The kitchen countertop takes more punishment than any other surface in the home. Hot pans, cooking oil, lemon, curd, spices, knives and daily scrubbing all land on it. Look after it well and a stone worktop stays beautiful for decades; neglect it and it stains, dulls and etches within a year or two.
The catch is that a countertop is also where you prepare food, so the products you use on it need to be safe for food contact. This guide covers granite countertop care and the safe care of marble and quartz worktops too: how to clean them, how to protect them with food-safe products, and the handful of things you should never do. We stock the food-safe AKEMI range at Khandelwal Trading Co. in Panchkula.
Why “food-safe” matters on a countertop
A sealer or cleaner that is fine on a floor is not automatically fine where you knead dough or chop vegetables. On a worktop, you want products that are certified safe for food contact once cured, and that leave no harmful residue.
Two AKEMI products are worth knowing here. Stain Repellent Nano-Effect, the food-safe impregnating sealer certified by an independent German testing institute, and AKEPOX 5010, the food-safe epoxy used for the visible joints on stone worktops. Choosing food-safe products means you protect the stone without worrying about what ends up near your food.
Know your countertop material
Care differs a lot depending on what your worktop is made of, so start here.
Granite
Granite is hard, scratch-resistant and tolerates heat well, which is why it is so popular for Indian kitchens. But most granite is still porous, so it will soak up oil and water if it is not sealed. Sealed and cleaned sensibly, it is one of the most low-maintenance worktops you can have.
Marble
Marble is stunning but softer and acid-sensitive. Lemon, vinegar, curd, cola and harsh cleaners etch dull marks into the polish, and it stains more easily than granite. It rewards careful use: seal it, wipe spills at once, and keep acids away.
Engineered quartz
Quartz is a man-made surface that is non-porous, so it does not need sealing and resists stains well. Its weak points are heat and harsh chemicals: a hot pan can scorch or crack it, and strong cleaners can dull the finish. It needs gentle care rather than sealing.
Sealing granite and marble worktops
Sealing is the single best thing you can do for a granite or marble countertop. Porous stone drinks up oil, wine and curd; a sealer makes those spills bead on top so you can wipe them away before they stain.
The right product is AKEMI Stain Repellent Nano-Effect. It penetrates the stone rather than sitting on top, so the worktop looks unchanged and stays breathable, it repels both oil and water, and it is food-safe. You can check whether your stone needs it with a simple test: drop some water on the surface and wait a few minutes. If it beads, you are protected; if it soaks in and darkens, it is time to reseal.
For the full step-by-step method, including how to clean, apply and wipe off the excess, see our guide on sealing and impregnating natural stone.
Quartz worktops do not need sealing, because they are non-porous. Sealing them achieves nothing. Just clean them well.
Everyday cleaning, the safe way
Daily cleaning does not need harsh chemicals. In fact, harsh chemicals are what damage worktops over time.
- For granite and marble: a mild stone soap or a dedicated stone cleaner with a soft cloth handles daily wiping. For a quick clean-up, a wipe-style cleaner is handy, and an intensive stone cleaner deals with tougher grime.
- For engineered quartz: use a gentle, food-safe quartz care spray for daily cleaning, and a quartz polish when you want to bring back the gloss. Both keep the surface looking fresh without attacking the resin.
Whatever the material, the golden habit is simple: wipe spills quickly, especially oil, lemon, curd, wine and cola, before they get a chance to soak in or etch. A soft cloth and warm water with a stone-safe cleaner will handle the vast majority of everyday messes.
Dealing with common kitchen stains
Even on a sealed worktop, the occasional stain slips through. Match the remover to the stain:
- Oil and grease: a poultice-style oil and grease remover draws the oil back out of the stone rather than smearing it wider.
- Rust and hard-water marks on marble: a marble-safe rust remover lifts these without dulling the polish. Never use ordinary market acid on marble, it burns the surface.
Our full guide on removing stains from marble and granite walks through each stain type and the correct method.
What never to do on a kitchen countertop
- No vinegar, lemon or acidic cleaners on marble. They etch the polish permanently. Even on granite, acids wear down the sealer.
- No bleach, ammonia or abrasive scrubbers. These strip sealers and can dull both stone and quartz.
- No cutting directly on the stone. It blunts your knives and can scratch or chip the surface. Always use a chopping board.
- No hot pans straight onto quartz. The heat can scorch or crack it. Use a trivet, and be sensible with granite too.
- No harsh solvents on quartz. Strong chemicals attack the resin that binds it. Stick to gentle, quartz-safe cleaners.
A simple countertop care routine
- Every day: wipe the surface with a mild stone soap or quartz-safe cleaner, and blot spills as they happen.
- Every week: give it a proper clean with the right cleaner for your material.
- Once a year, or when the water stops beading: reseal granite and marble with a food-safe impregnator. Quartz just needs cleaning, no sealing.
- Always: chop on a board and rest hot pans on a trivet. These two habits prevent most countertop damage.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to seal my quartz countertop?
No. Engineered quartz is non-porous, so a sealer cannot soak in and does nothing useful. Quartz just needs regular cleaning with a gentle, quartz-safe product. Sealing is for porous stone like granite and marble.
How often should I reseal a granite countertop?
It depends on use, but roughly once a year for a busy kitchen is a good guide. The real test is the water drop: when water stops beading and starts soaking in, it is time to reseal.
Is the sealer safe where I prepare food?
Yes, if you use a food-safe certified product like AKEMI Stain Repellent Nano-Effect. Once it has cured properly, it is designed for use on food-preparation surfaces.
How do I get an oil stain out of my granite worktop?
Use a poultice-style oil and grease remover. It is applied over the stain, left to draw the oil out as it dries, then cleaned off. Deep or old stains may need a second application.
Can I put a hot pan straight on granite?
Granite handles heat far better than quartz, but sudden extreme heat and repeated hot spots are still best avoided. Use a trivet to be safe, and never rest a hot pan on quartz, which can scorch or crack.
Keep your kitchen worktop in top shape
Whether you have granite, marble or quartz, we can set you up with the right food-safe sealer, cleaner and care products for your worktop. Khandelwal Trading Co. stocks the full AKEMI range in Panchkula, serving Chandigarh, Mohali and the wider Tricity. Not sure what your countertop is? Bring us a photo and we will help.
- Call or WhatsApp: 94175 65977
- Visit: Shop No. 4, Street No. 2, Maheshpur, Sector 21, Budanpur, Panchkula, Haryana 134117
- Trade enquiries: Get a quote
