Countertop Care Guide: Quartz, Granite, Quartzite & Marble

Written by the Al Jory Marble team — countertop fabricators and installers in Crestwood, Illinois, founded by Motie and Naser Hamdan. Updated September 18, 2026.

Quick answer: Clean quartz with mild dish soap and warm water, or a non-abrasive surface cleaner. It never needs sealing. Use a trivet under hot cookware — that’s the one real rule, because quartz contains resin binders that concentrated heat can damage. Use a cutting board, wipe spills when you see them, and keep four things away from it entirely: bleach, oven cleaner, drain cleaner and abrasive pads. Granite, marble and quartzite each have slightly different rules, all covered below. Questions about your counters? Call (708) 362-7674.

How to Care for Quartz, Granite, Marble and Quartzite: Daily Cleaning, What to Keep Away, Heat and Cutting Rules, Sealing, Stain and Damage Fixes, and What to Tell a Cleaning Crew

Planning new counters? Visit the Crestwood showroom to compare full slabs, we measure at your home, then you get written pricing. Already have ours? Call us with any care question — that’s part of the job.

📞 (708) 362-7674 · 💻 Free estimate · 📍 4711 W 135th St, Crestwood, IL 60418 · Mon–Sat 9–6

Daily Care, by Material

	Quartz	Granite	Quartzite	Marble
Daily cleaning	Mild soap and water	Mild soap or stone cleaner	Mild soap or stone cleaner	pH-neutral stone cleaner only
Sealing	Never needed	Some stones, once or twice a year	Usually yes, periodically	Yes, and more often
Heat	Always use a trivet	Very heat tolerant, trivet still wise	Very heat tolerant	Tolerant, but avoid thermal shock
Acids (lemon, vinegar, wine)	No etching	Wipe promptly	Wipe promptly	Etches — wipe immediately
Stain risk	Very low	Low when sealed	Low when sealed	Moderate
Cutting on it	Use a board	Use a board	Use a board	Use a board

Quartz: The Short Version

Engineered quartz is the lowest-maintenance surface we sell. It’s nonporous, so there’s nothing to seal and very little that can soak in.

Do:

Wipe with mild dish soap and warm water, or a non-abrasive surface cleaner
Use a trivet or hot pad under pans, slow cookers, air fryers and baking dishes
Use a cutting board — not because the stone scratches easily, but because your knives dull on it
Wipe spills when you notice them; there’s no urgency, but dried-on food is harder work

Don’t:

Set hot cookware directly on the surface. This is the one rule that matters. Concentrated heat can damage the resin binders, and the result is permanent
Use bleach, oven cleaner, drain cleaner, paint remover or anything highly alkaline
Use abrasive powders or scouring pads
Let a cleaning crew improvise with whatever’s in the van

Why the heat rule is real

Quartz is roughly 90% ground stone bound with polymer resin. The stone doesn’t care about heat; the resin does. A pan straight off a burner, placed directly on the counter, can cause a discolored mark or a hairline crack from thermal shock, and neither buffs out. A $6 trivet prevents a repair that isn’t really a repair.

Granite, Quartzite and Marble

Granite is the workhorse: excellent heat tolerance, hard, and stain-resistant once sealed. Density varies by stone, so some granites need sealing once or twice a year and some rarely need it. A simple test: drip water on the surface and leave it fifteen minutes. If it darkens the stone, it’s ready for sealer.

Quartzite is natural stone, very hard, and usually benefits from periodic sealing. It handles heat well and resists scratching, but it isn’t the same as engineered quartz despite the similar name.

Marble is the one that asks something of you. Acids — lemon juice, vinegar, wine, tomato, some cleaners — etch the surface, which is a dulled mark rather than a stain, and it happens quickly. Marble owners either wipe acids immediately and seal regularly, or make peace with a patina. Both are legitimate choices, but decide which one you are before you buy. Compare materials in our quartz vs granite vs quartzite guide.

What to Keep Off Every Countertop

Avoid	Why
Bleach and bleach-based cleaners	Can discolor quartz resin and strip sealer from natural stone
Oven and drain cleaner	Highly alkaline; damages surfaces and sealer
Abrasive powders and scouring pads	Leave fine scratches that then hold dirt and deposits
Acidic cleaners on marble and stone	Etching and sealer breakdown
Paint remover, nail polish remover, solvents	Can damage resin and finish
Permanent markers left to dry	Clean promptly; the longer it sits the harder it is
Standing water against a seam	Wipe it; don’t let it sit for days

Fixing Common Problems

Problem	What to do
Dried food or residue	Warm soapy water and a plastic scraper. Let it soften rather than scrubbing hard
Hard water spots	Chicago-area water is hard. Wipe with a damp cloth, dry the surface, and use a stone-safe cleaner. Don’t reach for descaler on natural stone
Grease film	A degreasing dish soap in warm water; rinse well so nothing dulls the finish
Stain on natural stone	A poultice can draw it out. Call us before trying a chemical remedy on an unknown stone
Etch mark on marble	Not a stain, and cleaning won’t fix it. Light etching can be polished out professionally
Chip at an edge or sink	Often repairable, depending on size and location. Don’t use hardware-store epoxy — a bad repair is harder to fix than the chip
Seam fill lifting	Call us. It’s usually a quick fix and a bad DIY attempt isn’t
Dull patch on quartz	Usually cleaner residue or film, not damage. Clean with plain warm water and dry before assuming the worst

What to Tell a Cleaning Crew

Professional cleaners move fast with strong products, and that’s a bigger risk to stone than anything your family does. Tape a short note inside a cabinet door:

Countertop care
Quartz (or granite / quartzite / marble). Clean with mild soap and water or a non-abrasive cleaner only.
No bleach, no oven or drain cleaner, no abrasive pads, no acidic cleaners.
Use a trivet under anything hot. Report chips or damage rather than repairing them.

Landlords and property managers should put the same lines in the move-in packet. Most tenants aren’t careless — they just don’t know what surface they were handed.

The First Week After Installation

Wait for the plumber before running water; undermount sinks and seam adhesives need to cure, usually about 24 hours
Don’t scrub the seams during the first few days
Remove any protective film promptly if one was applied to a sink or fixture
Keep heavy objects off overhangs and never sit or stand on the counter
Save your paperwork: material name and color, sink and faucet models, edge profile, installation date. It makes any future match or repair far easier

More on the sequence in our installation timeline.

Things That Are Not Damage

A visible seam. A good seam is flat, tight and color-matched, not invisible. See how seams work
Pattern variation across pieces in natural stone. That’s the material, not a defect
Repeating veins in quartz. Engineered patterns repeat by design
Slight color shift under different lighting. Every stone reads differently in daylight, warm bulbs and evening light

About Al Jory Marble

Al Jory Marble is a countertop showroom, fabricator and installer in Crestwood, Illinois, founded by Motie Hamdan and Naser Hamdan. Motie brings more than 35 years of hands-on stone experience, and between the two founders there are over 45 years in the trade, with crews carrying 10 to 20 years each. We template, cut and finish every slab at our own Crestwood facility and install it with our own crew — and we’re still the people to call years later when you have a question about the counters we installed. More about our team.

Visiting the Crestwood Showroom

Al Jory Marble
📍 4711 W 135th St, Crestwood, IL 60418
📞 (708) 362-7674
🕔 Monday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. · Closed Sunday
🚗 Get directions

Serving Chicago, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Oak Lawn, Naperville, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Bolingbrook, Aurora and Joliet, plus Palos, Homer Glen, Frankfort, Mokena and Oak Forest.

Countertop Care FAQs

How do you clean quartz countertops?
Mild dish soap and warm water, or a non-abrasive surface cleaner. Nothing else is needed.

Do quartz countertops need sealing?
No. Quartz is nonporous, so there is nothing to seal, ever.

Can you put hot pans on quartz?
No. Always use a trivet. Quartz contains resin binders, and concentrated heat can cause permanent discoloration or a hairline crack.

Can you cut directly on quartz?
You can, but use a board. The surface resists scratching; your knives won’t survive it.

What should you never use on quartz?
Bleach, oven cleaner, drain cleaner, solvents, and abrasive powders or scouring pads.

How often should granite be sealed?
It depends on the stone. Drip water on it and wait fifteen minutes — if the stone darkens, it’s time to seal. Some granites need it once or twice a year, others rarely.

Does marble stain easily?
Marble’s bigger issue is etching from acids like lemon, vinegar and wine, which dulls the finish rather than staining it. Wipe acids immediately and seal regularly.

How do I remove hard water spots?
Wipe with a damp cloth, dry the surface, and use a stone-safe cleaner. Avoid descalers and acidic products on natural stone.

Can a chipped countertop be repaired?
Often yes, depending on size and location. Call us rather than using hardware-store epoxy, which makes a proper repair harder.

Is a visible seam a defect?
No. A good seam is flat, tight and color-matched. No fabricator can make one invisible.

When can I use the sink after installation?
Usually the day after, once adhesives and the undermount sink have cured.

Do you help with care questions after installation?
Yes. Call (708) 362-7674 — we’re the same people who fabricated and installed your counters.

Two Rules Worth Remembering

For quartz: use a trivet, skip the harsh chemicals. For natural stone: wipe acids promptly, and seal what needs sealing. Everything else is warm soapy water.

Request a free estimate · (708) 362-7674 · 4711 W 135th St, Crestwood, IL 60418 · Mon–Sat 9–6