What is The Effect of Oven Cleaners on Kitchen Countertops
Are you wearing down your kitchen counters by cleaning them? What impact does oven cleaner have on kitchen counters? Many kitchen cleaners include chemicals that might harm the material and sealant on your kitchen counters. They aggravate the stains rather than eliminating them, and they might cause them to become irreversibly faded and discolored.
Oven cleaners are incredible for removing tough dirt and greasy from your oven. But they are not meant to be used as standard kitchen cleaners. Oven cleaners include chemicals that are powerful, toxic, and corrosive. Therefore, they should not be used on kitchen counters. What’s to stop you?
Using oven cleaning on kitchen counters, on the other hand, might damage the material, causing it to rust, fade, lose color, or just become obsolete. There is a lot more to it, and we go over it all in this post, along with several alternative ways to clean your kitchen worktops. So, how does oven cleaning impact kitchen countertops? Let us see what we can find out!
Effect of Oven Cleaners on Kitchen Countertops
Oven cleaners dissolve the protective coatings and soak them into the countertop material. It causes it to lose its look, damage its structure, and become more susceptible to food contamination. Oven cleaners are the worst cleansers you may use to wipe your kitchen countertops out of all the cleaning items in your household. Keep reading to find out more!
Furthermore, did you know those oven cleaners can harm your well-being in a variety of ways? From immediate discomfort to long-term dangers? Some of its components can also be found in antifreeze and gasoline. You would never dunk your food in these things, yet you are splashing them on your kitchen counters where your meals are prepared.
The OSHA in the United States has categorized other components as carcinogenic. Learn everything about how oven cleaning affects your kitchen counters and your wellness. And as you know, your oven is put under a lot of strain. Oil and food stains, filthy trays, and elevated temps bake all of that dirt and grime further into the oven with each usage.
As a result, oven cleaner chemicals must be able to adequately clean the oven surfaces. Cleaning kitchen surfaces with these highly hazardous chemicals is not a crafty idea, particularly on counters made of weaker materials such as wood or laminate.
Reasons why you shouldn’t use Oven Cleaners on Kitchen Countertops
Most oven cleaners include lye and alcohol. Lye is a caustic that degrades things when it comes into touch with them. Alcohol liquifies varnish and finishes. Now, what are these dangerous compounds in oven cleaners? Below are a few key components to keep an eye out for.
- Monobutyl ether
- Diethylene Glycol
- Turpentine
- Degreasers
- Crystallization agents
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Butane
- Foaming agents
- Monoethanolamine (MEA)
These chemicals can harm your health by seeping into your food and developing food poisoning, in addition to damaging your kitchen surface and fading the color. The food you are cooking (while cutting vegetables, for example) might combine with residual oven cleaning residue on your counters. This could cause chemical reactions that chip away at the kitchen surface much more.
About Lye
Among the most frequent components in oven cleaners, paint strippers, and drain declogger is lye (sodium hydroxide). It is also used to degrade animal corpses, demonstrating its corrosive capabilities. I would insist you don’t use lye on countertops that have been coated or varnished with a clear gloss.
Because wood is porous, all wood counters are coated with a thin layer of finishing. This is to make them lustrous, water-resistant, and germs and other microbes resistant. Lye removes the surface and may even make it slippery and gummy when it comes into touch with it.
Aluminum and steel react with lye, resulting in permanent discoloration. It can also emit combustible fumes that hurt the eyes and skin while also posing a fire risk. On metal surfaces or containers, never ever use lye.
Formica Countertops are constructed of melamine resin that has been thermally bonded and then painted or laminated to look like wood or stone. The lye eats away the coating and leaves irreversible marks. It also weakens the material, making it more susceptible to cracking.
About Alcohol
Ethanol or MEA are both types of alcohol that can be found in oven cleansers (monoethanolamine). These are powerful solvents that can permanently damage synthetic materials like vinyl, Corian surfaces, or Formica. On stone or tile counters, the alcohol is less likely to cause noticeable harm. But it can degrade the surface on hardwood worktops.
Health Hazards of using Oven Cleaners
Chemical compounds in oven cleaners can be hazardous to one’s health in a variety of ways. Chemical burns can be caused by corrosive chemicals. In diluted form, they can produce rashes and skin sensitivities.
Toxic fumes are released into the air by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They can induce dizziness, breathing difficulties, headaches, and asthma episodes when breathed.
When eaten, poisonous or toxic chemicals can be hazardous and even lethal. Oven cleaning can linger on the counter for a long time or be absorbed by porous materials like wood or stone. Carcinogens have been related to increased cancer risk.
Fixing the Stains that Oven Cleaner Left on a Countertop
These techniques can be used to disguise or reduce the looks of stains left by oven cleaning. Some discolorations may be too severe to be removed. It may be everlasting. Then, I would recommend your countertops may be refinished. This recovers their previous look and adds a protective coating to keep them safe from future harm.
Baking Soda
Using baking soda and water, make a paste. Stains on granite and marble surfaces can be removed using a baking soda or water paste. First, spot-test any DIY paste or cleaning on a smaller, hidden area to see if it will alter the polish and hue of the stone. Because baking soda is harsh, don’t scrape it. Preferably, dab it on the afflicted region, wrap it in plastic wrap, and leave it alone for a few days.
Alternatively, mild stains on steel surfaces can be removed using a mixture of dish soap and baking soda. A soft cloth should be rubbed into the afflicted region, moving in the direction of the grain.
Vinegar
If you spilled or sprayed oven cleaner on your kitchen counter by mistake, use vinegar to clear the spot. Vinegar is an acid that can help neutralize the lye and reduce the harm it causes.
Beeswax
Buff in beeswax to remove white spots from wood and laminate surfaces. This improves shine while also leaving a protective coating that keeps water and germs out. Discoloration can also be hidden with tinted polishing oils.
Polish
If your counters are made of stone, tile, or anything else that isn’t wood, clean them carefully with standard countertop cleaning solutions before polishing them. It is definitely worth a shot! While polishing your kitchen countertop may not always help, it can assist to restore some of the vivid color and gloss that the oven cleaning may have worn away.
In conclusion, I hope this blog post has demonstrated that using oven cleaning on kitchen counters is not a good idea. The harmful chemicals in oven cleaners are incredible for all the baked-on grease and dirt in your oven. But their effect on kitchen countertops can be disastrous, even destroying them. We certainly do not want it to happen. Almost all of the time, a little soapy water and manual work will do. I hope you found this article helpful!
You should also attempt countertop cleaning equipment designed specifically for removing stains. Try homemade remedies like the baking soda and white vinegar technique. Regardless of how you maintain your kitchen countertops in the future, I believe I have persuaded you. Using oven cleansers on these home surfaces is a bad idea. Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts and queries in the comments section below!
