How To Remove Even The Peskiest Of Ketchup Stains From Your Countertop

Ketchup is America's most beloved condiment. Whether drizzled over a juicy hamburger or served as a side to a plate of crispy-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside french fries, it never lets you down. That is, until it ends up on your favorite shirt, or even worse, all over your brand-new kitchen counter.

Hailing from China — and shaped by quite a bizarre evolution – this classic condiment is among the trickiest to remove. But on the bright side, it leaves behind one of the 13 common food stains that can be easily cleaned using pantry ingredients. Of course, the best advice is to clean it straight away; the longer it sits on your countertop, the harder it is to remove. But let's face it, we can all get lazy sometimes and forget about our cleaning duties... until we realize the stains are completely dried and stuck.

The problem is that getting rid of the reddish mark ketchup leaves behind can become quite a struggle if left for too long. This is particularly important for countertops made from materials such as limestone and marble, which are extremely vulnerable to ketchup stains. Thankfully, combining some water and oxygen bleach – a chlorine-free stain remover — can be an effective method to tackle this issue.

The material your countertop is made of plays a great role in how much damage ketchup can cause. On natural stone countertops, ketchup can lead to etching, a type of discoloration and damage that happens when highly acidic substances are left on the surface for too long. Considering ketchup is loaded with tomato acid and has a pH of around 3.7, just imagine the consequences. 

The best solution to reduce etching is sealing your countertop. But, if the damage has already been done, you can prevent ketchup from causing more harm and shortening your countertop's lifespan by wiping away any residues with a cloth, applying a water-and-oxygen-bleach paste to the stained area, and rinsing it with warm water an hour later. Then take a look at your spotless countertop.

While baking soda is key to cleaning your microwave in a pinch, it can also do wonders with your countertop troubles. The process is similar. All you need to do is mix some baking soda and salt to form a paste and follow the same procedure. In case you have a plastic laminate countertop, you might want to opt for vinegar as your go-to choice instead. Just wipe the surface with a vinegar-and-water solution, then wash it thoroughly with clean water. If you're up for a slightly different approach, stone-friendly cleaning agents can also help remove those pesky ketchup stains.