Do you want to know if oven cleaners are suitable for kitchen countertops or not? Then you are in the right place. Check out “What is the effect of oven cleaners on kitchen countertops?”
Oven cleaners are made of several toxic chemicals. It is effective for the surface of the oven but is not perfect for other materials that are weaker than that. Kitchen countertops are made of these kinds of materials like wood, stone, marble, tile, and more. Oven cleaners put a severe effect on these types of materials. You need to know what kind of cleaners you want.
We are going to give you the details about all these things so that you can be sure about it. Let’s get right into the details to know better about it.
Oven Cleaner Ingredients
Talking about the effects of the oven cleaner, you should know what the ingredients of that product are. This is how you know if the product is dangerous for your kitchen countertops or not. According to the process of using an oven, your oven goes through a lot of loads. It can damage easily if not taken care of properly.
Ovens get dirty and greasy because of the food and oil. Also, foods are baked at high temperatures. This gives the oven stubborn stains. Removing all the things is important. Oven cleaners included some chemicals like lye and alcohol that can remove the stains easily.
Although the ingredients of oven cleaners need to be strong to clean all the dirt and grease from the oven effectively, it’s not a good idea to use these toxic chemicals on your kitchen countertops. The surface of kitchen cleaners is stone, wood, or steel that is weaker than the oven. So, it becomes damaged if you use oven cleaners to clean kitchen surfaces.
Why Does Oven Cleaner Damage Kitchen Countertops?
You can find several reasons for using oven cleaner on your kitchen countertops. The main reason is the harmful chemicals in the cleaner that damages the surface of your kitchen. The material of the surface is more delicate than the oven. And if you use oven cleaner, the toxicity of its ingredients can damage the material of the countertops.
Almost all the oven cleaners have alcohol and lye. Lye is a corrosive element that can break the substance of the material. On the other hand, alcohol can damage the finish of the surface. Both the elements are harmful to the countertops. Lye is sodium hydroxide.
This is the most common ingredient that is used in oven cleaners, drain declogger, and paint strippers. You should never use lye on your kitchen countertops.
Besides, alcohol is also dangerous for kitchen countertops as it contains ethanol or MEA (monoethanolamine). It has strong solvents that can discolor and fade the synthetic materials permanently. These two elements are dangerous for kitchen countertops if it’s made of wood, stone, marble, and materials like this.
Chemicals of Oven Cleaner That You Should Avoid
As you already know, the chemicals in oven cleaners are dangerous for kitchen countertops. There are a lot of ingredients that can damage the surface of the kitchen. The chemicals of oven cleaner are:
- Degreasers
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Butane
- Turpentine
- Monobutyl ether
- Monoethanolamine (MEA)
- Diethylene Glycol
- Crystallization agents
- Foaming agents
These are the toxic ingredients that oven cleaners have. These chemicals can damage the kitchen surface a lot. It can fade away and discolor the finish.
Also, if you cook there and the chemicals somehow go into your body (like while chopping vegetables), it can cause a lot of health risks like food poisoning. So, make sure you avoid using oven cleaners on your kitchen surface.
What Does Oven Cleaner Do to Countertops?
Oven cleaners are dangerous for kitchen countertops. It can damage the surface permanently. See what kind of effect oven cleaners do on countertops.
Discoloration
The toxic chemicals of oven cleaners can damage the kitchen countertops. To cut through the stubborn grease of the oven surface, you should soak it for around 3 to 10 minutes. This is enough for the oven because the cleaner can react with the polymers in the quartz.
However, it is not good for weaker surfaces. The reason is that chemical reactions can make white spots or dull marks on them. This can also be the reason for having discoloration as well. It can be highly visible and looks odd.
Streaks
Oven cleaners can leave streaks of grease on your kitchen countertops. It looks bad as it becomes damaged. This technique of using oven cleaner is compatible only with ovens, but not suitable with other materials. So, make sure you avoid that.
Corrosion
Oven cleaners have harsh elements that can create corrosion on your kitchen countertops. Manufacturers also label them as the chemical of corrosion in bold letters. It can also cause some health issues like irritation on the skin.
Ovens are made of stainless steel. So, when you use oven cleaners, it does almost no harm to the surface. But it is harmful to the countertops that are made of wood, marble, stone, or tile.
Also, oven cleaners provide an extra layer of coating of acrylic enamel. It can form a hard shell over the metal to protect it. But when it does the same to the countertops, it creates corrosion.
Staining And Fading
Oven cleaners are also a reason for having stained and faded countertops. Countertops are not entirely stain-proof. You can see some visible changes to these if you use oven cleaners on them. Continuous use of these chemicals can make some stains and fade the kitchen surface.
The Effects of Oven Cleaner on Different Countertop Materials
As you know oven cleaners can damage kitchen countertops differently, you should also know what kinds of surfaces face what type of damage. See the details below.
Tile Countertops
If your kitchen countertop is made of tile, you need to know if oven cleaners do a lot of damage to it or not. Many people choose oven cleaners to clean their tile countertops because the stains are stubborn and this type of cleaner helps a lot to clean that easily.
But it does more bad than good. When you use the cleaner on the kitchen surface, it eats away the top finish and that causes a lot of trouble later. It makes the finish fade away, and that’s why it looks dull. When it’s to tile countertops, oven cleaner is not suitable at all.
Stone Countertops
Stone countertops also have the chance of being tarnished. The cleaner includes some ingredients hydroxide, and sodium. It can harm stone surfaces a bit but it can survive the effect of the cleaner much better than most of the other types of surfaces.
Most of the stone surfaces are made of natural stones. Granite and marble are some of the examples of natural stone countertops. It has less chance of getting the effect of the cleaner but it’s not that it’s impossible. The cleaner can damage the finish of the natural stones. So, it’s recommended to avoid using oven cleaner on the stone countertops.
Stainless Steel Countertops
If you want to know if oven cleaner affects stainless steel countertops then you should know that stainless steel can also get stains from the chemicals. As oven cleaner has toxic chemicals, it can damage the finish of the stainless steel surface of your kitchen. Some steel can survive the chemical. But you should not take such a risk on the countertops of your kitchen.
Wooden Countertops
Talking about wooden countertops, oven cleaner is not suitable for cleaning them. You need to avoid those cleaners because it damages the wooden surface. This is an abrasive cleaner. You should choose a non-abrasive cleaner to avoid fading and damaging the finish.
Vinegar and baking soda are good options for that. This can protect the material from discoloration. Also, apply oil or wax to your wooden countertops to prevent cracking or staining.
Formica Countertops
Formica countertops are also that kind of surface that can get damaged if you use oven cleaners or chemicals like that. This is the toughest kind of material. But oven cleaner can also damage it. Formica surface can get damaged and discolored if you clean it with oven cleaners.
What Should You Do to Remove Existing Stubborn Stains of Kitchen Countertops?
If you want the details about removing damaged countertops stains, you can use some subtle cleaners. Or, you can also use any handmade cleaner as well. We can give you the information about how you can make your cleaner at home to clean the kitchen countertops without damaging them. Let’s see the details.
Bleach And Cotton Ball Method
The first method is the bleach and cotton ball method. You need to know how you can use it and remove existing stains. To do that, first, you should take a cotton ball and soak it in mild bleach. Then rub it to the spot where you see the stain. A gentle bleach is useful to remove the stains that oven cleaner causes.
Leave it for a while. After that, clean the area. Make sure you don’t use too much bleach because it can do the opposite. Also, stop using bleach immediately if you see any discoloration.
Baking Soda Method
Baking soda is also a powerful agent to remove any kind of stain. To make the kitchen countertops stain-free, you can use this element. Start with making the solution.
Take equal amounts of baking soda and white vinegar in a bowl and mix them well. You can also use baking soda and water or dishwashing soap to it.
After that, apply the mixture to the countertop areas and allow it to sit for 24-48 hours. The solution can effectively soak up the stains and help to get rid of them. You don’t need to use any harmful product to remove the stains. This classic method can help you with that.
Vinegar Method
Vinegar is a good option to cut out grease and neutralize the lye. You can make a useful solution to slow down the damaging process. For that, take some vinegar and clean the areas with it. You can also use vinegar with dishwashing soap and water.
Spray the mixture and leave it for some time. You can surely see the difference just after one use. Clean the surface with it and you will get the perfect finish that you have always wanted.
Buff in Beeswax
Buffing in beeswax is another way to get rid of stains on your kitchen countertops. If you see some white stains on your wooden surface, you can buff in beeswax.
It can help you to restore the shine of the material and protect it from bacteria and water. As a result, it can give you better results to remove discoloration.
What Are The Best Cleaning Products for Kitchen Countertops?
While talking about kitchen countertop cleaning products, you can have an amazing range of them. Oven cleaners are not suitable to use for cleaning countertops. So, you need to get some useful cleaners for this.
Some of the good-quality products are Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner, TriNova Granite Cleaner and Polish, Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner, Miracle Wipes for Granite and Stone, and more like that. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner is made from natural ingredients. So, it doesn’t damage the kitchen countertops.
Besides, Better Life All-Purpose Cleaner is a plant-based all-purpose cleaner that doesn’t contain a lot of chemicals so it becomes a better one. Just like that, Miracle Wipes for Granite and Stone and TriNova Granite Cleaner and Polish are also natural and much more effective than oven cleaners.
Wrap Up
Now that you know a lot of things about oven cleaners, you can get the idea of whether it’s suitable for kitchen countertops or not. Check out the details about “What is the effect of oven cleaners on kitchen countertops?”
See the facts that we share then decide what you should do.