When you hire a granite company or any other experts to install countertops in your home, you need to take care of them. Unfortunately, studies show that many homeowners make plenty of mistakes with their countertops leading to damage to the pieces. To help you out, here are some of the most common countertop mistakes that many people make:

You are allowing acidic foods on the countertops

Almost all countertops are damaged by acidic foods, but studies show that the acids cause more damage on the marble countertops. This is because the pieces are made from calcium carbonate that is a base hence more sensitive to acids.

According to experts, a simply splash of vinegar, lemon juice, tomato sauce, or wine on the countertops is bound to give the countertops dull spots, known as etches. These spots not only look ugly thus giving your kitchen an ugly look, they also reduce the lifespan of the countertops.

For you to protect the countertops, you should get rid of any acidic spills as soon as they happen. You should clean up the acids with water then neutralize the stain by sprinkling baking soda on it.

You cut and chop on the countertops

Even if you have a butcher block, you shouldn’t chop, slice, or dice directly on the countertop. Unfortunately, many homeowners do it. This is because they have the impression that the countertops are tough thus they can take the abuse.

You should note that when you chop on the countertops, you tend to leave fine scratches on them that can disrupt the waterproof sealant on the units. This makes them susceptible to damage over the long term.

For you to care for the countertops, you should avoid chopping on them at all costs. The best way of going about it is getting yourself a chopping board that will do the work.

You let spills sit on the countertops

It’s common for accidents to happen. Oils and acids can splatter all over the countertops making them ugly to look at. While the countertops are sealed and tough, you should note that they aren’t prone to damage.

When you let spills sit on the countertops for a long time, they are bound to etch the seal and stain the granite. For you to retain the good looks of the countertops for a long time, you should get rid of the spills as soon as they happen.

If the spills are oily, you should use a cleaner. You can also use hot, soapy water to get rid of any stains that might be there.

You place hot items on the countertops

The countertops are tough thus can take the heat, right? Wrong. Hot items cause discoloration and cracking of the countertops. It’s common to be tempted to place hot items on the countertops especially when you are looking to remove food from fire.

When preparing the food, you should have trivets or pot holders in place all the time. The pot holders will protect the countertops from burn marks in the event you accidentally place the hot pans and pots on the countertops.

You allow a lot of sunlight in

A properly lit kitchen is not only good to look at, but also safe to work in. While there is nothing wrong with allowing sunlight in the kitchen, you should note that a lot of it causes the countertops to fade.

The damage is more pronounced on laminate countertops. A lot of sunlight has also been shown to fade some sealants thus reducing the antimicrobial feature of the units.

For you to protect the countertops from damage, you should pull down the shades during the peak sunlight hours of the day.

You lean on the countertops

It’s common to lean on the countertop edges especially when there are many people in the kitchen. When you lean on the edges, you make them split or peel giving the countertops an ugly look. Peeling has also been shown to reduce the lifespan of the countertops.

You should reduce the stress on the quartz countertops NC or any other pieces you might be having by never leaning on them. Of course, you should never open a beer bottle on them.