 minutes when there's a lot of build up, then scrub with a soft-bristle brush.

Then a quick spray and wipe down daily should keep the hard water deposits from building up again.

This product is also excellent at cleaning shower and bath soap scum build-up.... and it can also be used to remove grout haze on newly installed tile.

A stone-safe product is very important when installing marble or travertine that would etch when using typical acidic grout haze removers.

But in general, for cleaning granite counter tops or cleaning marble use this Granite & Marble Cleaning spray, which is also excellent for cleaning mirrors and glass! Many think it's better than Windex without being harmful to stone of course like Windex is.

Good Luck,
Ryan