You re looking at an iron oxide rust stain in a granite countertop that could be millions of years old.
Ring stain on granite countertop.
Courtesy of tim carter tim carter.
Sometimes lifting a soap ring is as easy as leaving a wet sponge on top of the stain for a couple of days.
Even a completely sealed granite countertop can stain if a spill is left to sit for long enough.
Apply household detergent mineral spirits acetone ammonia or bleach to the stain and clean gently.
This happens when water pools or drips onto a granite counter and is left there to dry.
Use a wet sponge.
If you are trying to remove an old stain create a dense paste of more baking soda and less water.
In order to remove the stain the oil must be chemically dissolved.
Here are the most effective ways to banish stubborn soap rings from your beautiful granite countertops.
How to remove oil based stains on granite countertops.
In order to remove a stain you need to ensure that it is indeed a stain and not damage to the stone.
Granite countertops also don t like it when you use something like windex on them because it strips the seal off of the stone.
Removing stains from granite countertops can be both a challenge and a puzzle at the same time.
But one thing about granite countertops is that if they are not sealed with a quality granite countertop sealer they become prone to staining.
Hence a granite countertop does not soak up as much spills or oils as other countertops do.
Next you need to determine what caused the stain so that you can apply the correct materials to remove it.
And of course more lightly colored granite is more likely to show stains than darker colors so if you have a white or other pale colored granite countertop it s important to be extra vigilant.
To remove the stains you will need to lift them out of the stone with a special formula or poultice.
However one issue people can have with their granite countertops is water staining.
Stains could come from anything like rust water chemicals oil paint or even ink.