Fix Scratches In These Types Of Countertops With A Baking Soda Solution

With all that your kitchen countertop goes through, it might not be surprising when it shows signs of wear and tear. Even some of the sturdiest materials can be scratched and stained over time, no matter how hard you work to find the best kitchen countertop for your home. This tends to happen when surfaces come in contact with pots, pans, small appliances, harsh chemicals, and other kitchen equipment. A few scratches might not be noticeable, but once they add up, they can become annoying, impacting the overall look of your kitchen and making your otherwise clean counters look dull. While major damage will likely need professional repair, depending on the material, you may be able to address minor scratches with an at-home fix.

Baking soda, known for a lot of DIY cleaning solutions, can help improve the appearance of scratches on certain kinds of countertops. Among the materials that can benefit from baking soda are marble, quartz, stainless steel, granite, and glass — popular surfaces in kitchens that come in contact with many of your heavy appliances and sharp utensils. Making a paste of baking soda and water works as a mild abrasive, which, when rubbed over scratches, helps to buff them out. Most materials, no matter how solid or damage resistant they seem, can still get scratches. If this is a problem you have encountered in your kitchen, read on to learn more about which surfaces you can use this solution on and what ratio of baking soda and water you should use. It might just be the perfect way to bring new life to your kitchen countertops.

Before we get to the how-to, it is important to note that you should not use abrasive cleaners or scrubbers on your countertops for your routine cleans. You should also always clean the surface thoroughly before you get started and test out the paste on an inconspicuous part of your countertop first, just in case it dulls the finish or causes discoloration. First, assess the severity of the scratch and make sure it is only a surface level scratch or fine line. To fix scuffs on marble countertops, you can sprinkle baking soda directly on the scratch. From there, take a damp microfiber cloth to the area, rubbing in the direction of the grain until the scratch is buffed away. Then, rinse the area with a clean towel to remove the baking soda.

A similar method can be used on quartz and granite countertops. Mix a paste of one part water to two parts baking soda, then rub the paste in a circular motion over the scratch before rinsing it away. It can also be helpful to reseal your countertop once you've buffed out the scratch to help prevent further damage. When it comes to glass and stainless steel countertops, you can use equal parts water and baking soda on hair line scratches. Just like the other methods, rub the area in a circular motion until the scratch is gone, then rinse off the paste. There are a lot of clever ways to use baking soda for a cleaner kitchen, and while this method is effective, it should be used occasionally and is not something that should be applied to your countertops on a routine basis.