Remove stains from Granite countertop

Q. We had granite installed last week and it is already stained. It was sealed, I watched the men do it after they installed the top. Just about everything stains it, even if you try like mad to keep it spotless.

The granite shop isn't returning my phone calls after we had words over the quality of the seam and polishing. They came well recommended and were not even close to the cheapest bid. I tried to support a local business and this is what I get in return.

Q. Just Like Rebecca H., we also just had an install performed by a local company. Attempting to see if she has had difficulty finding resolution through said company?

Q. I used [on eBay or Amazon] on the olive oil stain and it's getting lighter I keep working on it I only had my counter tops for 2 weeks and I was willing to call them in to replace one side but they said impossible with the glue on the counter tops they would have to tear up everything and that's too costly good luck with the Windex

Q. We've been in our new renovated kitchen for six months now. we chose a kashmir granite, brushed. And we have two toddlers. The granite was sealed three times before delivery and once afterwards. Our table in the kitchen, connected to island is the same brushed granite. The entire end area where my son eats is a darker, dull color now, and same situation around the cooktop. I'm guessing it's a combination of use and oil stains. How do I remove these stains? And if that's successful, how do I prevent them in the future? Is there some spray cleaner or something to use after my son eats or after I cook? I'm meticulous and always wipe down the area but I know now that's not enough. By the way, the granite shop and dealer told me it was no more porous than if I bought it polished. I disagree. Thanks for any advice.

Q. I put some blue dawn on an oil spot and left it accidentally overnight and now I have a bigger stain from the blue dawn! any suggestions? Had I known granite was so wimpy I would NEVER have bought it.

I just had a granite countertop installed yesterday. It's a light color. I wasn't told anything about care, but was told it would be sealed at the factory then sealed when installed. They didn't seal it when they installed it. Said it wasn't necessary. It water-marks in, like, 10 minutes then takes 2 hours to dry. I woke up this morning and there is a stain next to the stove. I have absolutely no idea what caused it. If it WAS wet, it was dry by the time I saw it, but it looks like something was set on it. And it wasn't. I am praying this fades. As far as I'm concerned this was a big mistake. I would never have put in granite had I known it wasn't functional.

A kitchen countertop is supposed to be durable. Granite sounds durable. It's not. I hope you'll leave this post in even though it doesn't ask for a solution. If you're considering a granite countertop, at the very least, test a sample piece. I can't imagine anyone being happy with granite, so unless my granite is defective, I think it's so much over-rated as to be a fraud.

Q. Does anyone know how to remove a red wine stain from granite counter tops without damaging the finish of the granite?

Q. Does anyone know if you can use lime away on granite - calcium buildup from hard water? I have very hard water - there is a calcium buildup around the bottom of my faucet on the
granite. Does anyone know if I can use lime away on granite. Does anyone know what I can use to remove this crusty build up? Thanks!

A. I wouldn't try it if it were my granite counters, Donna! Not unless the supplier said it was okay. The color patterns in granite are from varying chemical compositions in the rock, and pending assurance from the manufacturer, I'd be concerned that some areas might have enough calcium and other light metals to be soluble in a calcium dissolver.

Letter 6901 includes an inquiry from a homeowner who now has a haze on her granite after using Lime-Away.

Q. I set a bottle of CLR [affil links] on my white granite counter top for a minute and it now has a foggy stain. I haven't tried anything yet. Any suggestions?

Q. I was trying to clean the hard water off of our faucet in the bathroom and set a plastic bowl (old margarine tub) with some CLR in it on the counter. Well I guess the CLR had dribbled over the edge of the tub because when I removed the bowl I was left with nice rings of CLR stains! Does anyone know how to remove a stain remover! :) Thanks for your help.

Q. Recently my boyfriend and I purchased a granite counter top for my bathroom. Apparently I spilled some Ivory hand soap on its surface and it remained there for two months when we were in Florida working. He has used CLR and I tried lots of water to possibly dilute the soap stain but those efforts haven't worked. Any one ever had this type of problem and possibly a solution? Thanks!

Q. We just got done remodeling our bathroom with a beautiful new black granite vanity top. When cleaning the toilet, I set the bottle on the granite not thinking about it. Now I have white stain which looks like it took the shiny finish off of it! I am just sick about it...can anyone help?

Thanks

Q. I have a question. A candle melted on our granite outdoor table top. There is a huge stain now and I have tried poultices,acetone,shout,dawn soap. I'm now trying lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon] but to no avail. Is there anything that will work? Help!
Deb Kassner

Q. A red Christmas candle melted in the sun on my outside patio furniture, which is a coarse marble from Mexico. My husband scraped away most of the melted candle wax with a razor blade. However a red stain was left on the marble. Any ideas for how to remove?

Q. Help! My cashmere white granite is less than a month old. While I was unpacking in my new house, I started laying the items I was unpacking onto my granite countertop. Amongst those items, where 4 unlit candles which were left on the countertop overnight. The next morning as I was putting the stuff away, I noticed 4 very distinct stains, one reddish, and 3 brown/greyish stains in the shape of the bottom of the candles. What would be the best type of poultice to use on these types of stains and should this have happened? They had just been sealed! Is there anything I CAN put on my countertop?

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Ed. note: This is a long thread, Tami, so we posted your question right below a possible answer. Good luck!

Q. We just had a new granite counter top installed and today my wife noticed that the seems, on either side of the back splash, are turning green. The granite has a stain guard on the surface that is supposedly guaranteed for 15 years. Some of these seems have never even been wet and are not close to any heat. Has anyone encountered this before? I just was looking for some opinions before I call the company.

I too have questions about new white granite turning green, but what good is a web site that is nothing more than questions?

Hi, Belle, sorry. But this is a free public forum, not some industry-sponsored consultancy, and it's human nature that more people are interested in asking for others to help them than in offering help to others ... but please view the thread a little more slowly: dozens of the postings are answers to previous questions!

But your question isn't fully clear to me yet. You are considering white granite counters but have heard that they turn green? Or they are turning green? Do you think they are becoming stained green from mold, cutting vegetables and what? Please clarify. Thanks!

Regards,

Q. I too had Green Bloom! The granite company fixed a hole in the face of a white-ish section at the sink cut with epoxy and it bloomed green within a couple of months. They came back and burned it with a blowtorch to remove the green (saying this has worked before) and now there is a grey scorch mark. They tried a commercial poultice which worked out the rest of the green, but it only lightened the grey mark, not remove it. It now shows a bit of red on the grey mark's edges. Anyone clue how to turn the grey 'burnt' area back to white? The granite company has run out of ideas!

Q. I have this problem also with Green Bloom after two weeks of putting my granite in. I called the fabricators and they never came to look at it for over a week..Than they put Blue begone on it for 4 hours washed off than put bleach on it to set for 24 hours came back next day still green and now some of my granite has darken around the green and also my backsplash... WHAT TO DO?