In short
Wipe spills quickly, clean with a mild pH-neutral soap and dry the surface afterwards. Keep acids and harsh products away from marble, limestone and travertine, use boards and trivets, and renew the sealer when water stops beading. Keep oak dry, refresh the oil when it looks tired and mind the steam from the dishwasher.
Care is mostly habit
Natural stone and solid oak are not fragile. They have lasted in houses for centuries. What they ask for is a little attention, and the right kind. A few habits, practised without effort, do far more than any product. This guide covers the habits, and the occasional job that goes with them.
One note before we begin. Every stone, oil and finish has its own instructions, and the maker's advice always comes first. What follows is general good practice, and it will serve most kitchens well.
How do you clean natural stone every day?
Wipe up spills when they happen, especially acids such as lemon, vinegar, wine and tomato, and oils and coloured liquids such as coffee, tea and red wine. On stone that is soft or porous, a spill left for hours is far more trouble than one wiped in a minute.
For daily cleaning, use a soft cloth with warm water and a few drops of a mild, pH-neutral soap. Rinse with clean water and dry with a second cloth, which prevents streaks and water marks. That is nearly everything stone needs. It does not call for heavy sprays or special potions.
Around the sink and the tap, a quick wipe after washing up does more than any cleaner. Soap film and limescale build up slowly, and removing them early keeps stone looking clean. Good ventilation helps, because a room that dries quickly stays fresher and easier to clean.
What should you keep away from stone?
Avoid acidic and harsh cleaners on marble, limestone and travertine. Vinegar, lemon-based products, limescale removers and bleach will dull a polished surface and can eat into the stone. Scouring powders and rough pads scratch. Use chopping boards, because a knife blade will mark softer stone and the stone will blunt the knife.
Use a trivet or mat under very hot pans. Even stone that tolerates heat can crack if it is heated or cooled too quickly. Coasters under glasses, and a tray under bottles of oil and vinegar, prevent the rings that these leave. Wipe the stone dry around the sink after washing up, so that soap and water do not sit on the surface.
Does stone need sealing? Sealing, stains and etching
Natural stone is porous to some degree. A sealer fills the pores and gives you time to wipe a spill before it soaks in. It does not make stone waterproof, and it does not prevent etching. How often to renew it depends on the stone and its use. A simple test is to put a few drops of water on the surface. If they darken the stone within a few minutes, it is time to seal again.
If a stain does appear, act early and gently. A paste of a suitable absorbent powder, left to draw out the stain, is the traditional remedy, but the right one depends on the stain and the stone. Etching, the dull mark left by acid, cannot be wiped away because it is a change in the surface. A specialist can hone it back. For a rare accident this is a good option, and it is also why many people choose a honed finish to begin with.
How do you look after oak every day?
Oak is kind and easy to live with. Clean it with a soft cloth that has been wrung out until it is only slightly damp, and then dry it. Water is the main enemy, not because it harms oak at once but because it sits. A pool of water left around a sink or a tap will darken the grain and lift the finish in time.
Take particular care at the sink and the dishwasher. When a dishwasher finishes, steam escapes from the door, and over many months this can swell a timber panel above it. Leaving the door ajar for a few minutes, and using the protective strip that is fitted beneath the worktop, prevents the problem. Wipe the area around the sink every day.
When should oak be oiled, and how are marks repaired?
An oiled surface should be refreshed from time to time. Busy worktops need it more often than a bedroom wardrobe. Clean the surface, let it dry fully, then apply a thin coat of the oil recommended for your finish with a soft cloth, working along the grain. Wipe away the excess after the time stated by the maker. A thin coat is better than a thick one.
A scratch or a mark can usually be dealt with by sanding lightly along the grain with fine paper, wiping off the dust and oiling the patch. Because oak is solid or thickly veneered, such repairs blend in well. A lacquered surface behaves differently. It resists water better, and repairs are more difficult, so follow the maker's instructions closely.
One safety point. Cloths soaked in some drying oils can heat up and catch fire as the oil cures. After use, lay them flat to dry outdoors, or soak them in water before disposing of them.
Heat, moisture and light
Three things threaten both materials. Heat, in the form of hot pans, should be kept off oiled timber and softer stone with a trivet. Moisture, in the form of standing water, damages oak and stains stone. And strong light changes colour, so oak warms and some timbers fade, while a stone near a bright window may lighten or darken depending on its kind.
Steady conditions matter as well. Timber moves with the humidity of a home. A room with heating on all winter and doors open in summer will see small movements, and that is normal. Keep the environment reasonably even and the movement will remain slight. When you receive your kitchen, we explain the care for the particular materials in it.
