Our survey of countertop choices among our readers revealed that an overwhelming majority of you have laminate in the kitchen. Laminate is a manmade, composite material made of paper or other materials bonded at high heat and pressure between resins or plastic. It's cheap, mass-produced, and very adaptable. But how do you clean it?
Laminate is not the most exciting of kitchen surfaces. It's not terribly durable, as it cracks, stains, and distintegrates over time. It doesn't stand up well to high heat, and you can easily leave scorch marks on laminate counters, burning away the top layer to reveal the wood below. (Laminate is just a very, very thin top layer glued onto cheap plywood or MDF.)
One nice thing about laminate, though, is that it is actually quite easy to clean! It usually doesn't stain very badly, and it can be cleaned with a whole range of products from simple soap and water to vinegar to bleach.
My own laminate countertops are pretty much the ugliest ones I've ever seen; they have a raised texture that is sort of like awful faux leather or old skin. I have no idea what the people who put this kitchen in were thinking. So I use a scrub brush to wash up after kneading dough or serious baking. It's the only way to get the texture really clean; otherwise dried flecks of dough will just linger, stubbornly. For lighter cleanup I just use very hot water, a sponge, and maybe a touch of dish soap.
What about you? How do you clean your laminate countertops?
Related: What Is the Best Way To: Clean Granite Countertops?
(Image: Faith Durand)
Magic One-Ingredient Ice Cream 5 Ways: Peanut Butter, Nutella, and More
20 Scrumptious Brunch Recipes 
Our reading list
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
30 DIY Projects for the 3-Day Weekend
Tina Wilson's Striking Style 
Comments (10)
Stains from red wine or beets, at least when reasonably fresh, respond well to Soft Scrub with Bleach. Dribble it on, let it sit, wipe gently. Don't scrub or you will scratch the surface.
I use Gel-Gloss a couple of times a year to help seal the surface of our counter tops. It stinks to high heaven, but it gets them clean and leaves a nice shine.
On a daily basis I use that Comet spray that has bleach in it. It even gets rid of coffee stains.
mmm yes. I too have glorious rental laminates. Of a faux wood grain variety. When I moved in I deep cleaned with a brush. For day to day I use the Watkins multi-surface spray from Target. It smells nice and appears to get the job done.
We use the Mrs. Meyers Countertop Spray and that seems to be fine for daily cleanups. I break out the 3M scrubby sponge and some dish detergent for the big wipe-downs. Our laminate countertops are a faux grey/black/cream granite-style, so they're pretty dark. Hard to stain, which is nice.
I made a solution of 50% water and 50% white vinegar in a spray bottle, and I use it to clean everything from my ugly laminate countertops to my wooden cutting boards. I just spray it on and wipe it off with a cloth rag.
Windex baby....
No abrasives!! (comet, soft scrub, barkeeper's friend, etc are all out)
A little Clorox cleanup works well for set in stains. Magic erasers are also a good choice.
Careful around the seams (don't leave liquids sitting for too long) or you'll get lumps/bubbles.
I wet mine down with a citrus cleanser and squeegee/scrape it with an old library card. I use cards for scraping pans, too, and it works better than a scrubber.
The magic eraser (melamine foam) works great for us. Since it is an abrasive, we don't use it all of the time - but for getting up those stains that simply won't get out, it works better than baking soda.
Bar Keeper's Friend.
Make a paste. Let it sit for a minute. Gentle scrubbing.
Works every time for me.
Renting w/ ugly off-white counters. For regular clean up I use vinegar & water. And for stains I use Bon Ami, even works on rust! Are there any eco-friendly sealants out there?