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Last Updated: Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, Created: Wednesday, February 13th, 2002
One viewer caught our cameras in the renovation store and asked how to remove stains from laminate counter tops.
The reality is that it is very difficult to stain laminate counter tops although high temperatures can easily scorch it. We tried for a week and couldn't get any colour from coffee to beet juice to leave a mark. Once you do manage to stain it, it is equally difficult to get a stain out. Generally speaking not much will stain a counter top unless you have used abrasive cleaners for so long on the surface as to take the shine right off and open up the material to stains. Clean the counter with soft rags and regular dish soap. If you leave bleach based cleaners for a while on coloured plastic laminate, the bleach can de-colour the counter, with no known repair. If you want to work on something that doesn't come off easily, like material "cooked" onto the surface by hot pans or water kettles but not real burn marks, use a mix of baking soda and water in a paste to clean it off. Anything more abrasive than that can eventually cause you trouble.
If you have a burn or stain that you cannot remove, you could always cut it right out and drop in a cutting board or ceramic tile. Just make sure that you waterproof the edge of the cut to prevent water from swelling the particle board below the laminate finish.
Keywords: Cleaning, Counter, Kitchen, Laminate, Removing, Stains
Article 1741