I'm replying to this old thread instead of starting a new one with the hopes that someone can clarify things for me on this topic. We're renting a house built in the early 1800s; well, part of it was. One room I know has the original wood floor because of the unevenly-sized very wide boards used. But in the living room and dining room it is newer, relatively. Thinner boards that have more consistent sizing. We were told that most tenants put in carpeting (either an oriental room-sized rug or a carpet remnant) in the living room and perhaps that has led to the wood floor in there appearing to be even more dull and almost dirty. We'll be here another 15 months at least but I'm not sure about buying carpet pieces yet. Either way, I gotta clean this. Cat puke that we didn't find til morning; husband dropping a greasy piece of food; a bunch of things have happened that have left stains that just look like it's wet but it's not. I tried to cover the grease spots with salt right after it happened, I read that that might draw it out of the wood but it didn't work. I tried the Swiffer wet jet for wood floors on part of the living room - it didn't do anything bad but I don't think it did anything good, either. So what can we do to : 1. Remove the stains 2. Make it shinier (bc the way it is now, it looks dusty & dirty even during the short time it's not!!) 3. Make it easier to prevent/clean up stains in the future Thank you!!!

Can't speak to the cloudy spot, especially without knowing what it is. Is it haze (perhaps in a sealer)? Something that can be "scraped" off? A mineral deposit from hard water? However, here's how I clean my granite when I really want it to shine: 1 - wipe down the whole thing with a slightly-soapy sponge/dishcloth, followed by a clean barely-damp sponge/dishcloth to get up any soap left. (on an average day, this is where I stop) 2 - Use a clean dry towel to wipe up all the water left by the sponge, if necessary 3 - Lightly spritz a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water over the whole surface (I keep a spray bottle under the sink, premixed. About 1:4 alcohol:water) 4 - Wipe with a clean dry towel (may be able to use another side of the towel used in step 2). The benefit of the alcohol mixture is that it dries faster than plain water, and is less likely to leave streaks/spots.

Logic, What's the difference between resined and sealed countertops? Are there things you have to be careful not to do on your countertops that might hurt the resin or wear some of it off? Also, have you had some things spilled on your counter that you weren't aware of until later? Even after sitting on the counters for a while, did they clean off easily? Sue, Thanks for the warning about the oil. If I would end up wanting to choose granite, I'm sure I would want to test a sample thoroughly with all sorts of substances. I don't want to find out AFTER it's been installed that something's a problem. Yeah, I'm waiting on a soapstone sample that is supposed to be one of the harder stones. Canuck, Soap and water probably is good enough. I try not to use too many antibacterial products around my home for cleaning, as I think it may be overkill. However, when I am handling raw meat/poultry/fish, I want to do a more thorough cleaning. Although I don't place those items directly on the counter, it seems like there is always a little to clean up. To be safe, I like to clean off the entire area with something that will definitely disinfect the counter before I cross-contaminate salad or other raw fruits/produce. In addition, I have cats who are NOT ALLOWED on my counters. Realistically, I know they get up there when I'm not around to enforce that rule. I want to be sure to clean up all of my counters well before beginning preparation of food---vinegar works very well for those instances. Just spray some over the counter, let it sit for a while, and then wipe off. (That, incidentally, may be a downside to soapstone, as I'm assuming doing that would wear off the effects of oiling and require more frequent oiling.) I know there are trade-offs with each counter material. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about each of them and then make the best choice. Honestly, the laminate (Formica) counter I have in my kitchen right now has held up beautifully to all kinds of abuse for fifteen years. I could see myself being content with the same thing again, except for (1) resale value; and (2) my desire to have an undermount sink installed.

Oh, what a shame! We had black galaxy put in our bathroom on the vanity, the shower bench, the curb and window sill and I LOVE it. I am debating putting it in my kitchen because I love it so much. I'd love to see a picture of yours! My installer told me that it was one of the most bulletproof granites, impossible to stain and etch. Luckily I had a good installer because I kept bugging him about sealing and he told me NEVER. It won't absorb the sealer, just sits on top and makes a big mess like you have now. He told me to use acetone if I needed to really deep clean it and never use cleaners that were combined with sealers. I just read that you can remove the sealer with acetone. I also read the fumes can be somewhat toxic so open up the windows when you do it. Supposedly all the hardware stores sell this acetone but I haven't tried it yet. My granite is starting to show hard water spots on the curb of the shower from not drying it and I was told to just scrape these off with a razor blade. These were the instructions I found: "I suggest removiing whatever is on there with acetone. Just do a small area at a time, keeping it wet for several minutes with the acetone, then wipe with paper towels to remove the sealer" I watched my installer when he finished up the job and that is what he did with the acetone, wiped small parts and dried it. He did tell me that even though acetone is in nail polish remover, don't try that because there are other chemicals. I was not bothered by the smell, can't even remember it being bad. One last thing, those sponges with the hard scratchy side, usually green, CAN scratch granite so never use those but the puffy round plastic scrubbies are fine.