A blue stain on a granite countertop can be an unsightly blemish and may be caused by a variety of things. The most common causes are acidic foods or liquids, hard water, and improper cleaning. There are a few ways to remove the stain, but it is important to take care when doing so as not to damage the countertop.
For Kitchen Granite countertops, there aren’t many naturally occurring foods that are blue that would cause the granite to stain and become difficult to remove.
Also, this usually affects light-colored granite because it would be more obvious.
The most common culprit of blue stains on granite countertops is usually blue food coloring, commonly used by pastry chefs or home cooks to dye fondant when baking.
Or any other creative way in which you decide to use the food coloring.
The bottom line is, the stain can get very difficult to get rid of the longer you leave it in.
Below are a few easy methods that you can do yourself to get rid of the blue stain on granite countertop.
Blue Stain on Granite Countertop -Causes, Solutions, and Prevention
1. Printer Ink.
This happens more often than it should because setting a printer on a granite (light-colored) countertop is a disaster waiting to happen.
Let’s assume it was an accidental situation and you did not have control over what transpired, either way, getting the stain off your granite countertop may pose a challenge if not handled properly.
The ink from a Pen can also cause blue stains on your granite countertop, the upside is that you can get rid of the stains.
Solution.
The most cost-effective solution would be to use an alcohol-based cleaner to get rid of the stains, you can get a brand that is in the form of a spray such as “Windolene” (Yes, I know you may be thinking ‘is that not for glass?’, but trust me it works just fine).
Any time of alcohol-based wipe will also suffice, putting it to work may be the hardest part of the entire process.
Application;
- Spray the solution all across the countertop in all the affected areas, and make sure you douse the entire area until it’s soaking wet.
- Allow the solution to do its thing for a couple of minutes.
- With a sponge and detergent solution, wash off the entire granite countertop.
- Use a dry and clean towel to wipe off all water residue until completely dry.
- You may have to repeat the process, leaving the alcohol solution a bit longer until you achieve the desired result.
Prevention.
This can not be stressed enough, avoid using any sort of printing device, ink-based writing material, and whatnot on your granite countertops that is what desks are made for.
Using your granite countertop as a workstation of any sort, whether as your kid’s “art area” or to make grocery lists should be frowned upon because (no pun intended) is a recipe for disaster.
2. Food Coloring.
This is the most common cause of blue stains on granite countertops, it is super easy to forget about the food coloring when they are in the zone and kneading away.
Food coloring is very persistent when it gets on any surface, even if it’s your hand and although it is safe to consume, it leaves its mark on whatever it comes in contact with.
It may be a none issue to get rid of the food coloring stains if you clean it up properly as soon as it spills, however when you allow it to build up over time, that is when it becomes a major issue.
Check This Out – Yellow Stain on Granite Countertop & Causes, Solutions, and Prevention
Here is the most convenient way to get rid of the blue food coloring stains on your granite countertop.
Solution.
Using an alcohol-based cleaner can get rid of the food coloring stains as well, however, when left to linger for a long period.
A simple cleaner may not be as effective as using a Poultice to get rid of the stain. What is a Poultice you ask?
A poultice is a mixture of Powder and Liquid to form a paste that is used to get rid of stains on granite and other stones.
Making a poultice at home is easy, all you need is Baking Powder, Lemon, and Peroxide.
Application;
- Spread a thin layer of the poultice mix where there are stains on the granite countertop.
- Use Plastic wrap to cover the poultice and seal the edges, to keep it from drying out.
- Poke some holes in the plastic wrap to allow the mixture to breathe to help the reaction along.
- Leave for 24-36 hours.
- Clean the countertop to get rid of the poultice, and wash and rinse if need be.
- Repeat the process if you are not satisfied with the results.
Prevention.
You can use parchment paper over the granite countertop whenever you want to work with food coloring, and always, and I mean always clean off the stains as soon as possible.
The longer you leave the stain, the harder it becomes to get rid of.
3. Clorox
You may think that as a cleaning agent, more so a Bleach it would be convenient to use to clean your granite countertops. However, the nature of Clorox makes it causes Blue stains on granite countertops for two reasons.
First, Clorox is blue, at least most of them are… When you use it frequently as a cleaner, especially in excess it leaves residue behind each time and eventually causes the granite to stain.
Secondly, Bleach is an Alkaline solution, which is just as bad as Acid when it comes to granite because it causes the Silica compound which gives granite its smooth look to dissolve.
Solution.
Using a Poultice may not completely get rid of the blue stain because the Silica has dissolved from the granite, therefore the way to go would be to polish the granite countertop and then reseal it.
Polishing granite is easy with the right equipment which is the Polishing powder or paste and a hand grinder.
Application;
- Apply the Polishing powder or paste all across the surface of the granite countertop.
- Use the hand grinder to work the powder /paste into the granite which will help smoothen it out and remove all the stains.
- Repeat the process until the entire surface is properly sanded.
- Clean with water and dry off properly.
- Use a Silica based sealant to cover the dry surface and leave for up to 10 minutes.
- Before it dries off completely. Wipe off the excess.
- Allow to dry completely and the job is done.
Prevention.
Do not use bleach to clean granite, it is not limited to Clorox. Every type of bleach will damage your granite countertop, it is very Alkaline and dissolves Silica.
I feel like a broken record having to repeat that phrase, but it has to be stressed because bleach is good for stain removal and in a perfect world should be ideal for cleaning granite.
However, this is not a perfect world.
FAQs
How do you clean discolored granite?
Any of the solutions outlined above can be used to clean discolored granite, however, depending on the degree of discoloration of the granite the most effective solution would be polishing and resealing.
The bottom line is polishing your granite should be done regularly, at least once a year.
It does not matter if it’s stained or not, polishing will make your granite countertop look new and make it more dirt-repellent when polished regularly.
Why is my granite turning blue?
The short answer is Dye or a type of Color staining the aforementioned Granite. Stains on granite ruin the look and should be avoided at all costs.
Preventive measures are always best for maintaining your property, instead of surfing the net looking for solutions to problems that could easily have been avoided, best to prevent them from happening in the first place.
What causes discoloration in granite?
There are numerous reasons granite can discolor, ranging from the management to something as trivial as sunlight.
However, the most common cause of stains is either food placed on countertops or some chemicals.
Getting rid of the stain is no small feat depending on the depth of the discoloration, knowing the right techniques to apply to the situation is important.
What is the best homemade cleaner for granite?
As mentioned earlier, a homemade poultice can be easily done right in your kitchen, using Baking powder, lemon, and peroxide. Other homemade cleaners for granite include a simple solution of Baking Soda and water.
I know, you may be thinking why do homemade cleaning agents always involve a pastry ingredient? Well, all I know is, it works and you don’t mess with a system that works.
Conclusion.
Blue stains on granite are almost always caused by something man-made or something produced out of a lab.
The most ironic cause of blue stains on granite would be Clorox because you would assume a cleaning agent notorious for its stain-removing prowess would be ideal for you know, removing stains. But Nah, Clorox in excessive quantities become what they are made to fight against— Stains!
With the solutions provided above, every form of blue stain on granite should not be of much trouble no matter the cause, whether it’s Poultice, Baking Soda Solution, or Polishing and Resealing.
