When we were researching ideas + inspo for our house (mainly on Pinterest), I started noticing a theme – all the images of kitchens I had pinned included marble countertops. Despite it’s reputation for being high maintenance, in my heart of hearts I really wanted to go with marble – for the look and for the quality of stone. I will say, marble is not for everyone, but in case you were wondering what exactly it’s like to care for them, here are some simple tips that have helped us keep the maintenance manageable:

TIPS ON HOW TO CARE FOR MARBLE COUNTERTOPS

+ have your countertops sealed
+ keep a wipe rag on hand, at all times
+ avoid using citrus/vinegars directly over marble
+ use coasters to avoid potential damage
+ re-seal at min once per year to maintain

HAVE YOUR COUNTERS SEALED: we had our countertops sealed by a professional (we looked around, there are def affordable options but you need to do your research), so that we could learn the tricks to keeping it looking mint, from the expert themselves. The whole process only took about an hour or so (the actual sealing of the counters), and then you need to let them dry for a full 24 hrs before resuming life, as usual. The guy who did ours showed me the products he used to seal, which I don’t mind sharing below. Now that I watched how he did it, I can buy the bottle for under $20 and seal them myself moving forward. He recommended re-sealing them every year, but said if you were really keen, every six month would just provide that much more protection. So that’s what we will be doing!

KEEP A WIPE RAG HANDY: have a rag or tea towel on hand at all times, so you can quickly wipe up any spills. Spills will not ruin your counters, but letting them sit for hours will.

AVOID CITRUS, COFFEE + VINEGARS: these WILL leave stains! Having heard this, we have been super cautious and use cutting boards when handling any citrus/vinegars/coffee that might stain the marble. Best thing to do if you do have an accident, is to try to clean/wipe up the spill as quickly as possible. Again, it’s the letting it sit that will ruin the counters.

NEVER TOUGHT I’D SAY THIS, BUT USE COASTERS: it’s the easier, most painless way to avoid accidents. In the past, I would never – but there are actually some cute options at places like Homesense or Target.

RE-SEAL EVERY YEAR: like I mentioned, the guy who sealed our counters recommended that we re-seal everything at least once per year. But we love them and want to keep them in good condition, so we will be doing this once every six month.

DAILY/WEEKLY CLEANING: to keep things clean, I’ll either just wipe down the counters with a warm dish cloth with soap/water, or use the all natural, all-purpose cleaner weekly from Guests on Earth. It gives an effective clean, without the harsh chemicals or regular cleaners. I also love that

That’s it!
A small price to pay, IMO, for having my dream countertops!