Stone Care Answers · 6 of 11
Pets & kids
The questions nobody thinks a stone company will answer. We will.
10 answers on this page. Tap a question to open it.
My cat is always on my counters. Is that hurting the stone?
No. Claws are softer than all four stones and won't scratch them. What the cat tracks in is the issue: litter grit on the paws is sandpaper when a pot slides over it later. Wipe the counter before you cook and the cat's fine.
Homeowner
Cat hair and dander on stone.
Harmless. It wipes off with a damp cloth. Don't reach for a disinfecting wipe to deal with it; the wipe does more damage than the hair.
Homeowner
Litter gets tracked onto the counter.
That's the real cat problem. Clay litter is mineral grit, and grit under anything that slides is a scratch. Wipe with a damp cloth before cooking. Never dry-wipe grit across a polished top.
Homeowner
Can I keep the dog's bowls on the counter?
The water bowl is a permanent puddle. On dark granite it's a white ring; on any natural stone it wears the seal in that spot first. Mat under the bowls, and the bowls go somewhere that gets wiped.
Homeowner
My pet threw up or peed on the counter.
Clean it with dish soap and water right away and rinse well. Both are acidic: on marble that's an etch as fast as a lemon, plus a stain if it sat. A dull patch left on marble is re-polished; color that stayed is a pro extraction.
Pro
Crayon on the countertop.
It comes off. Crayon is wax: plastic scraper first, then dish soap, on any stone or quartz. A faint oily mark left on unsealed marble is the wax's oil, and that's ours. A placemat for coloring.
Homeowner / Pro
Slime dried onto the counter.
It comes off. Warm water softens it, then it peels and the rest wipes with dish soap. Don't scrape hard and don't dissolve it with vinegar, especially on marble. Dye that stayed on light stone is a pro extraction; send a photo. Slime on a tray next time.
Homeowner / Pro
Play-Doh dried on the stone.
Let it dry fully, lift it with a plastic scraper, then wipe. Play-Doh is salt and flour, so the dried dust is gritty; wipe it up rather than pushing it around with a dry cloth.
Homeowner
The washable markers weren't washable.
Try dish soap and patience first; on the surface it usually still works. Marker that soaked into unsealed light stone is in the stone, and that's a pro extraction. Blot fresh marks, don't rub them wider. Placemat for art.
Homeowner / Pro
School glue on the counter.
Warm water and a plastic scraper. White glue softens and peels. Hot glue lifts once it's cool. Nothing solvent-based needed on any of the four stones.
Homeowner
Nothing here matches that. Try the search on the main answers page, or send a photo below.
Sources:
Mohs hardness fundamentals; Natural Stone Institute care guidance.
Reviewed September 2026. Fact-checked against Natural Stone Institute publications and manufacturer technical data by an independent reviewer. Written by Restore My Counters.
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