With the winter season in full swing, keeping your outdoor living areas clean can seem like a task that just isn’t worth your time.
Why sweep up debris and snow when another storm’s just a few days away?
Sure you can be more relaxed with the amount of cleaning and maintenance during the winter season. But if you have outdoor living areas, like a kitchen, there are some maintenance tips you should keep in mind to be sure that things like your countertops don’t deteriorate during the winter season.
That’s why we’ve compiled a few helpful tips on how to keep your granite countertops in good shape during this time:
Sealing Granite Countertops
Obviously, one of the crucial steps to maintaining your outdoor granite countertops during the winter is to seal them.
Keeping your countertops in good condition largely depends on sealants. Especially if your countertop is exposed to snowfall, sealing your countertops on a more regular basis is crucial. The more exposure to moisture will wear out the current layer of sealant, and we all know that moisture can be very detrimental to your countertops. Whether your countertops are granite, marble or quartzite – moisture will affect them. So be sure to seal them!
Watch Out For Freezing and Thawing
Another aspect to be on the lookout for is the cycle of freezing and thawing. It’s important to watch out for this because the cycling of freezing and then thawing can certainly lead to cracks in your countertops.
While there’s not a lot you can do to prevent this, we recommend – as we stated above – that you seal your countertops more regularly. Plus, if your countertops are exposed to snowfall you can brush away the snow to further prevent any stains or cracks.
What about Sinks on Your Countertops?
This section depends on if your outdoor living area has a sink. Be sure that you close off the water valves and be sure that those lines are drained. You can even remove your faucets and store them indoors.
You don’t want water freezing inside your pipes, as this can severely damage your water system. So be sure to avoid this blunder which can cost you lots of money to fix!
At the end of the day, keeping your granite countertops in good condition during the winter is very, very easy. Just watch out for things like freezing and moisture exposure and your countertops will be fine!