Marble surfaces throughout an office or home provide an elegant and timeless look. Unfortunately, caring for marble isn’t as straightforward as it is for other surfaces.
This post will cover what you need to know about marble and stone cleaning.
Cleaning different marble surfaces
Though all marble requires the same basic care, your cleaning techniques will vary based on where the marble is located. These are practices for caring for common marble surfaces:
- Floors: Marble floors are prone to scratches, especially in high-traffic areas. To prevent this, dry-mop your floor daily to pick up dirt and sand. You can also vacuum the area, but be careful with old wheels, as they can cause their own scratches. Caked-in grime can be removed with a steam cleaner—just be sure to dry the surface after it’s steamed.
- Counters: Spills are the biggest threat to marble counters, and they can be even more harmful if it’s juice or another acidic liquid. Mop up spills ASAP to prevent them from setting in, and then clean the area with a non-acidic solution. To avoid scratches, always use a cutting board when slicing anything on marble.
- Shower tiles: Soap scum buildup is common in any shower, but it’s particularly noticeable in a shower with marble tiles. Use a squeegee to scrape excess water and soap scum off the wall after each shower. Again, a steam cleaner can be used to remove stubborn scrum or grime.
Removing stains
Whether it’s on the counter or the floor, you’ll probably run into a stain on your marble at some point. As long as you work on these stains as fast as possible, you should be able to lift them fairly easily.
Spills from coffee, juice, pet urine or other organic materials can be treated with a solution of 12 percent hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of ammonia. Oil-based stains can be lifted with acetone or mineral spirits, while ink can be removed with lacquer thinner.
There are also marble and stone cleaning products specially designed to remove tough stains. Regardless of the cleaning solution you use, be gentle when cleaning these stains—never use an abrasive scrubbing pad, and always rinse the cleaning agent off afterward.
Buffing scratches
Being vigilant about dirt goes a long way in protecting your marble floors and counters from scratches, but you may still run into scratches at some point. Don’t fret! Light scratches can be buffed out using superfine, 0000-rated steel wool.
To keep your marble in the best condition, consider hiring a professional cleaning service. Professionals have all of the right tools and cleaning solutions to preserve your stone’s appearance to ensure your office always has a professional appearance.
Hire Stay Clean Solutions today
For the best marble and stone cleaning (and other services, too!), look no further than Stay Clean Solutions. No cleaning job is too big or too small for our pros, so give us a call today to see what we can do for you.