If you, by choice or necessity, live in a home that has laminate countertops, you may not be aware of the care and cleaning techniques that should be utilized to keep them looking their best. The more careful you are about keeping them looking at their peak, the longer you will have them and the more your investment in them will be worth. So, it is worth finding out about some ways to make them last.
First of all, most spills on laminate countertops can simply be wiped up with a soft cloth and some soap and water. It is not recommended that you use harsh abrasive cleaners or scrubbing pads on them because once the surface is scratched it cannot be repaired. If something does get spilled, the sooner you can wipe it up, the better. Some colored materials like drink mixes and gelatin mixes that have a lot of food coloring in them can color laminate tops if they are left on there for very long and sometimes almost instantly. Most times, some gentle washing will eventually remove even those sorts of marks or something like a soft cleanser with bleach will remove the coloration. However, if you are going to use something like that, you should check it in an inconspicuous spot or spare piece of countertop first just in case it leaves a mark. You should try to use a spoon rest when you are cooking to keep the dirty spoons from touching your countertop, especially if you are cooking something tomato-based. If you do have a spill, though, just quickly wash it up and you should avoid any permanent damage. Grease can leave a very unpleasant sticky coating on most of your kitchen surfaces and your countertops are no exception. However, gentle cleaning with a degreasing cleaner or even just dish soap will be able to remove quite a lot of greasy buildup to get your laminate countertops back to near-pristine condition.
You should avoid damaging your countertops by never putting hot pans on them. Sometimes the countertop can handle it, but if you are in the habit of putting super-hot pans on the surface, one day it will be too hot and you will suddenly have a scorched spot and these types of marks will never wash off and can eventually cause a hole to form in the laminate and it is just ugly. You should be prepared where you are going to put your hot pans and pots before you take them out of the oven or off the stove so that you are never tempted to put them directly onto the laminate. Also, you should never cut directly on the countertop. First of all, it is terrible for your knives and it is really terrible for your countertop.
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