Remove stain from granite counter top

Are they iron (rust) stains?

You could maybe contact a granite company and the manufacturer of the plant food product to get their take on it.

Certain liquids will etch granite...even if they are sealed. Acids like lemon juice, etc are the worst. Unfortunately, if you are unable to just wipe off whatever the stain is, it may have seeped into the stone itself. Try using a granite cleaner (local home center), and if that doesn't work, you may have to get a professional to take a look and see if it can be repaired.

Good Afternoon JUDIHALL :) Granite is beautiful, and someday I hope to soon have a granite countertop in my own kitchen. In preparation for that, and knowing that grandkids are likely to present some cleaning challenges for me and my new countertop, I have done some investigative research on how to care for them. Below you will find a few links on stain removal. I like the first one A LOT because it addresses different types of stains and how to treat them AND how to tell for certain if they are sealed (you may want to mute the second video even if you love the Rolling Stones as much as I do, LOL) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e1CO7HmFJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPPFe8902Zg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghDCmQa_DrY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MGa8hQkqIc

Marble, granite, and stone do NOT like having acidic (ie: citrus-based) cleaners used on them. Citrus or vinegar will actually cause “etching” on granite countertops. Not a good thing. Granite countertops also don’t like it when you use something like Windex on them because it strips the “seal” off of the stone.

If you are trying to remove an old stain, create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water. Then place the paste over the stain, allowing it to function for a few minutes. After that wipe off the baking soda paste. If it is needed you can repeat the procedure until the stain vanishes.

Apparently there are some very nice countertop/granite cleaners out there that do a great job…but $7.00 for a 12-ounce bottle? YOU can do better than that! :-)

After researching several homemade options out there…I discovered they all had the same basic ingredients…just in varying amounts. Some had a LOT of alcohol in them…some very little. I think the following “recipe” has a good balance of the ingredients, based on the information I read.

Homemade Granite Cleaner, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol (or cheap vodka), 3 drops of Dawn or other dish soap (Castile soap would also be a good alternative if you prefer), Water, 5-10 drops essential oil (optional – to help mask the alcohol smell).

Put the rubbing alcohol or vodka into a 16 oz spray bottle. Add the dish soap, essential oil and fill up the rest of the bottle with water.

Now give it a few shakes….THEN give it a try! It should give your countertops a nice, clean shine. Works on appliances too! All at a FRACTION of the price of the store-bought stuff.