Why not?

I'm going back to my roots, here. How I started this blog and how I should have kept going - except I have interests and passions that led me away from simplicity.

Today, in this post, there are no politics, no unpleasantness, no controversy, unless you have a different opinion about how and when and where to use cleaning products.

This morning I'm cleaning. I happened to be in the kitchen, wiping down my countertops, when the inspiration for this little blurb hit.

Hubby and I have granite tile countertops. We couldn't go the full monty when we remodeled the kitchen, so settled for 12x12 tile instead of getting slabs - we have a lot of counter space. They need cleaning, so I clean them.

Once in a while I use a spot of dishsoap and water and they end up looking great - but it's a lot of work and water because I want to be sure to get up all the soap residue. That's the once-in-a-while cleaning. Everyday, though, I use Windex - a spray cleaner with ammonia and coloring.

I was once told by an acquaintance who had just gotten brand new countertops of granite, "I was told by my contractor to never use Windex."

Being curious - because we are, after all, going on about polished rock - I asked, "Why not?"

She wasn't as curious as I. She hadn't asked so didn't know. She told me so. She said, "I don't know, I didn't ask."

Okay. Dead-end. So I went where we all go these days - to the inter-web. All over the place there are sites that say "DON'T". Not a single one answers "WHY NOT??" (Hey -they shout, so I'm shouting.)

They don't say why not. They just say do not. Some, a few, say it's okay but most don't. Some of those say to use another product, another acid - vinegar.

Well that leaves me with a theory, which I'll get to.

Some say "never put anything acidic on your granite". Okay - so don't spill your wine, splash your salad dressing, or squirt lemon or lime juice on a work surface in your kitchen. Got it. Well, newsflash folks - the only way I will not spill, splash or squirt in my kitchen is if I never go into my kitchen. Which isn't an option.

Others say a mixture of vinegar (an acid) and water works wonders, if applied by a soft cloth. The soft cloth I get.

Paper towels are, after all, made of wood fiber and tend to be coarse so they can scratch. If you don't trust me, get a magnifying glass and look at the fibers - they're coarse. Do the same with that well used, well loved dish towel you've had forever - not coarse. Even Kleenex will scratch glass which is why you're not supposed to use paper towels or Kleenex to wipe your eyeglasses.

But we're not talking about glass. We're talking about glorified rock which masons call "stone". Which is still, when you get down to it, a variant of rock.

So trying to figure out 'why this and not that' is like asking a parent or grandparent who did things the same way every time, "Why do you do it like that?"


Answer: "because it's the way my mother / father did it" or the variant, "That's the way I always do it."

"Why?"

"Well... because." Annoyed glance because you've asked an answer to the immutable. In my experience, the glance was almost invariably accompanied by "why don't you go out and play?" Freeway being the obvious location for said playing in that moment.

This morning I asked the Oracle of the InterWeb - "Why not?" and I got no answer. Just the same old sites with the same old conflicting information.

To me, this is not like taking a parent's advice about not jumping off roofs or bridges or diving head-first into murky water. There's sense in those things - as you'll know if you've ever done something stupid like that and gotten hurt doing it.

This is like A Mystery of the Universe which leads to my theory: They want to sell product.

The sites that say "don't" are trying hard to keep people from using an inexpensive method for cleaning because they want to sell you a more expensive product - like 100x more expensive - that includes the same basic ingredient: ammonia. Or maybe it's vinegar, which would be even less expensive.

Where does this leave me? Why, with my trusty bottle of blue colored ammonia and water, of course. And that raises another wonder-point: why is it blue? Why not clear - as in clean, or...?

Hmm. Another Question for the Ages. But I'll think about that while I go back to my countertops.

Have a lovely day.

Best~
Philippa

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