I recently had to deal with a stained white laminate counter top, due to a tea spill that wasn't cleaned up right away. I tried everything to clean it: thick bleach, baking soda (left on for two 24 hour periods), dish soap, all-purpose cleaners, and Vim powder; nothing worked! In fact, bleach seemed to darken the stain, and I suspect this is due to the hard water in our location.
What did work was a melamine "magic eraser", such as the Mr. Clean brand, but any type of melamine foam pad will work. Scrubbing really hard on the stain with the eraser did what no other cleaner could. Now the countertop looks just like normal, after a few sessions with the eraser. Save yourself a lot of trouble and just go with the melamine foam.
Link: http://ask.metafilter.com/18615/Getting-stains-out-of-a-white-formica-kitchen-counter
This page contains the following solutions.
To remove a stain on your Formica counter top, just slather a thick amount of dish washing detergent over it and let it sit for several hours, then wipe it up. The detergent seems to draw the stain into it.
Mix above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray on and wipe surfaces. Rinse well.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have been trying in vain to find some way to clean the counter tops in my kitchen. We are renting this house and the counter tops in the kitchen (Formica I think) are beige. There are all kinds of grayish stains and some that look like rust.
I would try either just some water softener (Calgon) in warm water which is an excellent cleaning solution -- or -- a mixture of 1 part water, 1 part hydrogen peroxide, 1 part liquid Tide, another good stain cleaner.
I have used Lysol Plus Bleach All Purpose Cleaner for many stains on my counters, and have had very good luck getting them out.Good Luck.
I have used Soft Scrub with good results. Are you sure it isn't a burn mark?
I always use straight Clorox>> open windows
leave on for about 10 minutes, if needed apply again. Haven't had a stain it hasn't taken off yet.
Try a product called Zud. You can usually pick it up at a home improvement store, or Wal-Mart. It is very reasonable, and I have found it to work where other products haven't. Good luck
I use the bleach trick also, but on occasion that doesn't work. Then I take some liquid dishwasher detergent, any will do, and rub that on always works.
I swear by BARKEEPERS FRIEND. That's what we used to clean the counters in a bar I worked years ago. I sill use it in my own home all the time.
Go to your local paper products/janitorial place and get some ringo if they have it. Don't leave it on for more than 2 minutes. But it will work.
I have used good old BAKING SODA and a damp sponge or also the liquid electric dishwasher detergent. Preferable liquid cascade brand for great results as I have all white counters
I use a product by Melauleuca called "Sol-u-mel"...it is a wonder product! Just dab it on a cotton ball and spead it on the stain...let it sit, then scrub with SOS pad.
If possible, I would ask the landlord to put in new counters. If refused, what about painting the counters, with the landlord's permission, of course. A good paint store or Home Depot type store should be able to make good suggestions.
Lynn
For the person looking for counter top cleaner, a friend gave me
something that is similar to Ajax, it is called Barkeepers Friend.
It took marker off a wood/glass coffee table. It works wonders!
Sharon
Try using a dampened bar of Lava hand soap on the stains on your Formica counter top.
Submitted by a reader.
Simple Green or the new Clorox Clean-up
how do I get a burn mark off of a formica counter?
Editor's Note: Try some Barkeeper's Friend. It is in the supermarket near the Comet and sink cleansers.
For food stains(organic stain) we use 1 scoop of Oxi-Clean in 1 qt. of water. This is also great to really shine up stainless steel sinks. Use your dish brush to scrub.
Magic Eraser by Mr. Kleen
How can I clean formica furniture?
C from Coconut Creek, Florida
My 4 year old wrote on a paper towel with Magic Marker that went through to the formica coffee table. How do I get it off?
Ash from Lebanon, TN
regular tooth paste
WD-40....can't say enough good things about it......no I do not own stock......just love the stuff....I have been a Mom for 26 years and my youngest is now 14 and I still use it to clean up left behind marker, pen, glue etc.... hope it works for your problem....Good luck....
I have formica-topped tables too. I'd just use anything you would normally use to get magic marker off. I use hair spray to remove ink from clothing... I might try it on the table.. dont forget its plastic and therefore waterproof... smiles Mine have endured 35 years of banging with tonka trucks... lol
lighter fluid or glass cleaner with ammonia definitely...maybe vinegar?
Rubbing alcohol and cotton ball with elbow grease - works best when used before other cleaners, but if the other didn't work, it is still worth a try. Good Luck!
I am trying to clean my kitchen counters which are the laminate or whatever is in a lot of kitchens - inexpensive stuff. Can you please guide me to the right hint?
My black Formica countertop has white stains that do not show up when wet but can see when dry. Any ideas on how to remove them?
By nico De Zeeuw from Fort Lauderdale
It is possible that the white on your countertop was caused by a little standing water, hot pots or abrasive cleaners, all of which are a no-no for Formica. Because the white only shows up when the counter is dry, the counter probably needs a good waxing with a product made exclusively for Formica.
I had accidently sprayed some oven cleaner on my black Formica counter. It has left a stain. How can I restore the color to the counter?
By Helen E. from Bellingham, WA
I have a vintage Formica-top kitchen table in my bedroom. It sounds weird, but it fits in and there's room for it. I have a large room and a small table.
The other day, I (foolishly) stood beside it while using hairspray, and now when you run your hand across it, you can feel the overspray. You can't see any difference.
How can I clean this off without damaging the 50-60 year old table? It didn't come clean with Windex.
By Claire
I have Formica countertops and also Formica on the back of my stove. Could you please tell me how to get grease spots off of my Formica on the back of my stove.
By Pat Rebuck
Try some of the cleaners made specifically for kitchen grease. Or wet a rag with hot water and squirt a little dish washing soap on it and try that.
I've had very good luck with the foam "Kitchen Cleaner". Spray the foam on and let it sit for 5 or 10 min. A clue that it's working is the foam will take on a yellow/brown hue.
The best thing that I have found for removing grease on anything, including clothes is a product called 'Greased Lightning'. You can find it at Home Depot and I'm pretty sure that Walmart sells it to. I cleaned the range hood filter at my son's house with it. The filter was there when he bought the house and looked like it had never been cleaned - it was dark brown and sticky. He had no hot water so I filled the sink up with cold water and dumped about 2 cups of 'Greased Lightning' in. I let the filter sit in the sink overnight and the next day after using a soft scrub brush on it, it was silver looking and all shiny. Try it...I know you'll like it.
This is not really about a repair, but a question about cleaning and polishing an old '40s style Formica table top. It is yellow with a cracked ice design, some of which is worn away. It also has a painted fish design around the edges, which shows some wear, but I do not want to repair or replace the table top.
It's looking more dull than when I bought it and I'd like to clean (if necessary) and polish it without causing any more wear to the Formica or the painted design. Anyone?
I have a green Formica countertop that has pink mold in the crease behind the sink area. How do I remove the mold without removing color from the Formica?
How do I remove product stain from a black Formica countertop?
I want to clean Formica so that I can faux paint it to look like granite. What should I use to make sure it is really clean and the paint will stick?
By mary ann penson from Phoenix, AZ
TSP is the best thing to use to clean them properly. Just make sure you also rinse and dry well before painting.
Kim from Penetang
Hi Maryanne:
I just created a blog through this website all about my experiences remodeling my kitchen. I painted my counter tops to look like galaxy granite and talk about some of the troubles I ran into while doing it, which might be of benefit to you. I'm not sure if my blog is working correctly or if anybody has taken a look at it, but I'd love it if they did.
Like grammakin suggested, I used TSP to clean my counters and in my blog I talk about some of the other steps involved.
Thrifty-Something Blog:
www.myfrugallife.com/
Be sure you are logged in if you want to connect to my link. I'm not sure if it's just my computer, but if you want to see additional information about each photo you have to click on the photo.
Good luck with your counters.
I'm not worried about restoring the shine, I just want a way to get the stains out from my cooking. I tried bleach and it worked somewhat OK, but I had to leave it on for hours, and I think that took whatever finish there is off. I cook late at night, then get up and make coffee and a sandwich before going to work and don't clean up until I get home in the evening, so the coffee dribbles, the paprika and chili powder, and all the other stuff I splatter stays there for hours.
I have a 1950s Formica table with a built in extension. The extension is still the bright red the table had, but the outer portions have turned dark, how can I correct the darkened areas?
By Aleah
How can you remove stains from Formica tops?
By Joy
What is the best way to clean a 1950s Formica top table?
By Sandra Balf from Tamaqua, PA
I had one for years. It was new when I bought it in 1965. I just cleaned the top on a regular basis just like cleaning the counter tops. I have kicked myself several times for getting rid of it and getting a more modern one.
How do I clean rust stains on white Formica?
By Julienne I
I've had good results using a scouring powder like Bon Ami, Barkeeps Friend, and in drastic application, Comet or Ajax. Test a small corner to see if it will make things worse before trying to do the whole thing, though, to be sure you can live with it.
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