Is It Actually Safe To Clean Your Countertops With Windex?

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It's crucial to clean your kitchen counters daily to remove crumbs, spills, and germs. This will protect your countertop material from stains and scratches and keep your food preparation area sanitized and safe. However, before you just blindly choose the most popular all-purpose kitchen cleaner, consider your countertop material. Some countertops are easily damaged by certain chemicals or cleaning products like Windex.

Traditional Windex is a glass cleaner that contains water, soap, and solvents. While some versions contain ammonia, others are ammonia-free. The brand also makes multi-surface disinfectants that can be used to kill germs on kitchen counters. However, while Windex is one of the best kitchen cleaners according to online reviews, it depends on which product you choose. You should never use traditional Windex (or any cleaner that contains ammonia) to clean certain countertop materials like quartz, quartzite, granite, and marble.

You can, however, use Windex's multi-surface cleaner or Windex Vinegar Glass Cleaner on most countertop materials, including granite, marble, and Formica. You can also use it to remove grease from your kitchen walls or countertops. Just don't use it on unsealed natural stone, butcher-block, or natural wood countertops. If you have any doubts about whether a certain kitchen cleaning solution is safe for your countertops, refer to the installer's instructions for maintenance (or the manufacturer's recommendations) before trying it out.

When you use harsh chemicals to clean your counters, the chemicals can degrade or break down any protective sealants or coatings on the countertop. Eventually, this can cause etching, pitting, or chips that allow liquids to penetrate the underlying material. This results in stains and discoloration as well as cracks and crevices that can harbor harmful germs and bacteria. Another concern is that some cleaning products aren't meant to disinfect surfaces — and there is a big food safety difference between cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen.

For instance, traditional Windex is designed to clean glass surfaces and remove smudges and streaks, but it does not have germ-killing or disinfecting properties. If you use it on your counters, you may not only damage the countertop material but also spread dangerous germs across the surface. Even if you don't prepare food directly on the counters, other items can transfer germs to the surface.

Look for cleaners that are safe for all surfaces, and that also disinfect, sanitize, and kill germs. The best disinfecting solutions for natural stone countertops are ones that contain hypochlorous acid, like Clean Republic Multi-Purpose Disinfectant Spray. For all other countertop surfaces, choose a multi-surface disinfectant like Seventh Generation Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner.