Choosing Hygienic Kitchen Countertops for Your Home

The kitchen is one of the most frequently used areas in the home. It’s the place where the family gathers to talk, plan their day, cook and eat meals, work and do homework, and just spend time together.

With all of this, the kitchen countertop needs to hold up to everything thrown its way.  It also needs to function well, maintaining the proper hygiene necessary in these spaces. Not all countertops are able to withstand the high use of the space without also becoming unhygienic in the process. Quartz countertops, however, hold up well in all situations, even those that might compromise another material.

Why Hygiene Is Important in the Kitchen

A quick look at the news shows one reason why hygiene in the kitchen is so important. Salmonella and other bacterial, food-borne illnesses are becoming more common. Oftentimes, these illnesses can be spread when contaminated foods come in direct contact with the countertop. The bacteria can be transferred from the countertop to other food and other people.

Washing food well before cooking or consumption is only the first step. To help keep kitchens clean and families well, the cutting and cooking surfaces need to be easy to care for and hygienic as well.

Countertops and Hygiene

All countertops should be washed, particularly after having raw food placed on them, and cutting boards should always be used as well. Some countertops, however, may pose further risk.

Any countertop made of a natural material like limestone, marble, and granite is porous on its surface. This means that the surface of the countertop may absorb moisture from the food set on it. When this moisture includes bacteria, that bacteria becomes absorbed as well.

When the surface of the countertop is cleaned, it’s not always possible to remove the bacteria or the stain from below the surface. This may remain trapped there, or it may come up later when using an agent that is laid on top that wicks or pulls the trapped material back to the surface.

What this may mean, is that bacteria from raw chicken may remain just below the surface of some countertops. Depending on the antibacterial agent used, this can help kill the bacteria. If a wet cloth is used to wipe the surface, however, that bacteria may be missed.

To help prevent this issue from occurring, and to help prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses in the home, a non-porous countertop is the answer. Non-porous countertops do not absorb liquids they come in contact with. So, the liquid and any bacteria it may contain remain on the surface. When the surface is cleaned, there is no hidden, trapped bacteria left behind inside the countertop.

Quartz Countertops

One material that gives you the beauty and durability of natural stone, but which is also non-porous is quartz. Quartz countertops are made from roughly 90% natural quartz - one of the hardest minerals known to man. The other 10% is made of resins and pigments. 

Liquids or moisture placed on the surface of a quartz countertop are not absorbed. This makes a quartz countertop more hygienic than countertops which do absorb moisture.

Quartz countertops are also easy to clean. While natural stone countertops like granite and marble may suffer etching if they come in contact with most household cleaners, quartz countertops can be cleaned with pre-approved, recommended cleaners without harm. This makes a quartz countertop easier to maintain, which will also help keep your kitchen safe.

Keep a Hygienic Kitchen with Quartz Countertops

Quartz countertops are non-porous and easy to clean. They won’t trap and harbor bacteria the way that other countertops might. If you want to help keep a cleaner, more hygienic kitchen in your home, consider quartz countertops to help do the job.