Once your new kitchen renovation is done, you’ll want to make sure to continue it’s upkeep which is especially important for your backsplash. The backsplash gets exposed to a lot of action so it needs to be cleaned regularly, and do so the right way.
The backsplash is commonly overlooked and provides your walls with protection against water, grease and other grime that may splash up as you use your sink, stove or countertop.
Like the surface of your counters, your backsplash needs regular cleaning and care in order to preserve its strength and appearance. Here are some of the best cleaning tips to prolong the life of your backsplash as much as possible.
After you’ve read through the tips below, make sure to read our Tips For Cleaning Your Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops so you can keep them in amazing condition too.
Prolong The Life of Your Kitchen Backsplash With These 7 Tips
Clean them Regularly
Even if you don’t cook in your kitchen every day, giving your backsplash a quick cleaning every couple of days will do wonders for its longevity. All it takes is for you to simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth and some tile or kitchen cleaner. It’s always a good idea to dry it with a microfibre cloth in order to prevent mildew buildup.
Take Care of Messes Right Away
If your backsplash does get some grease, food or other grime on it, clean it up as quickly as possible. The longer such messes stay on your backsplash, the more damage it will do and the harder the stains will be to remove later.
Wipe up the mess first with a dry cloth or paper towel and then clean the surface as you normally would with soap and water or tile cleaner. Make sure that you get any food particles or grime out of the grout.
Use Grout Sealer
Grout is porous, and it will easily get damaged and stained by grease, water and food if not cleaned properly. A high-quality grout sealer will protect your grout from most forms of everyday exposure.
This doesn’t mean that your grout doesn’t still need to be cleaned regularly, but the sealer will greatly improve the durability of your grout. You should replace your grout sealer once a year to maintain maximum protection.
Make Use of a Grout Pen
When your grout gets stained over time because of grease, food, grime, dirt, dust and age you can use a grout pen to brighten it up. Grout pens don’t clean grout, but they do recolour it to bring the beautiful white shine back.
Grout pens are inexpensive. You can buy grout pens in a wide range of colours and nib sizes that allow you to restore the proper bright or dark colouring to any grout regardless of how large or small the grout lines are. Simply pick one up at your local Home Depot. You won’t regret it.
Avoid Abrasives
Make sure to always choose non-abrasive cleaners and cloths to clean your backsplash. Abrasive cleaning products may work well, but they’ll also scratch the surfaces of most backsplash materials.
If you find a stain that’s particular hard to remove from your backsplash, just be patient, and soak it with warm water and grout cleaner. Eventually the stain will soften and you will be able to wipe it away as usual.
Let Cleaner Sit
In order to have an easier time cleaning your backsplash and to ensure a deeper clean, spray the cleaner of your choice onto the tile and wait around 15 minutes before wiping it away.
The grout cleaner will penetrate any grease, food particles or other debris thoroughly, and work into tougher stains better when you allow it to sit for a while.
Choose the Right Grout Cleaner
All-purpose cleaners, soap and warm water, or a white vinegar and water mixture are great cleaning solutions for most backsplash surfaces. Stubborn grease stains should be removed with a degreasing product. Hydrogen peroxide works as a tough stain remover and is a great alternative to bleach.
If you want to lift stubborn stains on both the surface and grout, create a paste with a mixture of baking soda and water. Apply the paste with your fingers or use a putty applicator. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes to a half hour, depending on how bad the staining is, and remove it with a damp cloth. Make sure to dry the backsplash with a soft towel.
Different Materials Require Different Cleaning Methods
Nonporous materials
Nonporous materials, such as ceramic, porcelain, glass, stainless steel and quartz typically don’t need any special treatment to stay strong and spotless outside of regular cleaning and maintenance.
However, certain backsplashes do require additional care to ensure that they’re cleaned properly without being damaged. For example, most stone backsplashes should be cleaned with a special stone cleaner. Any cleaners with bleach, citrus or vinegar should be avoided since the acids can damage and stain stone.
Remember that most stone surfaces also require annual sealing to maintain their protection.
Textured stone
For textured stone, use a brush instead of a cloth or paper towels since they can’t reach the deep grooves etched into the stone like brushes. Also, cloths and paper will easily snag or rip on the jagged points of textured surfaces.
Polished stone
Polished stone should be cleaned with very soft cloths to avoid scratching. You should also polish the surface once every few months to make sure the surface smooth, slick and shiny.
Wood backsplashes
While it isn’t the most common material choice, wooden backsplashes requires special attention too. Once installed, your wood backsplash will have a glossy finish which helps defend against water damage and protect it when you clean it.
To clean a wood backsplash simply follow the same tips as you would for the other types mentioned above but make sure to completely avoid abrasives and highly acidic cleaning products.
Want More Tips?
Want more tips for making your new kitchen look beautiful? Read our Professional Tips For Accessorizing Your New Kitchen to learn more about making your kitchen the best room to be in in your house!