How to Protect Your Stone During the Holiday Season
How to Protect Your Stone During the Holiday Season
Whether hosting or keeping it small, the kitchen is the heart of the home and often the gathering spot for any and all holiday festivities. Natural stone is a prominent material in kitchens, often functioning as countertops, backsplashes, range hoods, flooring, tiling, and more. If your home has been chosen as the spot to host, then it’s time to assess your natural stone and start taking precautions for protecting it during the holiday season. Between baking, guests, and food, your stone features — namely countertops — are about to be subjected to the festivities just as much as you are. Learn how you can prepare and protect them during this holiday season.
Seal Your Counters
It’s possible that it’s a little too late in the season for this advice, but at a minimum, keep it in mind for next year. Resealing your counters, if you haven’t done so recently, can prevent any seasonal mishaps. Newly-sealed natural stone is more resistant to heat, spills, and stains. While it may not totally prevent the effects of accidental damage, it can give you more time to take a hot pot off the counter and wipe up a mess — a truly invaluable peace of mind.
Use Coasters and Pot Trivets
The biggest step in protecting your stone this holiday season is by using coasters and trivets. Coasters add a layer of protection between your holiday drinks and your countertops, preventing rings and marks. You should also be sure to avoid putting any hot pots, pans, or baking sheets directly on your countertops while cooking and baking, instead opting for a trivet or potholder underneath. The foods and drinks we tend to consume during the winter months can be especially damaging to stone, but coasters and trivets will both help your countertops stay intact for the holiday season. Wine, cranberry sauce, hot chocolate, and anything greasy (like gravy or butter) can easily leave a stain — and prevention is the best stain treatment.
Clean Spills Immediately
With friends and family filling the kitchen, someone is bound to spill something. It’s easy to find a glass splattered across the counter when elbows bump, people move throughout the house, or you’re hosting children or pets as well. Cleaning up spills immediately is the best way to prevent any type of staining or permanent damage. The longer a spill sits on your home’s stone surfaces, the more time it has to eat away at the surface of the stone at a microscopic level. This allows the stain to seep deeper into the porous stone. By cleaning quickly and effectively, you minimize the amount of damage that can be done.
Utilize Cutting Boards
While stone is strong, we’d really recommend against using it as a cutting board for any of your holiday meals’ ingredients. For one, there’s the obvious scratching of the counters. Running knives along the surface can take off sealant and expose the more fragile under-layer of stone. In addition, whatever you’re cutting now has an opportune moment to seep into the cuts and crevices formed. Using your counters as a cutting board makes it easy for scratches and stains to form, so avoid it altogether by purchasing or using a normal one.
Clean Up Properly
Our friends and family members always seem to offer a helping hand when it comes to cleaning up after a meal. While this is appreciated, be sure to monitor any stone cleaning and give everyone the proper cleaning supplies when it comes to wiping up the countertops! The wrong cleaning agents can destroy the longevity of stone quite quickly, and anything acidic is guaranteed to etch away at the surface. If cleaned with the wrong materials, like an abrasive cleaner and harsh scrubber, your stone will look worse for the wear. Have stone-specific cleaner on hand for your stone, whether it be marble, limestone, or otherwise.
Celebrate the Holidays With Impression
Impression knows that the purpose of your stone home features is to show off the beauty of your abode and share the season with those you love. Protecting your stone helps take the pressure off of these winter months, allowing you to focus on what matters most. We wish you happy holidays, and look forward to seeing how your stone serves a central role in your festivities this year!
