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musatta_carrozza

Need to remove grease stain from granite

Musatta Carrozza
6 years ago
After dinner found that overflow of homemade oil and vinegar dressing from a small bowl had stained our brand new Juperana Columbo granite countertops. This is our dream kitchen and are heartsick over this. Have never had granite before and did not know it would stain. Stone installer assured us it was properly sealed. Have tried to remove stain using baking soda paste overnight twice. Have ordered a grease removing product for granite from Dupont. My husband wants to try using a torch to heat the area. Any suggestions?

Comments (18)

  • bubblyjock
    6 years ago

    Did you try something simple like scrubbing with a brush and hot soapy water or a detergent of some sort? I'm no expert, so it's just a thought. How frustrating for you! I don't think heating it with a blow-torch would resolve the issue, though, as it's surely more likely to just bake the oils into the stone.

  • bubblyjock
    6 years ago

    take a look at this recent discussion - did you try a poultice?
    https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5258769/granite-sealing?n=2

  • chispa
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I have a granite counter outside, around our BBQ grill. The area gets stained with marinade and oils and then the stains gets "baked" by the CA sun as the counters face west. Every few months I get out my Lysol kitchen cleaner and 99% of the stains come up. I'll also use Clorox cleaner with bleach, which I leave on for about 10 minutes, scrub and rinse. I've never babied any granite I have owned.

  • bemocked
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    If you are certain it is an oil mark, apply a citrus “degreaser” cleaning product, leave puddle over the oil mark for 10-15 minutes, wipe away, then repeat/reapply. After 5 or 6 cycles, I have seen many oil marks removed.

    blow torch sounds like a really bad idea... you won’t be able to “evaporate away” the oil, and charring or burning the oil that is now in the stone pores will not be less noticeable.

  • mark_rachel
    6 years ago

    Do not torch it. Bad idea.

  • stevenlh123
    6 years ago

    Agreed about not taking a torch to the granite. In fact granite can have a surface treatment called "flamed", which uses controlled heating and cooling to cause chips to spall (flake off), leaving a textured, dimpled surface. So, you could make a small problem worse with the torch.

    As to the stain itself, I had a somewhat similar issue, one that I can now regard as amusing since I was able to solve it in the end. Here's the story:

    One evening I was cooking, and my girlfriend was helping with the food prep. She went to the dining room table to sit down while she was grating some cheese. It was winter and we had the rather newly installed gas fireplace going in the living room, right by the dining room.

    Next day I noticed what appeared to be a small, irregularly shaped grease stain, about the size of a nickel, on the French limestone hearth. Then to my dismay I several more stains of the same size and shape on the hearth. Then I noticed a small blob of rubbery material, which felt greasy. I puzzled over it for a bit then it dawned on me. Evidently while my g/f was grating the cheese, a bit fell on the floor. Then one of our cats discovered the fallen cheese bits, and she must have thought it was a great toy. She played with it until it landed on--you guessed it--the fireplace hearth, which was nice and toasty from that evening's fire. The warmth melted the cheese into a little blob, which our cat then batted around a few more times, thus ensuring maximum cheese grease stainage on the hearth!

    My first attempts to remove the stains involved applying a baking soda paste to the stain, letting it sit 24 hours or more while covered with plastic. Didn't help in the least. I tried a few more times but the stains were stubborn. I got an estimate from a firm that does stone repair, but they wanted to grind the entire hearth, said that the process required wet sanding, would be messy, and would cost something like $350. No way was I going to do that.

    Finally one day I found a commercial product in a local hardware store (Orchard Supply here in the SF Bay Area). It was a poultice designed to remove grease stains from stone and concrete. Can't remember the brand, but I gave it a try. It smelled unpleasant, but it worked like a charm. Got all the stains removed as if they were never there.

    BTW I was sure that the contractor who had installed the fireplace had sealed the hearth, so I was surprised that it stained so easily. Maybe he didn't apply much sealer, or maybe he forgot and I never realized. I've sealed it since our "cheese blob" episode, so hopefully will never have that problem again!

    If I can find the name of the product I used, I'll post it here. But probably similar to the product you've already ordered. Hopefully it will do the trick for you.

  • Musatta Carrozza
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Just applied Dupont Stonetech Oil Stain Remover. will see results in a few days.
  • dmpsd
    6 years ago

    If that doesn't work, I had luck removing oil from our quartzite countertops with a poultice of acetone and baking soda. It took several applications, but eventually the spots disappeared. Keep trying and good luck.

  • suseyb
    6 years ago

    That should work. If it doesn't try a poultice of plaster of paris and acetone. Cover with plastic wrap with blue tape around it until it's dry. Cover at least an inch around larger than the stain. When it's dry, the stain should be better, if not completely gone. If it's working, do it again until resolved. Found this answer here at Houzz.

    Our granite was sealed when it was installed, but we found that it stained easily. We resealed with Tenax Pro Seal after pulling the stain out. We haven't had a problem since.

  • ravencajun Zone 8b TX
    6 years ago

    I have had excellent results using a spray bottle of alcohol and water. Spray heavily leave for a few minutes the wipe away. Keep doing it till it's gone. You can use straight alcohol too.

  • millworkman
    6 years ago

    Just be very very careful with using acetone or the grease stain will be the least of your worries...............

  • Musatta Carrozza
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    After first Tx with Dupont Stonetech oil stain remover. Seems to be working. will apply again.
  • Musatta Carrozza
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    After second Tx. Looks much better. Granite installer has offerred to reseal!
  • Musatta Carrozza
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Stain is gone. installer resealex. We want to try another Dupont sealer "Bulletproof" in the fall.
  • Mrs. Gopher #BringBackSophie
    6 years ago

    I would recommend MORE - it has a 20 year stain warranty attached.

  • Musatta Carrozza
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Thank you. i will look into it.
  • Lauren
    13 days ago

    Do you remember what the dupont product was called? I just found this post, dealing with the same problem