How to Clean Laminate Worktops

Laminate worktops are the most popular and cost-effective worktops. They are hardwearing and resistant to scratches, cracks, and stains than natural stones. They’re also easy to clean, rugged, and available in various finishes. Cleaning your laminate worktop is simple! This article explains how you can clean your laminate countertop and restore its shine.

What is a Laminate worktop?

Laminate is a composite material that consists of layers of paper and resin. It also contains melamine plastic, a fireboard, and an overlay. Usually, the first thing to do is to press these layers together while you cook them with monitored heat. The heat and pressure result in the chemical bonding of the layer. The patterned laminate layer is then applied. It comes in different styles and can match close to any design imaginable. The laminate countertop is also waterproof, hygienic, and heat-resistant. They are easy to cut and install, so you can use them without the help of professionals if you prefer to keep costs down with a DIY install.

The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (a collection of the world’s leading experts in virology, microbiology, and infectious diseases) lists the average kitchen worktop as one of the most contaminated areas of the house. This is because bacteria form colonies fast and tend to colonise the kitchen worktop.

Once you install it, it must stay in excellent condition. Let’s look at how to clean your laminate countertop to get the best return on your investment and ensure it lasts as long as possible.

How to Clean Laminate Worktops

The best thing for your worktop is to clean it regularly every week and deep-clean it every three months. This makes your countertop stain and water resistant.

You can use an easy and ready-made laminate cleaner to keep your worktop in top shape.

In this blog, we’ll also explain how you can use some of the following household regulars to clean your countertops:

• Warm water
• Distilled white vinegar
• Non-abrasive cleaner (optional)
• Spatula or metal pastry scraper
• Microfiber cloths
• Lemon
• Salt

But, before you start cleaning, you need to remove the heavy appliances from the worktop. Then clean crumbs with a mini broom.

How to clean with vinegar

You can kill all forms of bacteria with quality disinfectants. But this may not remove the dirty solids that become home for bacteria colonies within hours. You need to clean the surface with a damp cloth in a warm soapy solution, then apply a more abrasive solution. Here’s how:

• Get two small cups of water, ¼ cup of white vinegar, and a tablespoon of washing-up liquid.
• Pour this mix into a clean spray bottle, and cover the entire countertop with a light mist.
• Leave the solution to work for a few minutes,
• Wipe away the excess with a clean moist cloth.

You can use lemon juice instead of vinegar. This solution may need extra rinsing with water after application (as the mixture is not as clean as vinegar's).

The laminate worktop surface should be dried thoroughly using paper towels or a dry microfiber cloth. You should not leave any liquid to pool on the surface for a long time. It does not promote the good condition of the worktop.

You will be required to clean the kitchen worktops regularly, requiring a milder material. You need to use a milder material to make it last longer. Essentially, a surface that is cleaned regularly (especially if it involves water) is prone to wear and tear.

How to clean with baking soda

Baking soda has proven to be significant resistance to countertop stains. If you want to use baking soda to clean a tough stain, do the following:

• Mix the baking soda into a paste. You do this by adding water to a bowl of baking soda and mixing it until a thick paste is formed.
• After this, you put the paste on top of the stain.
• Then, put a paper towel on the area to keep moisture.
• Leave the stain alone for at least sixty minutes.
• Then wipe the stain away without scrubbing (baking soda can be abrasive).
• Finally, use a gentle solvent on any remaining stain. Examples of this include nail polish remover and paint thinner.

How to deal with heavy stains

Suppose you come up against heavy stains on the kitchen worktop. Do the following:

• Clean with washing powder or household bleach. You must know that bleach can discolour the worktop's surface; hence, you should not use it regularly.

• For heavy stains from lipsticks, shoe polish, nicotine, nail varnish, lead pencil, marker, and ball-point pens, clean with an organic solvent like acetone (nail varnish remover) or methylated spirits.

Do not aggressively scrub the laminate countertop's surface, as it can damage the surface. If, after wiping, the stain is not gone, check the manufacturer’s instructions.

Heavy stains like two-part adhesives, urea resin, melanin, and phenolic resins should not be allowed to harden. You should remove them immediately.

You should clean water-based dispersions with water or organic solvent. Most standard cleaners are compatible with laminate. If you are unsure about any cleaning solution, test it in a small inconspicuous part of the worktop.

Minerals can leave spots on the surface of kitchen worktops that could then become permanent. To avoid this, clean your counters with a damp cloth and mild cleanser. Doing this prevents the minerals (for example, seen in hard water) from setting in.

Daily laminate worktop maintenance

The beauty of laminate worktops is how easy they are to maintain. The regular stains/dirt you encounter are fingermarks, fat, oil, rust, juice, coffee, tea, universal marker, etc. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your laminate countertop.

• Wipe your countertop with a damp cloth after each time you cook. This is to keep the oils from food off your worktop, so they do not permanently stain it.
• Avoid cleaning with abrasive material. It will steal the shine on your countertop.
• Use an ammonia-free cleaner or liquid detergent.
• Rinse and dry the surface immediately to prevent water from leaking into the seams of the laminate

Conclusion

Replacing laminate worktops may not always be an option for budget or other reasons. Proper kitchen worktop maintenance allows your laminate counters to last a long time. The tips provided above will not only help you clean your laminate but also keep them looking good.